How the current worker shortage is really a wage shortage

The subminimum wage for service workers is a direct legacy of slavery and perpetuates some of the worst sexual harassment of any industry. And yet for years, Congress and the 43 states that still have a subminimum wage have been dragging their heels on ending it – despite widespread public support for raising wages.

Then something changed. During the pandemic, restaurant owners in New York and nationwide have seen their workers struggling more than ever to survive on poverty wages. When restaurants closed, many service workers couldn’t even get unemployment because under state law they earned too little to qualify. And for restaurants that have remained open, tips have gone down, while the demands on workers to enforce public health regulations have only gone up.

And then came the shortage of workers – not surprising, given the increasingly challenging working conditions amidst declining take home pay. Suddenly we saw something no one anticipated, fed up service workers – especially restaurant workers – walking off the job, tired of being paid less than a full, fair minimum wage while being harassed, spit on, and punched by customers angry about wearing masks.