SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
one fair wage
Workers Across the Nation Sound Alarm in Democratic Controlled States: Protect Wages and Vulnerable Families Before Trump Administration Dismantles Worker Rights
Amid Ongoing Cost-of-Living Crisis, Workers Issue Stark Warning to Lawmakers: Prioritize Wages and Cost of Living Crisis or Risk Losing Future Elections
Nov 19, 2024
On Wednesday, November 20th at 11:00 AM, workers, fair wage advocates, labor leaders, and community allies in Michigan, Illinois, and New York will gather at their respective state legislatures and governors’ offices in a coordinated effort to demand bold action to protect workers’ rights and address wage inequities.
Tipped service workers are calling on Democratic leaders in blue states to act decisively, as the National Restaurant Association has pledged to work with President-elect Donald Trump to reverse Biden-era protections for tipped workers. These protections include regulations that prohibit corporations from paying tipped workers a subminimum wage for non-tip-earning tasks. Reports that Trump is considering former Carl’s Jr. CEO Andy Puzder—his 2016 nominee for Secretary of Labor who was not confirmed due to allegations of sexual harassment and domestic violence—further underscore the threat. During his previous administration, Trump attempted to pass regulations that would make tips the property of employers. The National Restaurant Association has promised to revive these efforts under the new Trump administration, threatening to roll back critical rights for service workers.
Participants will deliver a powerful open letter calling on Democratic leaders to pass legislation raising the minimum wage and eliminating subminimum wages for tipped and low-wage workers. To demonstrate solidarity and provide immediate relief during the holiday season, workers and advocates will host food giveaways to support struggling families, underscoring the urgency of their demands in the face of continued inaction from elected officials.
This national effort, led by One Fair Wage, highlights the critical need for Democratic-controlled states to protect vulnerable workers against the incoming Trump administration’s anti-worker agenda and ongoing affordability crisis. Workers in all three states will rally to demand Democratic leaders in blue states act boldly on behalf of working families and eliminate the two-tiered wage system that disproportionately impacts women, communities of color and immigrant communities
“Workers in blue states are raising their voices because they cannot afford to wait any longer,” said Saru Jayaraman, Co-Founder and President of One Fair Wage. “With a cost-of-living crisis squeezing families and an anti-worker Trump administration on the horizon, Democratic leaders must act boldly to protect workers and provide economic security. If they fail to prioritize wages and worker protections, they risk losing the trust—and the votes—of the very people they need to win.”
Workers’ Message to Democratic Leaders
Advocates and workers are issuing a stark warning to Democratic lawmakers: failing to act decisively to address the cost-of-living crisis and wage inequities will have political consequences.
“Last week’s electoral results made one thing clear: voters overwhelmingly prioritize wages and affordability,” said Jayaraman. “Democrats must act now to protect workers and show that they are fighting for the people who need them most. Ignoring these demands will lead to alienated voters and further political losses.”
The open letter amplifies voices from workers across the political spectrum—some who voted for Trump, others for Harris, those who split their votes, and many who sat out the election entirely. Their unified message to Democratic leaders: act decisively, or face the consequences.
Coordinated Actions in Three States
In Michigan, workers will call on Governor Whitmer to uphold the state Supreme Court’s decision to raise the minimum wage and eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers.
In Illinois, advocates will push for statewide legislation to build on Chicago’s historic wage reforms and extend fair wages to all workers. In New York, participants will urge Governor Hochul to prioritize One Fair Wage legislation during the special session, particularly to safeguard tipped and immigrant workers from the looming anti-worker policies of the incoming Trump administration. Workers in all three states are rallying behind the One Fair Wage petition, calling on lawmakers to eliminate subminimum wages, address economic instability, and provide meaningful wage increases for struggling families.
WHO:
- Workers, advocates, and community allies across Michigan, Illinois, and New York
WHAT:
- Delivery of worker demands to state legislative and Governor’s offices
- Solidarity turkey giveaways for struggling families let down by elected officials
WHEN:
- Wednesday, November 20th at 11:00 AM
WHERE:
- Michigan: State of Michigan office in Detroit; 3054 West Grand Blvd., Suite 3-600, Detroit
- Illinois: Illinois State Capitol, Springfield, IL - Lincoln Steps
- New York: NYC Governor’s Office - 633 3rd Ave 38th floor, New York, NY 10017
Keep ReadingShow Less
One Fair Wage on the White House Issuing New Executive Orders Requiring Federal Contractors Pay Workers a $15 Per Hour Minimum Wage
This morning, the White House that President Biden would issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to hundreds of thousands of workers who are working on federal contracts.
