{"id":1245373,"date":"2026-02-23T08:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T13:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?p=1245373"},"modified":"2026-02-23T10:29:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:29:47","slug":"restaurant-workers-wage-inequality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","title":{"rendered":"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Justice, political and labor leaders stood inside the New York Hilton Midtown and declared that the mission to end subminimum wage is the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we think about the partnership with One Fair Wage and the relationship with labor you know that NAACP and labor is married,\u201d said Jamal R. Watkins, senior vice president of strategy and advancement at the NAACP<\/a>, during a spirited press conference. \u201cThe movement of working people is the movement of Black people, the movement of Brown people, the movement of women, the movement of children, the movement of folks who had to make this country what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Black History Month underway, and held during the NAACP National Leadership Convening and Black History Month, the gathering united NAACP President Derrick Johnson<\/a>, National Urban League<\/a> leadership, New York NAACP Chair L. Joy Williams, New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam<\/a> (D), One Fair Wage <\/a>President and co-founder Saru Jayaraman<\/a>, tipped restaurant workers, small business owners and labor advocates. Together, they called for passage of Living Wage for All, legislation newly introduced in New York City and New York State, and for similar congressional bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday we recognize Black History Month, and as we recognize Black History Month, we also recognize that the fight for economic justice is inseparable for the ongoing struggle of racial justice,\u201d said Salaam. \u201cThis gathering honors the leadership, resilience, and contribution of Black workers who have always been at the forefront of movements for fairness, dignity and opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
New York City Councilmember Yusef Salaam (left) and NAACP President Derrick Johnson are two of the many leaders working toward an end to subminimum wage, noting the practice as a civil rights issue. (Stacy M. Brown\/The Washington Informer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The proposed measures would raise the minimum wage closer to the cost of living at least $30 an hour in New York and $25 an hour federally, and eliminate all subminimum wages \u2014 including the tipped minimum wage that remains at $2.13 an hour under federal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaders were able to tie the current campaign to the work done to organize restaurant workers after the September 11 attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the 25th anniversary of 9\/11; on 9\/11 there was the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center \u2013 a restaurant called Windows on the World,\u201d said Jayaraman.  \u201cOn that morning, 73 workers died and 13,000 workers lost their jobs. I was asked as a young organizer to start a relief center for restaurant workers in the aftermath of the tragedy, and what started as a relief center for restaurant workers grew into a national restaurant workers organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, service industry employees remain frustrated, Jayaraman said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverywhere we went, restaurant workers would always say it\u2019s my wages, it\u2019s my wages,\u201d she continued. \u201cThere are 13.6 million workers in America, 700,000 here in New York, yet it is the absolute lowest paying employer and has been for generations, dating back to emancipation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Still Waiting for Equal Pay<\/strong>‘<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the center of the event was the release of a February 2026 report from One Fair Wage titled \u201cStill Waiting for Equal Pay: How $2.13 Suppresses Tipped Workers\u2019 Wages and Exacerbates Black Women\u2019s Pay Gap.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report concludes that the federal tipped wage of $2.13 an hour depresses earnings and widens racial and gender wage gaps in the restaurant industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the report, Black women tipped workers earn just 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men in the same industry. The research also concluded that more than 70% of tipped restaurant workers nationwide earn under $25,372 annually and that 95% earn less than $57,000. In states where the tipped wage remains $2.13, tipped restaurant workers have a median individual income of $15,149 compared to a national median income of $42,220. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointing to a systemic issue, speakers said the subminimum wage traces directly to post Emancipation labor practices that forced Black workers into tip-dependent jobs without guaranteed pay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also warned against the federal Tipped Employee Protection Act, H.R. 2312<\/a>, which, according to Congress.gov, would modify the definition of a tipped employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act to broaden who qualifies as a tipped employee. Advocates described the proposal as an expansion of subminimum wage loopholes that would weaken worker protections nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five, framed the issue as a civil rights imperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must also confront a painful truth that some minimum wages are the direct legacy of Jim Crow policies designed to exclude Black workers from basic labor protections,\u201d Salaam said. \u201cThat legacy has not disappeared. It continues today morphing into disproportionately harming workers of color who are overrepresented in low wage and tipped industries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnson, president of the NAACP, argued that wage policy sits at the heart of democratic power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur job is to serve and create a better society for all. If you think about how workers are