Business

One Fair Wage Battle Continues to Broaden Across Federal Lines

THE AFRO — Last week the fight for fair wages once again made it to the Hill,

Published

6 years ago

February 25, 2019

By George Kevin Jordan

Last week the fight for fair wages once again made it to the Hill as legislators and advocates pushed for two pieces of legislation during congressional briefings on the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Raise Wage Act. But organizers advocating for tipped workers in the District say people are feeling pinch of income disparities now.

The Raise Wage Act (H.R. 582) would ultimately increase the federal minimum wage from 8.55 to $15 an hour within five years. The Paycheck Fairness Act, helps to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to push for more transparency in pay disclosures, and limiting the ways in which pay scales can be assessed. It would make the EEOC collect data and make it harder for employees to be discriminated against for inquiring about pay.

The legislation also offers protections for women and members of marginalized communities.

One Fair Wage and the the Restaurant Opportunities Center D.C. are still in the fight for raising the wages of tipped workers on a national and local level. (Courtesy Photo)

Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center gave testimony last week and offered insight to how women and particularly women are impacted by the current laws.

In her official testimony, Graves stated that:

“When women are shortchanged, families suffer. More than 24.9 million mothers with children under 18 are in the workforce, making up nearly 1 in 6 – or 26 percent – of all workers. The great majority of mothers in the workforce work full time. In 2015, 42 percent of mothers were the sole or primary breadwinners in their families, while 22.4 percent of mothers were co- breadwinners, meaning mothers’ earnings are critical to families’ financial security. And those working mothers also face a wage gap, paid only 71 cents for every dollar paid to fathers, a gap that translates to a typical loss of $16,000 annually.

Closing the wage gap would help lift women and children out of poverty. Nearly one in eight women in the U.S. live in poverty, with high rates for women of color, including 11 percent of Asian women, 21 percent of Black women and 18 percent of Latinas. More than 1 in 3 families headed by unmarried mothers lived in poverty in 2017, and over half of all poor children (58 percent) lived in families headed by unmarried mothers. Closing the wage gap is not only fair, it is urgently needed.”

The Raise Wage Act would also bolster pay for tipped workers which more often tend to be Brown and Black women. D.C. has been embroiled in a long standing battle to offer increased wages to tipped workers. Currently while D.C.’s wage is 12.50 an hour, tipped workers are at $3.89 an hour, with plans to go up to $5.00 by 2020.

Initiative 77 was introduced in the District to push tipped workers up to $15 minimum wage by 2025. However that bill was overturned by the D.C. Council.

The wage gap impacts many tipped workers in the District according to data for the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and ROC D.C.

D.C. is home to about 56,000 workers in the restaurant industry, with 2,267 establishments, According to ROC United/D.C. data. Restaurant sales hit $3.8 billion in 2017. As the restaurant workforce is predicted to grow, however, the income disparities are glaring.

About 25 percent of tipped workers are on Medicaid and 16 percent utilize food stamps. About 24 percent of servers are on Medicaid and 17.4 percent use food stamps. Tipped restaurant workers using medicaid and food stamps are 24.9 percent and 14.7 percent respectively. This is compared to 11.5 percent and 9.1 percent of overall workforce on medicaid and food stamps.

“It’s an important issue issue regardless of where you live, but particularly in D.C. which has, as we see, income disparity and housing disparities all across the city. It’s definitely just a small microcosm of a larger issue,” said Candace Cunningham, and organizer with ROC D.C.

As the larger federal bills move towards a vote in the House and Senate, ROC D.C. will try to repeal the D.C. Council’s decision to overturn and keep pushing for higher wages for tipped workers.

While the referendum in D.C. for increasing wages for tipped workers is at a standstill, ROC D.C. still continues to “push as hard as we can on a national level and locally we’re continuing to focus on improving working conditions and building coalitions,” Cunningham said.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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California Assembly Passes Bill Backed by Newsom to Prevent Gas Price Spikes

On Oct. 1, during a special session, the California Assembly advanced Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to prevent gasoline price spikes, according to the Governor’s office and lawmakers backing the measure. The Assembly passed Assembly Bill (AB) x2-1, authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). The bill is on its way to the Senate for consideration.

Published

2 days ago

October 15, 2024

Oakland Post

During the Special Session on Oct. 1, Asm. Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) tells his collegues that he learned that gas prices in South Los Angeles is much higher in the Colorado after recently visited the state. Screenshot.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

The Assembly passed Assembly Bill (AB) x2-1, authored by Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). The bill is on its way to the Senate for consideration.

If approved, ABx2-1 will empower the state to require oil refiners to maintain a minimum inventory of fuel to avoid supply shortages that trigger higher gasoline prices for consumers — and leading to higher profits for the industry.

In addition, ABx2-1 would authorize the California Energy Commission (CEC) to require refiners to plan for resupply during maintenance outages. The bill passed with a 44-18 vote, with 17 Assemblymembers not voting.

“Just last year, price spikes cost Californians more than $2 billion — forcing many families to make tough decisions like choosing between fueling up or putting food on the table,” Newsom stated. “This has to end, and with the legislature’s support, we’ll get this done for California families.”

Several members of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) voted in favor of the measure, including Assemblymembers Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), Akilah Weber (D-La Mesa), and CLBC chair Lori Wilson (D-Suisun City).

During the debate, before the vote, Jones-Sawyer said high gas prices are affecting the livelihood of his constituents in South Los Angeles. He told his colleagues that gas in Denver, Colo., is $2.99 per gallon while motorists in South Los Angeles are paying $5.65 per gallon.

“I am hoping that in this legislation that we do have the teeth to ensure that people in South Los Angeles will be protected and that people will understand what we are doing today makes a huge difference in people’s lives,” Jones-Sawyer said.

Assembly Minority Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) offered a solution to preventing soaring gas prices. He said the state needs more storage tanks and pipelines at oil refineries when they are conducting maintenance.

“If we are talking about having a reserve of gasoline so that we can help avoid price spikes, as has been purported, we need more storage, more infrastructure to do so,” Gallagher said. “Right now, the existing pie only takes you so far and if you hold gasoline back, prices will spike.”

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Asm. Mike Gipson Hosts Hearing on Big Sports Events’ Impact on Calif. Economy

On Oct. 2, Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) led an Assembly Standing Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, and Tourism hearing focused on the impact of various attractions, including large sporting events, on California’s tourism industry. Various guests testified about their experiences organizing events that draw large numbers of visitors to the state, including sports competitions like the NBA All-Star games, the Super Bowl, the World Cup, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Published

2 days ago

October 15, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Assemblymember Mike Gipson

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Various guests testified about their experiences organizing events that draw large numbers of visitors to the state, including sports competitions like the NBA All-Star games, the Super Bowl, the World Cup, and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Gipson said the committee aims to expand its partnership with businesses to help the travel and tourism industry.

“The members of this body have dedicated a lot of time and resources to supporting our state’s travel and tourism industry,” said Gipson. “The Legislature did as much as we could to help the industry recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s important that we all have a conversation together to make sure that we move out a plan that makes sense, but also is very supportive of the work that we have ahead of us.”

Advocates and business leaders in the travel and tourism industry provided details on how the Legislature can support them with resources and opportunities to help grow the state’s economy in the next five years.

Emellia Zamani, the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the California Travel Association, an advocacy organization representing several businesses, outlined the hardships presented by COVID-19.

Data provided by the association revealed that the industry experienced a loss of nearly half of the state’s 1.2 million tourism jobs, a 59% decline in visitor spending, and a 52% reduction in state and local tax revenue. The association director stated that California’s spending is expected to increase to $157 billion next year.

“As we move forward, the industry is looking for ways to remain competitive as a destination and increase our economic impact,” said Zamani regarding the industry’s future.