Apr 27, 2021
This morning, the White House that President Biden would issue an executive order requiring federal contractors to pay a $15 minimum wage to hundreds of thousands of workers who are working on federal contracts.
The order will increase the hourly minimum wage for federally contracted workers to $15 per hour starting on January 30, 2022, continue to index the minimum wage to an inflation measure, eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped federally contracted workers by 2024, ensure a $15 minimum wage for federally contracted workers with disabilities, and restore minimum wage protections to outfitters and guides operating on federal land.
In reaction to the announcement of the executive order, Saru Jayaraman, President and co-founder of One Fair Wage, a national nonprofit that advocates on behalf of tipped workers earning the subminimum wage, issued the following statement:
"Today's executive order raising the minimum wage for federally contracted workers to $15 per hour and ending subminimum wages for tipped federally contracted workers and federally contracted workers with disabilities is a win for workers, a win for our economy, and a win for our country.
"On the campaign trail, President Biden promoted to lift up and empower workers, and fight for a $15 minimum wage - and today he delivered the first step for the millions of workers who helped put him into office expecting him to deliver on that promise.
"By also phasing out the subminimum wage for tipped federal contractors and ensuring that federally contracted workers with disabilities are paid equitably, President Biden is making sure that the federal government does not perpetuate the discriminatory wages that are most often paid to women, people of color, and people with disabilities.
"Change is possible. We urge Congress to follow President Biden's courageous leadership and make sure all workers - not just federally contracted workers, and - are given the same opportunity to thrive by passing the Raise the Wage Act and ending racist, sexist, and ableist subminimum wages in the United States."
New Polling Data Shows Four in Five Tipped Restaurant Workers Want a $15/Hour Federal Minimum Wage With Tips on Top
Over two-thirds of tipped workers in delaware, maine & new hampshire say they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports a full minimum wage for tipped workers with tips on top.
Apr 14, 2021
The first representative survey of tipped restaurant workers, just put out by Lake Research Partners, in partnership with One Fair Wage and the National Employment Law Project (NELP), and UltraViolet, shows that four in five tipped restaurant workers in Maine, New Hampshire, Delaware, support One Fair Wage - increasing the federal minimum wage for tipped workers to $15 an hour with tips on top. Eighty percent of workers support the Raise the Wage Act with high intensity - with half (50%) strongly in favor.
The polling data comes after Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) voted against the Raise the Wage Act, a major setback to one of President Biden's priority policy goals last month. The poll was conducted to respond to some of these senators' concerns about the bill's proposal to end the subminimum wage for tipped workers, which is a direct legacy of slavery and currently impacts a workforce of tipped workers that is over two thirds women and disproportionately women of color.
Ensuring that tipped workers have One Fair Wage for their work has never been more important and urgent than during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, recently, corporate chain restaurants admitted to their investors that ending the subminimum wage and raising the minimum wage is good for business -- especially in the wake of reports that the industry is suffering a labor crisis because of low wages, with workers reporting they will not go back to high-risk restaurant jobs without a living wage plus tips on top.
SEE THE SURVEY HERE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYi0iCssBioIBiG-4AF1J6FB-k9fe04y/view?usp=sharing
Support is strong among every demographic group and is among the highest ever seen compared to previous polls in other states. Over two-thirds of workers in each state said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supported raising the minimum wage for tipped workers to the full minimum wage for tipped workers with tips on top (70% across all three states), and roughly one-third said that they would be much more likely to vote for such a candidate (32% across all three states).
Earlier this month, nearly six million tipped workers and 14 million restaurant workers nationwide sent a letter to Congress pointing to "the backbreaking work" they do -- all while working in fear of losing already-reduced tips because they must enforce public health mandates. They argue that the federal subminimum wage of just $2.13 an hour keeps them dependent on the same customers on whom they must enforce these rules -- an impossible situation.
"The pandemic has made our hard jobs even harder. After most of us were not able to receive unemployment insurance because we were told our wages were too low, we had to go back to work before we felt safe. We found that our tips have gone down, while sexual harassment has gone up. And research has proven that sexual harassment and racial discrimination in the restaurant industry are a direct result of the subminimum wage. Yet we've heard that some United States Senators don't want to give us the same basic fair wage as all other Americans and want to cut us out of the Raise the Wage Act -- and keep this unfair, unjust legacy of slavery intact," the letter reads.
SEE THE FULL LETTER HERE: https://onefairwage.site/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Letter-to-Congress_3-30-2021.pdf
Over 140,000 workers have also sent petitions to Congress calling on members to pass the Raise the Wage Act, which would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and end the subminimum wage for tipped workers, and thanking those who have already voted in the legislation's favor.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular