CNN
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This week, several stars took a moment to focus on an issue that gets far less attention than striking actors and writers: the substandard pay and conditions facing the vast majority of restaurant workers in the United States.
Chrissy Teigen and Jamie Lee Curtis were just two familiar faces in attendance at the One Fair Wage event in West Hollywood on Thursday night, where they donned aprons and waved clipboards to take patrons’ orders and serve them drinks and food at the popular Mexican restaurant. vegan eatery Gracias Madre.
Goal: To draw attention to the fact that many restaurant workers are still paid below minimum wage, a staggering $2.13 per hour at the federal level allowed by law due to tips from above, but in reality this figure is holding many workers back restaurants and other persons. far below the poverty line.
Curtis called this moment “working season,” referring to the twin strikes in Hollywood, the auto workers’ strike, and the plight facing minimum wage and sub-minimum wage workers. She called the latter group “the majority that is underserved, undernourished and underpaid, and it’s just time.”
Natasha Rothwell, who rose to fame with her now-iconic role as beleaguered wellness hotel worker Belinda in the first season of White Lotus, called the $2.13 salary “disgusting.”
“I think when you’re in a restaurant, realizing that the people who bring your food and fill your water are people who have lives and needs that need to be met, and financial needs that need to be met. ” the Emmy-nominated actor told CNN. “It’s our collective responsibility to make sure they get what they need.”
Mark von Holden/Variety/Getty Images
Jamie Lee Curtis (top right) attends the One Fair Wage fundraiser at Gracias Madre on September 21, 2023 in West Hollywood, California.
Before her acting career took off, Rothwell previously worked at McDonald’s, Blockbuster and Target, and also mentioned her character Belinda.
“Playing an iconic character who works in the service industry and gets noticed, it’s really important to drive awareness of what that means for women of color,” she noted.
One Fair Wage highlights how subminimum wages impact a workforce that is 70 percent women and 43 percent people of color.
Teigen, who used to work as a waiter (“at the late, great Hooters of Newport Beach,” she said), recalls “dealing with the same wages day after day” and how “you rely solely on American slides are a tip.”
“What’s important to me now is to give these people the respect and dignity they deserve, being able to go home and feed their families a living wage, and being able to bring attention to the inequalities that happen in this industry. »
“I think a lot of people haven’t heard of the word ‘sub-minimum wage,'” Teigen also said. “For many people, the word ‘minimal’ means the word ‘minimal’, as it should. The fact that there is downstairs is disgusting. These people are people who work on vacation. Nights. Nights that are special to us, nights that create memories.”
Currently, only eight states in the country pay all workers the minimum wage or higher, Teigen shared. One Fair Wage is trying to change that and eradicate the federal subminimum wage.
When it comes to tipping in restaurants, all the stars surveyed emphasized how important it is to tip well, but Oscar winner Curtis stood out.
“I’m a monster dumper,” she said. “I like the typical 100-150%. Spread it everywhere!”