Today on Monday, February 3rd, in response to Governor Cuomo’s New Year’s Eve announcement that he would enact One Fair Wage – a full minimum wage with tips on top – for all tipped workers except restaurant workers, women restaurant workers and their allies will stage a mass public self-defense training in front of the Governor’s office in New York City to raise awareness of the problems resulting from the tipped minimum wage exception on restaurant workers, who face the highest levels of sexual harassment in any industry. Recent polling has demonstrated that the vast majority of New York State tipped workers support the One Fair Wage proposal.
The action will demand that restaurant industry workers be included in the One Fair Wage executive action. In New York State, 70% of restaurant workers are women. New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will be speaking at the event, which is coordinated by One Fair Wage, V-Day/One Billion Rising and the Resistance Revival Chorus, who argue that as long as restaurant workers need to rely on tips to feed their families, they will need to learn to defend themselves from sexual violence in the workplace.
WHAT: MASS PUBLIC SELF-DEFENSE TRAINING BY RESTAURANT WORKERS & ALLIES
WHEN: February 3, 2020, 12:00pm ET
WHERE: Governor Cuomo’s New York City Office – 633 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017
FEATURED PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE: New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Playwright and Founder of V-Day/One Billion Rising Eve Ensler, members of One Billion Rising, Times Up members and actresses Carmen LoBue and Alysia Reiner, social justice artist/musician Taína Asili, and the Resistance Revival Chorus will be joining One Fair Wage members and allies in demanding One Fair Wage and safe and dignified workplaces for all.