treated, particularly service workers. It is inhumane,\u201d Johnson remarked. \u201cIt is inhumane for someone to work 9,10,12 hours to almost make their house payments. The history of the human rights movement in this country that we call the Civil Rights Movement is based on three basic pillars; our ability to exercise our vote; our ability to ensure the public policy that arise from our vote prepares our young people for a future, education and the abilities of our communities not to be exploited for free and cheap labor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Justice, political and labor leaders gathered in New York to call for the passage of Living Wage for All legislation, which would raise the minimum wage to $30 an hour in New York and $25 an hour federally, and eliminate all subminimum wages, in order to address the racial and gender wage gaps exacerbated by the federal tipped wage of $2.13 an hour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2327,"featured_media":1245371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_primary_brand":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","nota_seo_page_title":"NAACP and allies push for living wage legislation","nota_seo_page_description":"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.","newspack_featured_image_position":"beside","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30851,3,7,45775],"tags":[39020,46622,88740,713,557,88739,54597,64456,29735,14832],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"nota":[],"coauthors":[53509],"class_list":["post-1245373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-experience","category-business","category-national-news","category-stacy-m-brown","tag-derrick-johnson","tag-jamal-r-watkins","tag-l-joy-williams","tag-minimum-wage","tag-naacp","tag-new-york-hilton-midtown","tag-one-fair-wage","tag-saru-jayaraman","tag-stacy-m-brown","tag-yusef-salaam","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nNAACP and allies push for living wage legislation - The Washington Informer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Washington Informer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StacyBrownMedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T13:08:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-23T15:29:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stacy M. Brown\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@StacyBrownMedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WashInformer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stacy M. Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stacy M. Brown\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a960107843472747a0d9c8336a8760db\"},\"headline\":\"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T13:08:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-23T15:29:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\"},\"wordCount\":906,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Derrick Johnson\",\"Jamal R. Watkins\",\"L. Joy Williams\",\"minimum wage\",\"naacp\",\"New York Hilton Midtown\",\"One Fair Wage\",\"Saru Jayaraman\",\"Stacy M. Brown\",\"Yusef Salaam\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Black Experience\",\"Business\",\"National\",\"Stacy M. Brown\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\",\"name\":\"NAACP and allies push for living wage legislation - The Washington Informer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T13:08:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-23T15:29:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1600,\"caption\":\"Justice, political and labor leaders are advocating for an end to subminimum wage, calling for the passage of a bill titled Living Wage for All, in New York, as well as encouraging members of Congress to consider similar legislation. (Stacy M. Brown\/The Washington Informer)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"description\":\"Black News, Commentary and Culture | The Washington Informer\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1\",\"width\":1432,\"height\":529,\"caption\":\"The Washington Informer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WashInformer\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/washinformer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy1nXP8_IuoJ-1N9e53762g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a960107843472747a0d9c8336a8760db\",\"name\":\"Stacy M. Brown\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/2fbba247b672d85f00e23743750fc1f3\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Stacey-Brown-Bio-Page-96x96.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Stacey-Brown-Bio-Page-96x96.png\",\"caption\":\"Stacy M. Brown\"},\"description\":\"Stacy M. Brown is a senior writer for The Washington Informer and the senior national correspondent for the Black Press of America. Stacy has more than 25 years of journalism experience and has authored two major biographies, including \\\"Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother.\\\"\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/stacymbrown.contently.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StacyBrownMedia\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/therealstacybrownmedia\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stacy-brown-media-b204ab67\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/StacyBrownMedia\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/results?search_query=Stacy+M+Brown+nnpa\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Washington Informer\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/staceybrown\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NAACP and allies push for living wage legislation - The Washington Informer","description":"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery","og_description":"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","og_site_name":"The Washington Informer","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StacyBrownMedia","article_published_time":"2026-02-23T13:08:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-23T15:29:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1600,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Stacy M. Brown","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@StacyBrownMedia","twitter_site":"@WashInformer","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stacy