Lots to Say

by Tula Connell, Sep 9, 2006

Got news? Send it to blognews@aflcio.org.

From High Bridge, N.J., Marshall Goldberg alerts us to the film, “Metal of Honor, The Ironworkers of 9/11,” by Rachel Maguire: 

a powerful documentary that shows  the Ironworkers’ commitment to the greater good of the country.

First broadcast Sept. 5, the film will be rebroadcast at 9 a.m. Sept. 9 on the Spike cable channel.

Goldberg adds:

It is the most pro-union film that I have seen in a long time. 

While Republicans in Congress play games with the federal minimum wage, which has not been raised since 1997, working people like Gisele Barrett-Ryan are struggling to make ends meet in states where it’s legal to pay less than the minimum wage to workers who receive tips.

I’m a 35-year-old married woman who just recently moved to Houghton, Mich., from Southern Calif. About a month ago, I decided to take on a job as a waitress with a popular restaurant chain. To my surprise, I was offered a position with a starting wage of $2.65 an hour—that’s less than the cost of a gallon of gas. I could not believe it! How could there be a wage discrimination between employee to employee because “tips” are accepted? As a server, we are obligated to tip-out the bartenders and hostesses 2.5 percent of our total sales and they make $5.15 an hour. How could this be constitutional? There are a lot of young mothers that work with me who rely on tips that aren’t guaranteed to support their families. There have been a few days when I’ve brought home less than $10 in tips during a five-to- eight-hour shift.

How can this form of poverty be allowed? I understand that there are many states that justify lower wages due to lower cost of living. But coming from my experience, the only difference I’ve observed is housing costs—you get a little more space for the money. Other than that, we pay the same for food, gas, utilities (winter heating costs are outrageous), services and merchandise. I don’t see much of a difference, compared to some of the cities I’ve lived at in California. Yes, our governor has proposed an increase in minimum wage, but the wage discrimination for restaurant servers will still be in effect. This is an equality issue that needs to be addressed. 

More proof that America Needs a Raise.

Paul Leighton in Ypsilanti, Mich., lets us know that a strike called on Labor Day by faculty members of the American Association of University Professors at Eastern Michigan University after the university refused to go to binding arbitration. Find out more at Leighton’s daily blog at http://www.paulsjusticeblog.com.

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