Civil Rights Leaders Demand End to $2.13 Tipped Wage, Call It a Legacy of Slavery

February 23, 2026

Civil rights, political, and labor leaders gathered at the New York Hilton Midtown during the NAACP National Leadership Convening to advocate for eliminating subminimum wages, calling it unfinished business from the Civil Rights Movement. The coalition released a report showing that the federal tipped minimum wage of $2. 13 per hour disproportionately harms Black women workers, who earn just 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men in the restaurant industry.

Who is affected

The 13.6 million service industry workers in America, including 700,000 in New York
Tipped restaurant workers, particularly Black women who earn 63 cents per dollar compared to white men
Black and Brown workers overrepresented in low-wage and tipped industries
More than 70% of tipped restaurant workers nationwide who earn under $25,372 annually
Small business owners in the restaurant industry
NAACP, National Urban League, and One Fair Wage organizations

What action is being taken

NAACP, National Urban League, labor advocates, and political leaders are holding press conferences and gatherings to advocate for wage legislation
One Fair Wage is releasing reports documenting wage disparities
Coalition members are calling for passage of Living Wage for All legislation in New York City, New York State, and at the federal level
Advocates are warning against the federal Tipped Employee Protection Act (H.R. 2312)

Why it matters

This matters because the current tipped minimum wage system, rooted in post-Emancipation and Jim Crow era labor practices, perpetuates racial and gender wage gaps that disproportionately harm Black workers, particularly Black women. The $2.13 federal tipped minimum wage keeps millions of workers in poverty, with tipped workers in states maintaining this rate earning a median income of just $15,149 compared to the national median of $42,220. Leaders frame this as a civil rights and economic justice issue that represents the continued exploitation of communities of color through legalized subminimum wage structures, making it inseparable from the ongoing struggle for racial equality.

What's next

The coalition is seeking passage of Living Wage for All legislation newly introduced in New York City and New York State, as well as similar congressional bills that would raise minimum wages to at least $30 per hour in New York and $25 per hour federally while eliminating all subminimum wages including the tipped minimum wage.

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer