Policy Fights

Councilmembers Will Jawando and Kristin Mink joined us for Server-for-a-Day in Ocean City last week, where they served up food to promote legislation to raise the wage – and not leaved tipped workers behind! 

“It was a great experience and it was fun, but it’s also hard work. I think this demonstrates why we need to do it,” Councilman Jawando told Maryland Matters. 

The event included Our Revolution, One Fair Wage, and our coalition of worker activists and other state/local elected officials at On the Bay Seafood – a ‘high-road’ restaurant that pays its servers the full minimum wage. 

Organizers and workers fought and won a $15 minimum wage that goes into effect on Jan. 1st in Montgomery and Howard counties, but the tipped wage is still $3.63. 

Last month Mayor Brandon Johnson joined us for a similar event in Chicago, and if you’re in Ohio, RSVP now to join us this week with Mayor Aftab Purval in Cincinnati and Mayor Justin Bibb in Cleveland for Server-for-a-Day events! 

Stay tuned! In Ohio and Arizona, Our Revolution has teams canvassing for signatures for petition drives that will put a $20+ minimum wage directly on the ballot in 2024. 

We took a survey, and it’s clear that Our Revolution members in California want political leaders who will stand up and fight against Big Oil, Big Pharma, and Wall Street. 

Members chose their top 3 issues heading into 2024, and Climate and Healthcare topped the priorities of nearly three-quarters of respondents. About half ranked defending democracy and affordable housing as their top choices. 

Members are motivated to pass CalCare to create a single-payer system in the state, and they want to stop an effort funded by Big Oil to try to repeal SB 1137 – which prohibits new oil/gas wells within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. 

Right now in Ohio, anti-abortion politicians and their billionaire buddies are trying to change the state constitution with a special election on Tuesday to block a November ballot measure to protect abortion rights. 

They have spent millions in taxpayer dollars to call this special election to change the rules because they know most Ohioans oppose the state’s extreme abortion ban and would vote to undo it. 

The August 8th special election is being held at the last minute in the dead summer in hopes that most folks won’t know it’s happening – so we must mobilize as many Ohio voters to the polls on Tuesday as possible. 

If they’re successful here, this will become the template to tear down democracy and abortion care in other states. 

Bernie Sanders is leading a charge of Senators calling on the DOJ to prosecute Big Oil for their decades of lies to deny science and cover up their climate crimes – all while raking in record profits. 

Last year we supported Rep. Ro Khanna as he grilled fossil fuel execs under oath. Just like Big Tobacco, which has paid $206 billion dollars for lying to the public about the dangers of smoking, Big Oil is next. 

Meanwhile, as climate chaos rages across the globe, Joe Manchin and his Big Oil buddies are pushing the President to green light more fossil fuel projects and eyeing upcoming must-pass legislation like the Farm Bill to sneak in their dirty deals. 

Our Revolution and allies like Greenpeace are working together to demand the Biden Administration to declare a climate emergency and use its power to stop Big Oil’s climate denial before it’s too late. 

We can’t let carbon cronies gut our bedrock environmental laws, exclude the public from democratic input on projects, and build their polluting projects anywhere they want.

Our Revolution members are taking a stand against student debt. Nine of our activists spoke courageously at the recent Department of Education hearing, sharing their stories and demanding action. 

“My government is making money off of me,” Our Revolution member Lisa Rapaszky said at the hearing. Lisa owes more than $30,000 in student loan debt. “It’s just too much.” 

Student debt payments are set to restart at the end of next month – causing economic havoc in the midst of an affordability crisis – and our movement is ramping up the pressure. 

As Ro Khanna explained on our recent Debt Town Hall, President Biden can still use his executive authority to cancel debt, pause payments, and crack down on predatory lending practices – and 43 million of us and our families are counting on it. 

“The President should cancel student debt in the Higher Education Act. He should zero out the accounts,” Ro told us on Monday. “If the Supreme Court rules against us then let’s see if they’ll actually enforce the collection of debt that has already been canceled.” 

As you know, Our Revolution and One Fair Wage are working hard to raise wages and end the subminimum wage in cities, counties, and states around the country. And, as wages go up, we don’t want to leave any group of workers behind! 

On Monday, US Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and OFW President Saru Jayaraman spoke to thousands of Our Revolution supporters on our National Organizing Call on the next steps in Illinois, Ohio, and beyond! 

Earlier that day, they joined our organizers and worker activists in the Chicago Loop to call out the National Restaurant Association — the leading opponent of higher pay for restaurant workers.

The NYT recently exposed the group’s #ServSafeScam by which it collects workers’ money through food handling certification and uses it to lobby to keep their wages low.

“The Restaurant Association should not be taking this money as a ‘not-for-profit’ then spending it as if it was their own and using it to lobby against fair wages,” Rep. Schakowsky said. “I think we should ask the IRS to investigate that.”

And now, Saru told us, new info is coming out about the lobby’s push to weaken child labor laws in order to fill gaps left by thousands of restaurant workers refusing to work for poverty wages post-pandemic.

“We’re hearing stories of 11- and 12-year-olds working,” Saru told us Monday. “And now, we saw the Iowa Senate bill for minors to handle alcohol — wholly from the Restaurant Association driving this.”

“As horrible as it is, it’s a sign they’re losing and workers are winning,” she explained. “They’re resorting to this because adults are refusing to work for $2 and $3 for the first time since Emancipation when this wage structure was created.”

We’re on the winning side! Thanks to your support and activism, our bills are advancing at the city, county, and state levels across the country. 

New Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson – who we helped elect last month! – has come out in a big way to support our Raise the Wage campaign in the city. And, US Rep. Schakowsky said the Illinois state legislation looks promising given the Democrats’ supermajority.

Our organizing work in Maryland is also paying off:  “It looks like we’ll have the votes to end the subminimum wage in Prince George’s County,” Saru said.

In Chicago this week, IL Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid and Chicago Aldermen and Cook County Democratic Vice Chair Mike Rodriguez joined us in addressing the city council to push a city-wide tipped minimum wage ordinance. 

And, Our Revolution Field Director Mike Oles and our crew activated our Raise the Wage Ohio Team at the State House in Columbus on Monday to launch a new petition for a higher state minimum wage and an end to subminimum wages.

This week, Our Revolution joined Bernie Sanders and US Rep. Pramila Jayapal for a town hall and rally to reintroduce Medicare for All in Congress! And, we’re organizing people with medical debt to speak up and fight for health care justice. 

Join our growing team organizing to build pressure on Congress and the President to cancel medical debt, end price-gouging, guarantee free care, and stop predatory collection tactics.

After the Medicare for All rally on Capitol Hill, Our Revolution Howard County MD leader Jake Burdett was physically attacked by US Rep. Clay Higgins for asking questions at a MAGA press conference. 

“Higgins seemed to forget he had to resign from being a cop for excessive force years ago,” Jake told us on our live call. “It was scary, he put his hands on me, and I knew I had no choice but to let it happen.”

The crowd yelled at Higgins to stop, but afterward Capitol police detained Jake instead of the Congressman for 30 minutes. “I still don’t know if it’s over,” Jake said.

SEE THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE!