JUFJ's "Thinking Jewishly": Sickening Injustice at Area Restaurants

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

This year's Labor on the Bimah theme is restaurant worker justice. Even in the current economic crisis, the restaurant industry is one of the fastest-growing industries. And though this growth would not be possible without workers such as waitstaff and bartenders, many restaurant employees still don’t receive the wages or sick leave they’re legally entitled to, nor the vacation time and health insurance they deserve. In D.C., the minimum wage for tipped workers like waitstaff is a mere $2.77. Though this is slightly higher than the federal minimum wage for tipped workers, it’s still not a living wage. This small income is meant to be supplemented by tips, but many employers withhold or delay distribution of tips, or illegally credit them against wages. On top of poor pay, restaurant workers also receive little to no sick leave. Although DC passed the Paid Sick Days Leave Act in 2008 -- a law requiring businesses with 15 or more employees to provide a minimum amount of sick leave to their employees -- waitstaff and bartenders were exempted. The law also included a hardship provision that if businesses could prove it was a hardship to provide this minimal sick leave to any workers, they would be exempt from the law. Even worse, although the law was passed in 2008, DC has still not issued implementation guidelines, and many businesses and workers are unaware of their responsibilities and rights. To this day, people who come into direct contact with restaurant-goers and their food are often required to come into work while sick or risk losing their jobs. Many restaurant workers do not receive health insurance either, so they are even less likely to stay healthy or seek treatment when they get sick. Click here to learn more or email jessie@jufj.org - Robin Metalitz; photo: July 9 picketline targeting The Reserve restaurant for wage theft; photo by Adam Wright