Greetings,

You Did It!! Missouri JwJ members Saved Our Tips

 

Servers at Lobby Day: (Top L to R)Louie Reinoso, Liz Zerr, Joe Thomas, JJ Loy, Stacey Amico, Courtney Jackson, Annie Shields, Mike McLaughlin (Bottom L to R) Megan Dougherty, Shannon Barrett, Joe Wicks, Dana Dreher, Ashli Bolden. 

 

The waiters and waitresses in Missouri will NOT have to deal with a paycut during this economic crisis.  Despite the best efforts of some Missouri legislators, the waiters and waitresses in Missouri united with their allies through Jobs with Justice and defeated Rep. Tim Jones' (R-Eureka) bill to weaken the minimum wage for tipped employees.

In 2006, 76.4% of Missouri voters passed Proposition B which increased the wage for tipped employees. The ballot initiative passed in every single Missouri county by 16 points or more. Since then, business interests and their allies in the legislators have tried to chip away at the minimum wage continually.

During the last 4 months of the legislative session you sent thousands of emails, made calls, and lobbied your legislators and they heard you loud and clear. Thanks to tremendous pressure the bill died in the Senate as the legislative session came to a close on May 15.

THEY'LL BE BACK AND WE'LL BE READY!

The restaurant industry and its lobbyists were clear that they are not done trying to pick the pockets of their waiters and waitresses.  We expect to see another bill to undermine the tipped employee minimum wage next session so JwJ and its leaders will continue to strengthen our network of waiters, waitresses and supporters of working people throughout the state to protect FAIR WAGES FOR SERVERS.

SO MANY THANKS!

Missouri Jobs with Justice would like to especially thank Representatives Gina Walsh (D-St Louis County), Mike Frame (D-St. Louis County), Mike Colona (D-St Louis City), Tim Meadows (D-Jefferson County) and Stephen Webber (D-Columbia), as well as Senators Tim Green (D-St Louis County), Victor Callahan (D-Kansas City)  Wes Shoemeyer (D-Northeast Missouri) Rita Days (D-St Louis County)  for their support in defeating this bill.

 

Server Dana Dreher (middle) with Representatives Gina Walsh (D-St. Louis County) and Stephen Webber (D-Columbia)

 

Servers Annie Shields, Shannon Barrett, and Megan Dougherty at Server Lobby Day.

 

JwJ celebrates the leadership of Missouri's waiters and waitresses themselves in this campaign.  Missouri servers and leaders Dana Dreher, Joe Wicks, Megan Dougherty and Molly Barlow, put in hours organizing phone banks, canvasses and lobby days.  Mike McLaughlin, owner of the Bleeding Deacon in South St Louis City was a strong voice among restaurant owners that weren't willing to "race to the bottom" in how they treat their wait staff.  Furthermore, Clark Brown of the Service Employees International Union and Herb Johnson from the Missouri AFL-CIO and Dave Morton from Workers United (formerly UNITE HERE) put the full strength of the labor movement in the Capitol behind these fellow workers.