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Rep Debbie Dingell becomes a server for an hour to highlight the ‘Raise the wage Act’
Debbie Dingell spends an hour as a server at Miss Kim's Restaurant in Ann Arbor to help pass the "Raise the Wage Act."
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Representative Debbie Dingell gives a pandemic-style political event outside of Miss Kim's Restaurant to bring awareness and help pass the "Raise the Wage Act."
Dingell became a waitress for one hour at the restaurant to show her support to workers looking for increased wages.
"If they work hard, they should be paid for it, and they need to have a living wage, and they need to have benefits, and we need to thank them and appreciate them for the glue that they are for all of us, " Dingell said.
Dingell called on Congress to pass the "Raise the Wage Act" and end the subminimum wage for tipped restaurant workers.
"There are many people that are working these jobs, they are working two jobs, and they're still living at the poverty line. They work hard, and you know what? Too many of us are rude when we're in or being served, and we don't know and understand how hard the job is," said Dingell.
Dingell says the pandemic has made current wage structures even worse.
The Michigan Republican party says they favor a more localized approach to minimum wage, and increased wages could hurt businesses.
The Michigan GOP's Communication Director Ted Goodman says, "When it comes to a minimum wage, it shouldn't come from a government decree in Washington, and when we are talking about what a living wage is, that really depends on the state."