Could Conscientious Consumption Change Wages in New York City’s Restaurant Industry?

Nikki Zeichner

Could Conscientious Consumption Change Wages in New York City’s Restaurant Industry?

Consider this: There are roughly 172,500 people working in New York City's restaurant industry, and 44% of them live below the poverty line. 13% earn less than minimum wage.

It's holiday season, and restaurants are busy. But amidst all of the holiday cheer and all of the spending, we need to ask: can we really enjoy our meals if we know that hidden in the back of the house, workers -- primarily immigrants -- toil away in hot kitchens for significantly less than a living wage? If we are willing to buy Fair Trade products and sweatshop-free clothes from American Apparel, are we also willing to consciously support restaurants that strive to pay living wages to New York's most exploited workers?

Wage to Live, where I am a Project Coordinator, is a newly formed conscientious consumption campaign designed to raise the wages of New York City restaurant workers by connecting consumers with restaurants that strive to pay their workers living wages. Starting in 2007, we will begin certifying New York establishments that meet our wage criteria.

Though there are thousands of New York restaurant workers who receive illegally low wages, there are a good number of restaurants in the City that pay their workers well and that provide benefits. And, there are people in the industry that are trying to bring about change. Recently, New York Magazine reported that celebrity restaurateur Joe Bastianich (of Babbo among others) is contemplating creating a nonprofit hamburger restaurant that will serve what he calls "sustainable food": burgers made by non-steak cuts of locally farmed beef. About the idea Bastianich says, "[w]e can capitalize on the burger craze a little bit. We'll pay the employees more and give them better benefits."

When we dine out we need to think beyond food: we need to think about whether the restaurants that we patronize properly value the work of their employees. Public awareness of the exploitation that exists in the restaurant industry is where we need to start. Conscientious consumption is the next step, and one that could have a tremendous impact.

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Posted at 11:02 AM, Dec 18, 2006 in New York
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Are you, is Wage to Live working with the Hotel and Restaurant union UNITE-HERE?

A group similar to your, perhaps, the Retail Action Project ( a part of the Lower East Side Community Action organization GOLES) has been worked with the store workers union RWDSWU. RAP had an interesting demonstration this Sunday, past,80 or so people leafleted and marched in front of lower Broadway stores that had been underpaying their workers. For more about RAP including hot links click here.

Thanks for the information, Daniel. I'll definitely check RAP out.

As far as unions go, Wage to Live doesn't work directly with UNITE-HERE - we're an independent organization and we hope to certify both union and non-union restaurants. That said, we expect that many of the restaurants that will qualify for Wage to Live certification, especially in its initial stages, will be union shops because they tend to pay higher wages.