One Fair Wage at CDT
We are looking for new members to Join our small but committed group of CDT members interested in taking action to support workers in our community. Reach out to Amy Mazur or Ora Gladstone about how you can support worker justice initiatives.
Attend the New England Jewish Labor Committee Labor Seder and connect with others show solidarity with workers. Find out more here!
Updates on One Fair Wage 2024
Below is information on the ballot initiative for An Act to Require Full Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers with Tips on Top
▸ Click here to learn more
At this link, you can also view the recording of the March 12, 2024 hearing that took place.
Overview
The One Fair Wage Campaign is part of a larger focus on worker justice issues at Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, where we have long been committed to supporting workers in precarious situations who are often deprived of dignity and respect at work, along with a livable wage. Each Labor Day, we learn from those working on the front lines of labor activism about current campaigns that can make a difference in the lives of those struggling to gain dignity at work. We stay actively involved with the New England Jewish Labor Committee (https://www.newenglandjewishlabor.org) and other organizations that support worker justice.
Massachusetts Participation
Together with worker centers and other faith-based and community organizations like the Matahari Women Workers’ Center (http://www.mataharijustice.org), we are currently working to educate and advocate for passage of One Fair Wage bill in Massachusetts. The One Fair Wage campaign is aimed at eliminating sub-minimum wages here in Massachusetts and nationally.
Over 8 million workers nationwide are making less than $10 an hour, and the restaurant industry has been particularly hard hit during the pandemic. About 70% of restaurant workers have had a decrease in tips. There are approximately 130,000 tipped workers in Massachusetts, 2/3 of whom are women. They risk exposure to COVID-19 every day that they have worked, and have had to tolerate worse harassment over the last year. Statements like “Take off your mask so I can see how pretty your face is, and give you a bigger tip,” are common among restaurant workers. Not only that, restaurant workers are still among the lowest paid workers in the country, and are disproportionally represented by women, immigrants, and people of color. Currently, the Massachusetts sub-minimum tipped wage is $6.15 an hour (the national wage is $2.13 an hour), and these same workers experience wage theft when employers do not bring their wages up to minimum wage each week, which is often reported to happen.
In 2021, Dorshei Tzedek organized an event that included local tipped-wage workers telling their compelling (and troubling) stories about financial and social abuse of restaurant owners and patrons. CDT members also prepared testimony and testified (virtually) at a hearing in October 2021 before the Labor and Workforce Development Committee to show support and build pressure for a Massachusetts law that would eliminate unfair wage practices.
Ways to Get Involved
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Follow and support measures to pass Massachusetts Senate Bill 1213/House 1971, An Act Requiring One Fair Wage
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Patronize restaurants that have made a pledge to support workers and pay livable wages: www.dorsheitzedek.org/ofw-restaurants
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Follow the Current news and activities in the of One Fair Wage “Blog” on the right side of this page.
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Connect to the “Background and Resources” in the banner on the right side of this page to learn more about the One Fair Wage Campaign in Massachusetts and Nationally, and other issues facing workers.
Leadership/Contacts
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Amy Mazur – acmazur@comcast.net
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Ora Gladstone – oragladstone@gmail.com