On May 20, 2021, about 50 service worker leaders at One Fair Wage, an organization I lead that brings together service workers to demand a living wage, gathered to take an official vote on whether to go on a âwage strike.â Some workers had already left the restaurant industry and were considering not returning, and some had stayed, doing the work of two or even three workers in understaffed environments. All were united in their determination not to continue to work for anything less than a full, living wage â plus tips.
âWhen the pandemic hit, I was furloughed. I tried to get unemployment, but my subminimum wage was too low to qualify,â said Ifeoma Ezimako, an African American server from Washington, D.C. who became a leader with One Fair Wage right after pandemic-related shutdowns began last year. âMy real issue is that tips are supposed to be extra. Itâs not the customerâs obligation to pay us. So the fact that the employer is not giving th