Katrease Stafford

Detroit Free Press

Thirty-nine people were arrested Tuesday morning on Grand River Avenue during a protest for wage increases for minimum wage workers, according to Detroit Police, who said the incident appeared to be correlated with several other protests around the nation.

DPD Media Relations Director Michael Woody said 24 women and 15 men were arrested during the demonstration.

The local protest was planned by organizers of the Detroit 15 movement, which is seeking a $15-an-hour minimum wage and union rights for hundreds of employees who work in various industries, including fast food, retail and health care.

Hundreds of people lined Grand River Avenue in front of a McDonald's restaurant with picket signs and speakers. Some lanes of Grand River were briefly blocked during the protest, DPD spokeswoman Jennifer Watson said, adding that the protest began around 6 a.m.

"The group stated they were prepared to be arrested for non-compliance and similar protests are set in other states," Watson said.

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Nationally, the protests were organized by the Fight for $15 group, which planned to have thousands of low-wage workers protest Tuesday at 20 different airports, including Chicago’s O’Hare international airport and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty, according to a news release.

In addition to the strike at airports, fast-food workers, home care and childcare workers also planned to protest as part of the Fight for $15 movement.

Organizers said the protest was timed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the first major Fight for 15 action, when fast-food workers walked off the job in 2012.

Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com or 313-223-4759.