PathWays PA Policy Blog

Late last year, the Department of Labor announced a proposed rule change that would allow employers in tipped industries (primarily employers in the restaurant and food service industry) to collect and keep all tips earned by employees above the minimum wage. If employers chose to keep these tips, they could do so without notifying restaurant patrons. Including tips , waiters and bartenders only earn about $10.11 per hour, with Black workers earning $9.62/hour and Latino workers earning $9.93. According to a report from ROC and NELP, workers in the industry have median earnings between $19,900 and $20,800 per year - yet this rule could transfer $5.8 billion from workers to employers. Action Step Write a public comment before February 5 to share your thoughts on this proposal. EPI and a number of participating organizations put together an easy form to send comments. You can use their language or customize your own.  You can also submit comments directly in electronic form...

From our friends at MomsRising Raising the minimum wage helps women and it helps families. Women account for 55% of all workers who would benefit from increasing the minimum wage to $10.10. In addition, 28% of minimum wage workers have children. And what about that wage gap? Women already are at a disadvantage, earning less on average than men. The gap only increases for women of color and low-wage workers. Working moms now make up about 40% of primary breadwinners for American families with children, but are bringing home 23% less than their male counterparts. Less pay means less ability for moms to provide the basics for their children like food, medicine, and housing, as well as longer term needs like college tuition. If you want to close the wage gap and pull families out of poverty, Congress needs to raise the minimum wage, because working year round, full-time at the current federal minimum wage adds up to less than $15,000 per year. Make your voice echo through the hal...

From our friends at the Coalition on Human Needs The federal minimum wage has been stuck at just $7.25 per hour - a poverty-level wage that leaves millions of workers unable to afford the basics. The tipped minimum wage was set in 1991 at $2.13/hr. That is even worse! In the coming weeks, the Senate is expected to vote on the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013, which would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour in three phases of 95 cents each and index it to rise with the cost of living. Furthermore, the bill will gradually raise the federal minimum wage for tipped workers to 70 percent of the regular minimum wage. Call your Senators at 888-705-5182 and tell them what you think about the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013.

With an enormous workforce of more than 10 million people, the restaurant industry is one of our country's fastest growing and largest economic sectors; it also produces the lowest paying jobs in the country. Gloria Steinem helped us launch the campaign by sharing her story of living off tips - watch and share the video . Saru Jayaraman, our co-director and co-founder, talks about the campaign with media justice organization, Women's Media Center - read the feature . Share your story and follow the campaign on Twitter #LivingOffTips.

Three presidents have come and gone. Bubbles have inflated and burst. The tipped minimum wage is still $2.13 an hour. Almost a quarter of American children have a parent who makes the minimum wage. Raising the floor for all workers, including tipped workers, will give a jolt to the economy by putting money in the hands of people who will spend it in their communities. Click here to ask the House and Senate to raise the minimum wage.

Tomorrow will mark the 4th year without a raise in the minimum wage and over 21 years without an increase in the tipped minimum wage. In continued efforts for family sustaining jobs, ROCunited , an organization that advocates for restaurant workers, wants to call attention to the out-of-date minimum and tipped minimum wages. There will be an action event at a nearby business in Center City beginning at 1:30PM. Participants are asked to RSVP and meet at City Hall on the S. Broad St. side by the 6ft tall neon green birthday card at 1PM. Please RSVP here , email sheila@rocunited.org or call (215) 867-9747. Sign-Up for Our Monday ENewsletter to receive more stories!

A   lawsuit has been filed against the sports bar Chickie’s and Pete’s  airport branch for allegedly taking credit card fees out of waitstaff's tips.  These are workers who only earn $2.83 an hour plus their tips. An attorney representing a former employee said, Any reduction in tips...has a huge impact on their ability to earn a living. The United States Department of Labor has also started an investigation. ROC Philadelphia ,  PathWays PA , and many other organizations worked with Councilman Jim Kenney last year to  pass a bill in Philadelphia  ensuring that tipped workers did not have to pay credit card fees from their gratuities.

