Tens of thousands scheduled to walk off job on Monday to protest racial, economic inequality

Tens of thousands of workers across dozens of American cities are expected Monday to walk off the job in protest of what they argue is the country's systemic racism and economic inequality.

Participants in the "Strike for Black Lives" believe both issues have worsened over the course of the coronavirus pandemic and will participate in work stoppages throughout the day. 

“The Strike for Black Lives is a moment of reckoning for corporations that have long ignored the concerns of their Black workforce and denied them better working conditions, living wages and healthcare,” Ash-Lee Henderson told the Associated Press.

Henderson is an organizer with the Movement for Black Lives, which is composed of more than 150 organizations making up the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Some essential workers are expected to participate in the strike, including a number of nursing home employees, janitors, delivery men and women, airport workers, ride-share drivers and fast food employees.

At noon in each U.S. time zone, strike participants will take a knee for around nine minutes – the amount of time prosecutors say former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee pressed on George Floyd's neck during the fatal May 25 arrest.

Monday's protestors are demanding that corporate leaders and elected officials use their power to fight for wage increases, unionizing rights which will lead to better health care, sick leave, and child care support.

In Manhattan, essential workers will rally outside of the Trump International Hotel to demand the passage of the HEROES Act, which the House passed in May.

The legislation if passes would provide PPE and extended unemployment benefits to workers who have not been able to stay home during the pandemic, owing to the essential nature of their jobs. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to join the Manhattan workers.

Some strikers will reportedly take specific aim at giant corporations like Walmart and McDonald's, which they say need to be held accountable for their mistreatment of hourly workers of color. On Friday, a group of McDonald's workers in Florida filed a federal lawsuit against the company, alleging a "racially hostile work environment," that had also mistreated Black customers.