Urge the Department of Labor to introduce legislation raising the federal minimum wage for tipped workers

The Food Chain Workers Alliance recently conducted a study of America’s food industry workers, who make up ⅙ of the country’s workforce. Shockingly, 86.5% of those surveyed make below a living wage. A living wage is defined as the minimum hourly income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs such as affording a home and feeding their families.

Aside from their meager pay, the majority of food preparers and servers, fast-food cooks, restaurant servers and hosts, farmworkers, and baristas across the country also lack benefits such as health care and paid sick days.

The minimum wage for tipped employees is a mere $2.13 per hour, which is significantly lower than the $7.25 federal minimum wage for other industries. While the federal wage has increased several times over the past few years, the wage for tipped employees has stayed the same. The Department of Labor justifies this with the requirement that food industry employees retain all their tips, which must add up to at least an average of $7.25 per hour. However, in the recent study many workers reported overtimes and minimum wage violations on the part of their restaurant employers.

This injustice continues as the restaurant industry grows and hires more and more people. All the while, its employees are three times more likely to live below the poverty line than other American workers.

Sign the petition telling the Department of Labor that it’s time to pay service to the country’s loyal wait-staff – together we can demand that tipped employees receive a much deserved raise!