In response to the 9/11 tragedy, Attorney Saru Jayaraman organized displaced World Trade Center workers and co-founded ROC United. As a national labor leader she helps restaurant workers mobilize with employers and consumers for better wages and working conditions through policy change, workplace justice campaigns, and cooperatively-owned restaurants.
In addition to being the Co-founder and President of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United), Ms. Jayaraman is also the Director of the Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley. ROC United now has more than 25,000 worker members, 300 employer partners, and several thousand consumer members.
Attorney
Saru Jayaraman
ROC United is a leader in the ONE FAIR WAGE Campaign to end the two-tiered minimum wage system. The federal minimum wage for tipped workers remains at $2.13 per hour. There are currently seven states that have only one minimum wage and not the two-tiered system. ROC United has been able to demonstrate that these seven states are faring better than the 43 with lower wages for tipped workers.
Submitted in Solidarity
Tracy Hardin- Civil and Human Rights Committee