Today, essential restaurant workers and restaurant owners across the U.S. will hold celebratory pre-inauguration events, welcoming the incoming Biden-Harris Administration and supporting the President-elect’s #BuildBackBetter plan, which would end the subminimum wage and lifting the minimum wage to $15 per hour.
The events are hosted by One Fair Wage, a national nonprofit representing subminimum wage workers. Events are taking place in Detroit; Somerville, Massachusetts; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Oakland, California; and New Orleans.
“We’re going to be celebrating in cities across the country and make sure that the Biden administration hears us loud and clear: essential service workers have held up our country during this pandemic, and we’re not going anywhere until we get the full, fair wages that we need. And we are counting on the incoming Biden-Harris administration to deliver,” said Saru Jayaraman, president and co-founder of One Fair Wage, in a statement. “It is time to restore the soul of our country, and that includes the heartbeat of our economy: independent restaurants, our team members, and our communities. 500,000 small businesses and nearly fourteen million workers look forward to building back better. We trust the Biden Harris administration to remember that every human is essential and every job has dignity.”
In addition, Biden’s American Rescue plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, is encouraging food retailers to give workers back hazard pay and calling on lawmakers to approve unemployment aid to grocery delivery workers, ride-share drivers, and other self-employed people who are not normally eligible for compensation if they lose their jobs.
The plan also includes a national vaccination program, $1400 stimulus checks, and small business support.
“This legislative package is needed now to address the immediate crises,” an outline of the plan stated. “In the coming weeks, President-elect Biden will lay out his economic recovery plan to invest in America, create millions of additional good-paying jobs, combat the climate crisis, and build back better than before.”
Related: Regulatory Concerns Top of Mind for 2021; SBA To Prioritize Minority-Owned Businesses for PPP.