In 2023, it is legal for employers to pay their employees less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 in 43 states – sometimes as little as $2.13. Not only is this wage unlivable for workers and their families, but it creates an environment ripe for harassment and discrimination as a reliance on tips forces workers into bad situations.

It doesn’t have to be this way. The remaining 7 states that pay tipped workers the full minimum wage have higher rates of small business growth, restaurant industry growth, and even total tips for workers. But businesses that do pay a full minimum wage in states where it’s legal for competitors to pay a subminimum wage face an unfair playing field.

But instead, our leaders have stood by as industries have abused the subminimum wage, entrenching discriminatory structures. 70% of tipped workers are women, and 43% are people of color, while facing some of the highest rates of sexual harassment compared to other industries.

Here’s the good news: Workers’ movements in states across the country are organizing to draw attention to this brazen economic injustice, and we’re asking you to join them. Sign your name here to demand an end to the federal subminimum wage!