“I’m thrilled to support One Fair Wage and their new campaign to raise wages and end subminimum wages in 25 states. Raising the wage is good for workers, families, businesses and the economy. While Congress works to pass the critical policies in the Raise the Wage Act, I am glad to see that multiple states are taking steps to ensure that their workers are being paid.”

“In order to pay for college, I worked as a full time waitress every summer. I remember working sometimes over 40 hours a week and my paystub would still be only $60-75 every two weeks. All of my significant earnings were brought home in my ‘tips bag’ and the silent contract to get those tips was to oblige requests and endure indignity. A fair wage is the only way to level the playing field. It’s what needed in every state and restaurant and One Fair Wage is working to make that happen.”

“The quicker we can move from this country away from this policy, the better off both the industry, and the workers will be.”

“The majority of Americans also overwhelmingly agree that we should face and fix our nation’s history of racial justice. That includes, for instance, the subminimum wage — a direct legacy of slavery where white owners didn’t want to pay newly freed Black workers and so invented the idea that customers would pay workers instead through tips. It remains policy today in 43 states and at the federal level, where the subminimum wage is just $2.13 an hour. But nationwide, a strong majority of all Americans support ending the subminimum wage and raising the overall minimum wage to $15 an hour with tips on top.”

“America isn’t often united around major policy shifts — but on at least one thing we agree: millions of working people in both red and blue states understand the need for a living wage. Since 2009, the cost of living has skyrocketed, while the federal minimum wage remains at a starvation wage of $7.25. In a consumer economy, a living wage isn’t just a moral imperative — it is a political priority. Until Congress decides to act for the betterment of the American people, we’ll make the change for ourselves, and bring ballot measures to raise the minimum wage to states all over the country.”

“The subminimum wage for tipped workers is a legacy of the racism and legacy of chattel slavery that directed the original passages of minimum wage laws decades ago.  It has contributed to higher rates of poverty, wage theft, and workplace harassment for workers who are forced to rely on customer’s tips for a living.  It perpetuates labor market inequity, with tipped workers experiencing precarity, stress and fluctuations in earnings because they cannot rely on a decent set wage with tips on top, especially for Black workers because racism affects how customers tip.  And it is shameful – for 30 years now, the subminimum wage for tipped workers on the federal level and in many of the states has been frozen at $2.13 an hour. Across the country, workers are organizing and demanding better wages and the end to laws that have exclusion and inequity at their core.  We are excited to join with the workers and advocates who are fighting for equitable and just treatment under our nation’s bedrock workplace laws.”

“Hard-working Americans have been left behind for far too long, and this pandemic has only worsened that problem. Raising the minimum wage to $15 is long overdue. This increase will significantly help our workers recover while also reducing racial and gender inequality. This is a top priority in the fight for economic justice. During a time when so many are struggling, raising the wage and ending the subminimum wage are strong steps to helping countless Americans, especially women and people of color, across the country.”