7 things you can do to help pass the Shelby County wage theft ordinance

Two out of three low-wage workers are affected by wage theft. It's time for a local wage theft law!

     People all across Shelby County are sending our County Commissioners a clear message: all workers should be paid for their work. And when you aren't paid, you should have an easy way to recover your stolen wages.

     That's why we're calling on the Shelby County Commission to pass a local wage theft ordinance. They'll only pass the law if enough of us press them to do so. I hope you'll join other workers, people of faith, students, and activists in our campaign to stop wage theft.

Here are 7 things you can do to help get the wage theft ordinance passed:

1) Learn more about what wage theft is and why the local wage theft ordinance is needed. Want the quick version? Download our one page summary of the wage theft ordinance. Want to go more in-depth? Read our report "The Epidemic of Wage Theft in Shelby County." It has stories of workers like Cynthia Marquez, who took a waitressing job to put herself through college and was only paid in customer tips.

2) Sign the electronic petition to County Commissioners, calling on them to support the ordinance, and meet with members of the Stop Wage Theft Coalition to talk about the proposed law.

3) Collect petition signatures on our printed petitions from your friends, co-workers, members of your congregation or union, or your neighbors. We'll deliver these to Commissioners at a rally in September. Contact Kyle Kordsmeier to get petition forms.

4) Invite a WIN staff member to come speak about the wage theft campaign to your group. This is our most powerful way to spread the word about the campaign! We'll speak to Sunday School classes, Bible studies and women's groups; student organizations; union meetings; neighborhood associations; political organizations, and more. We can do something short or a longer (30 minutes or so) presentation. If you'd like a speaker, let Kyle Kordsmeier know.

5) Ask your congregation, union, community group, or business to endorse the wage theft campaign. Again, Kyle Kordsmeier can give you endorsement forms or additional info about this.

6) Of course, it also takes money to run this campaign. Become a sponsor of our Faith and Labor Picnic to help raise the funds needed to pass the wage theft ordinance.

7) Sign up to be a volunteer with Workers Interfaith Network. We need folks to do everything from being part of lobbying delegations to calling our members about actions they can take. Fill out our volunteer form here, and under the "special skills I'd like to share" be sure to indicate you'd like to help with the wage theft ordinance campaign.

Photo Slideshow: Why I am Thankful for You

Perhaps without even realizing it, you have changed Memphis this year. You have stood with workers seeking justice in our community. I could write a long post about the many ways you have made a difference, through your generosity and your action. But these photos do a much better job! I hope you enjoy seeing what you've accomplished, as much as I enjoyed putting together this slideshow for you. (And be sure to turn on your speakers to hear the background music.)


Thank you for your steadfast support of Workers Interfaith Network. Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and please know that you are one of the many people I will give thanks to God for on Thursday.

Does the tip you leave actually get to your waiter?

    Do you leave your waiter or waitress their tips on a credit card? If you do, they might not be getting all of them - or even any of them.


    On Friday, I was able to be part of a wonderfully high-spirited protest in New Orleans against Tony Moran's Restaurant. I was there speaking to the National Lawyers Guild about the importance of workers' centers and unions to protect workers' rights. We were protesting at Tony Moran's because of the restaurant's wage theft. When customers leave server's tips on their credit cards, the restaurant is taking 20% of the tip as a service fee, according to the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC). 

   And the wage theft doesn't stop there, Labor Notes reports. The owner has two restaurants that are in the same building. Workers are given two employee identification numbers. When they are close to reaching overtime hours using one identification number, they are switched to the other number so the owner won't have to pay overtime.


     At WIN, we've seen that wage theft in the restaurant industry is all too common, both in the Memphis area, and across the country. Some restaurants don't give servers any of the tips that are left on a credit card. Some, like El Patron in Southaven, MS, haven't paid their wait staff the $2.13 an hour base wage that is required by federal law. 


So what can you do to reduce wage theft in Memphis restaurants?


1. Always tip your server in cash, even if you pay the rest of your bill by credit card. To be extra safe, hand the tip directly to the server instead of leaving it on the table, where a supervisor might pocket it.

2. Remember to be generous and fair when you tip. The law requires restaurants to pay servers the minimum wage if their tips and the $2.13 an hour base wage don't add up to $7.25 an hour for each shift. But plenty of places don't do this, or do it inconsistently.


3. When WIN sends you an action alert about wage theft, show up to picket with us, or send that email to the restaurant owner. What is most likely to stop wage theft in restaurants is owners knowing their customers aren't happy with the practice and will stop eating there if they continue to steal wages.


    Lots of you out there have worked in restaurants in the past or are working there now. What kinds of wage theft are you seeing? What's your advice for customers who want to do the right thing when they eat out?