PathWays PA Weekly Newsletter   JOIN OUR MAILING LIST IN THIS NEWSLETTER Release of the 2012-2013 Standard Would you pay $.10? Support Pregnant Women! Human Trafficking WebEx Twitter Parade Starts Today! Volunteers Needed! Donate Blood SIGN UP-United Way Holiday Network SIGN-UP Human Trafficking Webinar Literacy Coalition Event JOIN PATHWAYS PA TO CELEBRATE OUR 34TH ANNIVERSARY!. Adult Education Classes JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY IN THE NEWS October 11, 2012 - PathWaysPA releases 2012-2012 Self-Sufficiency Report "Overlooked and Undercounted"   October 17, 2012 Study: 1 in 4 Pennsylvania households struggle to make ends meet  Read More    October 18, 2012 25 percent of Pa. households below poverty standard Read More   PURCHASE ITEMS FROM THE PATHWAYS PA ART SHOW These items and more are available for sale, with all proceeds benefiting PathWays PA! For more information and to make you...

In the almost six years I've been at PathWays PA, the topics I talk about seem to fall into a few main categories: earned sick days , self-sufficiency , budget issues , and equal pay .  So naturally on Equal Pay Day, I like to do a special event , take part in a blog carnival , and do other things to mark the occasion.  Sadly for me this year, the day is half over and I haven't had time to do very much. So, instead, here's a roundup of the best I've seen online today. And for those of you who really miss reading something that I wrote (Hi Mom!), here is a piece from International Women's Day back in March . New Study: Men Earn More Than Women Within Nearly All the Most Common Occupations  Women's Work: A Political Flashpoint and an Urgent Policy Imperative: National Partnership Infographic Factsheet: Working Women and the Wage Gap ROC United Action in Support of Increasing the Tipped Wage MomsRising Blog Carnival

Federal Policy Updates SUPPORT UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE Once again, millions of hardworking Americans face being cut off of unemployment insurance (UI) unless Congress acts to fully renew the federal UI program that's set to expire at the end of this month. One proposal to pay for the extension does so by reducing the number of working families who are able to claim the Child Tax Credit. The change would affect 5.5 million children in immigrant families earning an average of $21,000 per year, resulting in a loss of $1,800 in income . The Coalition on Human Needs is asking you to call your Members of Congress on Tuesday, February 14! Call toll-free 888-245-3381 or use this easy Click-to-Call page to connect with your Members of Congress. Please spread the word : Make sure your networks, friends, and co-workers know about calling on Tuesday. Make it your Valentine’s Day gift to unemployed workers across this nation. JOIN RESTAURANT WORKERS & SUPPORTERS ACROSS THE COU...

Special PathWays PA Updates TAX SEASON IS AROUND THE CORNER – SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW If you made less than $50,000 in 2011, you are likely eligible for PathWays PA’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. VITA helps return thousands of dollars into the community every year and provides free income tax preparation services to those that need it most. To schedule your appointment, call PathWays PA at 610-543-5022! PATHWAYS PA IS LOOKING FOR GENTLY USED PROFESSIONAL CLOTHING! PathWays PA has recently launched our Dress For Your Dreams – MLK Day 2012 campaign! We’re looking for gently used professional and semi-professional clothing. With this, we’ll enable our clients to have the right clothing for job interviews and starting work at new places of employment. If you’d like to donate, contact Chelsea Kohler at ckohler@pathwayspa.org .  For more information, visit the Dress for Your Dreams site . Federal Policy Updates HELP RAISE THE TIPPED MINIMUM WA...

Today, the federal minimum increased to $7.25 an hour; however, not all workers will enjoy a raise. The federal minimum wage for tipped employees - waitresses, nail salon workers, car wash attendants, to name a few – has been frozen at $2.13 an hour since 1991. The result has been to drag down the pay for tipped workers, the overwhelming majority of which are adult women, many supporting families. They are hurt the most by the frozen minimum wage, which is an under-appreciated factor in the unequal pay that working women continue to receive. Thirty-two states have preserved or adopted stronger protections for tipped workers, and by 2010 over half of those will guarantee tipped workers 60% of the full minimum wage. This is the level of protection that the federal minimum wage provided tipped workers until 1989. Pennsylvania is one of that states that requires stronger protections for tipped workers. In the Commonwealth , tipped workers receive $2.83 an hour and an employer must make ...