This morning, The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported that “Raise Up Cleveland” is beginning a push to have the city council increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The most important takeaway from this news is that the slickly named “Raise Up Cleveland” is really just a front for the SEIU, which is fully funding the group. Take a look at the disclaimer on the “Raise Up Cleveland” website:

For the unions funding this effort, the push dramatically hike the minimum wage to $15 per hour is more about advancing liberal political power than it is helping workers. Indeed, both liberal and conservative economists agree that $15 would kill thousands of jobs and put our economy at risk.

Big labor and its political supporters even acknowledge this painful reality, arguing that while increasing the minimum wage could be bad for the economy, the “Fight for $15” is imperative to get new dues-paying union members and gain momentum for liberal political change.

With the launch of this new effort in Cleveland, it’s crucial to remember that this is not a workers’ initiative or independent political “movement” – it’s bought and paid for by big labor to drive union organizing and liberal political objectives.