M. Brown","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/"},"author":{"name":"Stacy M. Brown","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a960107843472747a0d9c8336a8760db"},"headline":"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery","datePublished":"2026-02-23T13:08:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-23T15:29:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/"},"wordCount":906,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","keywords":["Derrick Johnson","Jamal R. Watkins","L. Joy Williams","minimum wage","naacp","New York Hilton Midtown","One Fair Wage","Saru Jayaraman","Stacy M. Brown","Yusef Salaam"],"articleSection":["Black Experience","Business","National","Stacy M. Brown"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","name":"NAACP and allies push for living wage legislation - The Washington Informer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-02-23T13:08:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-23T15:29:47+00:00","description":"Justice and labor leaders call for an end to subminimum wage, declaring it the unfinished business of the Civil Rights Movement.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","width":1200,"height":1600,"caption":"Justice, political and labor leaders are advocating for an end to subminimum wage, calling for the passage of a bill titled Living Wage for All, in New York, as well as encouraging members of Congress to consider similar legislation. (Stacy M. Brown\/The Washington Informer)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/","name":"The Washington Informer","description":"Black News, Commentary and Culture | The Washington Informer","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#organization","name":"The Washington Informer","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/INFORMERLogo-3.png?fit=1432%2C529&ssl=1","width":1432,"height":529,"caption":"The Washington Informer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WashingtonInformer\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WashInformer","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/washinformer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCy1nXP8_IuoJ-1N9e53762g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a960107843472747a0d9c8336a8760db","name":"Stacy M. Brown","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/2fbba247b672d85f00e23743750fc1f3","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Stacey-Brown-Bio-Page-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/cropped-Stacey-Brown-Bio-Page-96x96.png","caption":"Stacy M. Brown"},"description":"Stacy M. Brown is a senior writer for The Washington Informer and the senior national correspondent for the Black Press of America. Stacy has more than 25 years of journalism experience and has authored two major biographies, including \"Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother.\"","sameAs":["https:\/\/stacymbrown.contently.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/StacyBrownMedia","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/therealstacybrownmedia","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stacy-brown-media-b204ab67\/","https:\/\/x.com\/StacyBrownMedia","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/results?search_query=Stacy+M+Brown+nnpa"],"jobTitle":"Senior Writer","worksFor":"Washington Informer","url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/staceybrown\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery","url":"http:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=113%2C150&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Black Experience","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Stacy M. Brown"}],"creator":["Stacy M. Brown"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Washington Informer","logo":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/1-Logo-Red-on-White.png"},"keywords":["derrick johnson","jamal r. watkins","l. joy williams","minimum wage","naacp","new york hilton midtown","one fair wage","saru jayaraman","stacy m. brown","yusef salaam"],"dateCreated":"2026-02-23T13:08:00Z","datePublished":"2026-02-23T13:08:00Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T15:29:47Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/restaurant-workers-wage-inequality\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=113%2C150&ssl=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1\"},\"articleSection\":\"Black Experience\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Stacy M. Brown\"}],\"creator\":[\"Stacy M. Brown\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"The Washington Informer\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.washingtoninformer.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/09\\\/1-Logo-Red-on-White.png\"},\"keywords\":[\"derrick johnson\",\"jamal r. watkins\",\"l. joy williams\",\"minimum wage\",\"naacp\",\"new york hilton midtown\",\"one fair wage\",\"saru jayaraman\",\"stacy m. brown\",\"yusef salaam\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-02-23T13:08:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-23T13:08:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-23T15:29:47Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/washingtoninformer.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Leaders-Living-Wage-for-All-scaled-e1771859715662.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1600&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":74626,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/naacp-shake-up-needed-observers-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":1245373,"position":0},"title":"NAACP Shake-up Needed, Observers Say","author":"Stacy M. Brown","date":"May 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The NAACP dismissed Cornell William Brooks as its president as the more than century-old civil rights organization seeks what its board calls a \"systemwide refresh.