June 17, 2021

ROC’s Long History of Controversy Gets Even Longer

The Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) is controversial for its mission alone — its push to eliminate the current tipping system is overwhelmingly rejected by tipped employees who say they earn more under the current system than under a flat minimum wage. Beyond its policy goals though, ROC has been controversial…
Pennsylvania June 10, 2021

Raising PA’s Minimum Wage to $15 Would Kill Over 143,000 Jobs

Since U.S. Senators voted against a federal $15 minimum wage, Pennsylvania lawmakers have ramped up a push to raise the state minimum wage to $15, headed by Governor Tom Wolf. Such a measure would more than double the state’s current minimum, and could cost more…
June 4, 2021

A State of the States on the $15 Minimum Wage

The national push to establish a federal $15 minimum wage awaits Democrats’ negotiations over the American Jobs Plan and decisions over how to use a reconciliation process to pass key proposals. But in the meantime, states are pushing to raise their wages to $15 – and Delaware could be next.
May 26, 2021

Dear Sens. Romney and Sinema: An $11 Minimum Wage Can Still Have Severe Consequences

Last week, Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) presented a long-promised minimum wage “compromise” plan to the “Gang of 20” — a bipartisan group of senators looking to make policy changes. Earlier this spring, Sen. Joe Manchin signaled this new proposal may go for an $11 per hour…
Connecticut May 21, 2021

Connecticut’s “Fair Work Week” Law Actually Threatens Workers’ Flexibility and Jobs

Predictive scheduling laws are nothing new – Chicago, New York City, Oregon state, San Francisco, and Seattle have all tried them. Connecticut is one step closer to joining them. In general, predictive scheduling laws seek to penalize employers in industries that are characterized by wide fluctuations in demand, including hospitality…
May 14, 2021

Restaurants Driving Job Gains Compared to Industries with Fewer Minimum Wage Employees

Amidst a disappointing April jobs report, President Biden remarked that raising wages would help businesses solve a labor shortage. Union-backed pro-wage hike advocates like the Restaurant Opportunities Center have also deemed the current labor situation a “wage shortage, not a labor shortage.” However, data regarding the leisure…
May 6, 2021

Data Shows Share of Black and Hispanic Restaurant Workers Earning Tips is Growing

In the fight to save state and federal tip credits, restaurant workers have rallied to support the traditional tipping system, saying their tips allow them to earn far beyond the regular minimum hourly wage. Analysis of Census Bureau data shows the average server in 2020 made $15.51 per hour,…
West Virginia April 30, 2021

Full-Page Ad Thanks West Virginia Senators for Standing with Tipped Workers

Today, the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) placed a full-page ad in the Dominion Post and Charleston Gazette Mail thanking West Virginia Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin for standing with West Virginia tipped workers and opposing legislation that would eliminate the federal tip credit. Senator Joe Manchin, a key senate vote, was…
April 23, 2021

Dems Get it Wrong on Linking Minimum Wage to Productivity Gains

Advocates maintain various rationales for raising the minimum wage to extraordinarily high levels – yet none are rooted in historical or economic precedent. One such argument seems to be that the federal minimum wage should correlate with gains in labor productivity. This idea is…
April 15, 2021

New Data: On Average, Tipped Workers Report Earning More than $15-Per-Hour

Since the “Fight for $15” has begun its push to end the tip credit, tipped restaurant workers like servers and bartenders have pushed back – rejecting the well-documented consequence of reduced tips and income. New data confirms tipped workers on average already make more than $15 per hour, and…