PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Representatives from One Fair Wage, a national organization demanding better pay for tipped workers, made a stop in Peoria Monday night at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
The town hall focused on House Bill 5345 in Illinois, which would see the subminimum wage eliminated in the state, forcing restaurant owners to pay tipped workers minimum wage plus tips.
Nataki Rhodes is the national lead organizer for One Fair Wage, and said the movement is picking up momentum across the state.
"The House leader has fought to have One Fair Wage and we did pass it in the House, and it failed in the Senate. But we are going to pass it on the federal level and the state level," she said.
Rhodes and her team have gone across the state, from Cairo to Carbondale to Peoria. She will go to Bloomington on Tuesday.
In Chicago, there will be a five-year period of implementation of the minimum wage for tipped workers by 2028.
The minimum wage in Illinois is currently $14 an hour, and tipped workers have a minimum wage of $8.40 an hour, with tips expected to make up the difference.
A common criticism of One Fair Wage is that this would lead to increased dining prices, but Rhodes contends that prices have already gone up due to inflation and other factors. She said the group isn’t looking to destroy small businesses, and they’re happy to work toward solutions.
Rhodes expects to be back in Peoria in early June for a roundtable discussion.
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May 6, 2024 at 10:27PM
