The latest battle to raise the minimum wage for workers who rely on tips is set to kick off on Wednesday in Chicago with a bill being introduced in the city council that will boost pay – as labor activist herald the potential for “a historic moment” for thousands of restaurant workers.
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A step change is in the air for the city, which has a culinary scene of national renown and is taking advantage of fictional depictions such as Chicago being the setting for the popular TV food drama The Bear, as well acting as host for the annual James Beard Awards.
US cities were hard hit by the coronavirus and many are now working through the resulting shake-up in the restaurant business.
“The industry is facing the worst crisis in its history,” Saru Jayaraman, president of the labor advocacy group One Fair Wage, said, noting the shortage of restaurant workers across the country: “And what is our response? Our response is: this is the most historic frickin’ moment in the United States. This is the moment that could change everything in terms of income inequality and the way the economy works.”
Jayaraman and other members of One Fair Wage vowed at the Netroots progressive conference in Chicago last Friday to continue a legacy of labor wins in the city that stretch back to the 1886 Haymarket Affair, the violent break-up of a workers’ strike in support of an eight-hour work day.
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