\"","rel":"","context":"In "Black Experience"","block_context":{"text":"Black Experience","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/black-experience\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The NAACP will conduct a listening tour as they seek to replace former President Cornell W. Brooks. (Courtesy photo)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/A1-NAACP-JUMP-Page-11.jpg?fit=1024%2C875&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/A1-NAACP-JUMP-Page-11.jpg?fit=1024%2C875&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/A1-NAACP-JUMP-Page-11.jpg?fit=1024%2C875&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/A1-NAACP-JUMP-Page-11.jpg?fit=1024%2C875&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1224974,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/target-corp-legal-challenges-diversity\/","url_meta":{"origin":1245373,"position":1},"title":"Target Caught in DEI Crossfire as Lawsuits and Boycotts Mount","author":"Stacy M. Brown","date":"February 24, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Target Corporation faces legal challenges and community backlash after scaling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, leading to a 8.7% drop in its stock value and a boycott movement led by civil rights groups and local Black Lives Matter chapters.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"**FILE** A Target store in Northern Virginia (Wikimedia Commons)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-10.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-10.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-10.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-10.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/image-10.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":118051,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/todays-black-women-take-up-the-mantle-of-suffragist-ancestors\/","url_meta":{"origin":1245373,"position":2},"title":"Today’s Black Women Take Up the Mantle of Suffragist Ancestors","author":"Stacy M. Brown","date":"September 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Employing their substantive political and voting power, today\u2019s Black women have continued to mobilize in ways that their suffrage ancestors would likely view with pride.","rel":"","context":"In "Stacy M. Brown"","block_context":{"text":"Stacy M. Brown","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/columnists\/stacy-m-brown\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Regi Angelou (Courtesy of Hubhopper)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/image-7.jpeg?fit=500%2C356&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1173529,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/nearly-a-century-later-historiansrecall-brotherhood-of-sleepingcar-porters-with-awe\/","url_meta":{"origin":1245373,"position":3},"title":"Nearly a Century Later, Historians Recall Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters With Awe","author":"Stacy M. Brown","date":"August 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On a relatively comfortable 84-degree day in Harlem 97 years ago, a group of hard-working Pullman porters gathered to discuss changing working conditions, including receiving fair pay and claiming their dignity.","rel":"","context":"In "Black Experience"","block_context":{"text":"Black Experience","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/black-experience\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Courtesy of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-155.jpg?fit=871%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-155.jpg?fit=871%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-155.jpg?fit=871%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-155.jpg?fit=871%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95192,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/black-press-uaw-moves-to-strengthen-already-solid-relationship\/","url_meta":{"origin":1245373,"position":4},"title":"Black Press, UAW Moves to Strengthen Already-Solid Relationship","author":"WI Guest Author","date":"February 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The National Newspaper Publishers Association has enjoyed a long history of supporting organized labor, particularly during the civil rights movement when many unions and civil rights-focused organizations worked together to secure legislation that benefitted African Americans.","rel":"","context":"In "Stacy M. Brown"","block_context":{"text":"Stacy M. Brown","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/columnists\/stacy-m-brown\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The UAW has played a historic role in pioneering civil rights and freedoms in the workplace in communities and throughout the world. (Courtesy of NNPA Newswire)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/image-58.jpg?fit=600%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/image-58.jpg?fit=600%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/image-58.jpg?fit=600%2C337&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36796,"url":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/in-test-for-unions-and-politicians-a-nationwide-protest-on-pay\/","url_meta":{"origin":1245373,"position":5},"title":"In Test for Unions and Politicians, a Nationwide Protest on Pay","author":"Washington Informer","date":"April 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Protestors, including Kris Varrette, right, chant for increased wages and union rights at fast food restaurants Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo\/John Locher) (New York Times) \u2013 The protest by tens of thousands of low-wage workers, students and activists in more than 200 American cities on Wednesday\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National"","block_context":{"text":"National","link":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/fe65bc03cb43be225e0f6a7067003703.jpg?fit=512%2C341&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2327"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1245373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1245374,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1245373\/revisions\/1245374"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1245371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1245373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1245373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1245373"},{"taxonomy":"brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/brand?post=1245373"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=1245373"},{"taxonomy":"nota","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nota?post=1245373"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1245373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}