California
The Fight in California
We’re fighting to raise the minimum wage and help service workers all over California improve their working conditions
Event Spotlight:
What goes down in Sacramento? Feb 20
Join One Fair Wage Members from all over California to learn about how bills are passed in California, and what you can expect if you meet with a legislator
Join the fight!
Check our calendar to join one of our upcoming events!
Active Chapters
East Bay
Vallejo
Orange County
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Each of these chapters hosts member meetings every other week and has fun outreach events like tabling, wheatpasting, and clipboarding.
Join a chapter to be in community with other economic justice fighters and help build a better California!
Fill out the contact form above to learn more
We Won!
SB 476
A 2023 New York Times article exposed the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) use of worker money to fund their national lobbying campaigns. One Fair Wage helped pass SB 476, a bill which requires employers pay for food handlers cards!
The CA Living Wage for All Coalition
The cost of living is rising, but the minimum wage isn’t keeping up. It’s time for a living wage for all people who work in California!
Contact:
Justin Owenu
justin@onefairwage.org
California
Since the pandemic, restaurant workers have been leaving the industry in droves. Our research reveals that 53 percent of restaurant workers surveyed are considering leaving the industry, 70 percent of whom are citing low wages and tips as their primary reason for leaving, and 78 percent of workers state that the only reason they would stay in the industry is if they received a livable wage with tips on top. In response to this staffing crisis, thousands of restaurants nationwide have raised their wages to get workers to attract and retain staff, but this measure is not enough. Through state campaigns, we are focusing on raising wages for tipped workers so that the 1 million restaurant workers who have left since the onset of the pandemic can return to an industry that fairly compensates essential workers.
In California, workers have One Fair Wage - a full minimum wage with tips on top. However, the statewide minimum wage in CA of $15/hr is far below the cost of living in even the cheapest CA county, and there is still a subminimum wage for incarcerated workers, who serve as a third of California's firefighters fighting the state's many wildfires. All CA workers need a living wage of at least $22-$24/hr to survive.
A large portion of the CA restaurant workforce consists of people of color- with 51% Latinx, 3.3% Black, and 13.3% Asian. People of color represent the largest percentage of restaurant workers in CA and are in the lowest paid positions, often in positions without tips. We need to raise the minimum wage and end the subminimum wage for incarcerated workers in order to bring millions of workers out of poverty!