Restaurant workers, owners, organizers, and legislators — in their own words. These are the voices that move bills, win ballots, and rewrite the U.S. restaurant industry. Add yours →
“My name is Eric. I have worked in restaurants for 41 years. I’ve worked hard, and I still live in poverty. It is not fair. We are tired of subsidizing the restaurant industry with our labor.”
“The apocalyptic prediction of doom and misery was completely manufactured. Workers have enjoyed getting a pay bump. They’re happier at work. Yes, people are still tipping servers. My tips have stayed stable, no change.”
“We’re making $5.98 less per hour than the regular minimum wage, but are still required to meet regular minimum wage requirements. The government told us they would take care of us. But you forgot about us.”
“Restaurants don’t have a labor shortage. They have a wage shortage.”
“We’re just here to get a slice of the pie that we help to make. It’s our labor that continues to ensure that this country keeps moving forward.”
“I felt like I was running on a treadmill that was on a platform moving backwards. You sprint just to stay in the same place. You rest for a moment and you lose ground.”
“Back in 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, allowing subminimum wages. The irony is, we’re still fighting it nearly a century later.”
“A society reveals its values not by what it says about work, but by how it treats its workers. A living wage is not charity. It is the promise we make to one another.”
“Having people rely solely on tips made it feel like a throwaway profession for so long. We changed our model and our people are still here.”
“Work is valuable and the work we do in dealing with customers is skilled, and it’s not easy. We’re providing nourishment, we’re essential workers. They’re demanding they get paid like it.”
“The Queensboro is a One Fair Wage Restaurant. We pay our staff fairly and have done everything in our power to help them through this difficult year. As a result, we haven’t had any issues staying fully staffed.”
“Our restaurant industry has been built on the backs of underpaid, unprotected workers. I work alongside single mothers fighting for independence and students putting themselves through school. Tips alone aren’t enough anymore.”
Restaurant workers are the country’s largest non-union workforce. We are also the loudest, when we organize.
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