A group of non-unionized workers at the Chicago-based chain staged a week-long walk out, part of a growing wave of strikes in the area. Alleging unfairly low pay and employer mistreatment, a group of non-unionized workers at Portillo’s?—?a popular Chicago-based restaurant chain serving hot dogs, Italian beef and Polish sausages?—?staged a seven-day strike last week. “All we want …
BOISE, IDAHO—It was raining lightly June 29 when Geo Engberson, owner of the Pie Hole pizzeria, convened an emergency staff meeting. He had intended a quick conference in the parking lot behind the restaurant, known for its steady stream of weekend bar-goers. Given the weather, Engberson ferried the handful of workers into his trailer. Earlier that month, workers at …
Restaurant Workers Are Building Solidarity Amid the Pandemic Read More »
The District of Columbia’s city council took the first step Tuesday to overturn Initiative 77, a measure passed by a 55 percent to 45 percent majority by the Washington voters. If its efforts succeed, as expected, the council will undo the minimum wage protections for tipped workers. A 2016 living wage law, enacted by the …
DC Council overrules constituents, votes to reinstall tipped wage system Read More »
This week, the majority of the D.C. Council supported a repeal of Initiative 77. Initiative 77 is the ballot measure voters approved in June that eliminates the tipped minimum wage and would gradually phase out the tipped workers’ minimum wage, so that by 2026, all workers are paid the same minimum wage. Fifty-six percent of …
D.C. Council moves to overrule voters, reinstall tipped wage system Read More »
On Tuesday, Washington, D.C., voters will have an opportunity to vote on Initiative 77, a ballot measure supported by a wide array of progressive and labor organizations that would eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers and give many working families a much-needed raise. Initiative 77 would increase the tipped minimum wage to match the full …
What You Need to Know About Washington, D.C.’s Initiative 77 and the Minimum Wage Read More »
People who work in restaurants will tell you: tips say more about customers than about the service they get. All those people who say that tips are a way to reward good service and punish bad service? Sorry, but that’s not how it works in practice every day in restaurants across the country. Instead, tips are …
So you think tipping ensures good service? No, but it does enable sexual harassment Read More »
Last week, the Trump administration launched yet another front in its war on workers when the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new rule that would allow restaurants and other employers of tipped workers to begin legally pocketing their workers’ tips. The DOL’s proposed rule would ostensibly allow restaurants to take the tips that servers …
Trump Dept. of Labor Rule Would Legalize Employers Stealing Workers’ Tips Read More »
Anyone who has ever scanned Craigslist for a restaurant job knows the boilerplate “will train the right person,” code for, among other things, “Be young and have a nice ass.” I have two (attractive, blonde) female colleagues who got their first serving jobs at 19 on the supposed basis of their scores on the restaurant …
For Women Restaurant Workers, Sexual Harassment Starts with the Day You’re Hired Read More »
Andrew Puzder, Donald Trump’s nominee for labor secretary, is uniquely unqualified for that job. As secretary, he’d be charged with enforcing health and safety, overtime and other labor laws. But as CEO of CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., he’s made his considerable fortune from violating these very same laws, according …
Workers Say Trump’s Labor Secretary Nominee Is a Habitual Violator of Labor Law Read More »
Restaurant workers are supposed to get at least minimum wage, when tips are combined with the $2.13 an hour tipped worker minimum wage. But, as the women in this video make clear, that’s not enough. Too often, employers don’t make up the difference, or even push workers to do prep or cleaning work at $2.13, with …
At $2.13 Minimum Wage, Restaurant Workers Struggle to Put Food on Their Own Tables Read More »
Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.
