The Fight for $15 movement to increase the pay of low-wage workers hit a new milestone on April 15 when 60,000 workers walked off their jobs or joined rallies in more than 200 cities across the country. Organizers are calling it the largest protest by low-wage workers in U.S. history.

Workers in foreign cities as far-flung as Toronto, Sao Paulo and Hong Kong also participated.

The movement, which began when several hundred New York City fast-food workers participated in a strike in November 2012, has grown in more than size and geographic scope. It has also expanded from exclusively fast-food workers to include others fighting for better wages and the right to unionize, including home care workers, airport workers and adjunct college professors.

The movement has already raised wages for 8 million workers, according to Mary Kay Henry, the president of the Service Employees International Union, which is the main force behind the protests.

“I believe we are forcing a real conversation about how to solve the grossest inequality in our generation,” Henry said.

USA Today, April 15
The Guardian, April 15
Los Angeles Times, April 15