Event at Calabash in partnership with One Fair Wage and Alameda Living Wage For All coalition part of cross-state tour supporting Props 40 and 3
OAKLAND, Calif. — Earlier today, Tax the Ultra-Rich Now (TURN) and One Fair Wage Action, in partnership with the Alameda Living Wage For All coalition, hosted a “Server for an Hour” event at Calabash in Oakland, putting elected officials in the shoes of the restaurant workers who keep the Bay Area running. As part of TURN’s cross-state bus tour, the event featured Oakland City Councilmember Charlene Wang, Oakland City Council Candidate Nate Adams, Oakland School Board Members Valerie Bachelor and Patrice Berry, Berkeley City Councilmember Igor Tregub, and Emeryville City Councilmember Kalimah Priforce donning aprons and serving lunch.
The event gave workers a direct opportunity to explain the urgent need to raise the wage closer to the rising cost of living (at least $30 an hour), with no exceptions, and break up billionaire wealth—a key driver of the affordability crisis facing working families in Oakland. One Fair Wage’s analysis found that 39% of Alameda County workers—approximately 334,000 people—earn less than $30 an hour. The participation of elected officials alongside challenger candidates shows that taxing billionaires and requiring them to pay living wages are clearly top issues for local voters on this November’s ballot.
(Photo Credit: Tax the Ultra-Rich Now)
Servers and speakers included:
- Nate Adams, Oakland City Council candidate
- Valerie Bachelor, Oakland School Board Member
- Patrice Berry, Oakland School Board Member
- Kalimah Priforce, Emeryville City Councilmember
- Igor Tregub, Berkeley City Councilmember
- Charlene Wang, Oakland City Councilmember
- Saru Jayaraman, President and Co-Founder, One Fair Wage Action
- Igor Volsky, Campaign Manager, Tax the Ultra-Rich Now
Participants highlighted how taxing the ultra-wealthy and raising wages belong in the same economic agenda, putting money directly into workers’ pockets while funding child care, health care, infrastructure, and other public needs in a community grappling with worsening income inequality.
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One Fair Wage and One Fair Wage Action together represent the 14 million restaurant workers fighting for living wages nationwide and thousands of small business restaurant owners who support them. OFW co-leads the Living Wage for All coalition, which is advancing bills and ballot measures to raise the minimum wage closer to the cost of living and end all exceptions to it. The Alameda County Living Wage for All coalition has succeeded in putting a $30 initiative on the Alameda County ballot.
TURN (Tax the Ultra-Rich Now) is a coalition of working families, health care workers, educators, and everyday Californians fighting to shrink the power billionaires hold over our economy, our democracy, and our future. Taxation is our tool: It funds our schools, health care, and communities while cutting excessive wealth down to size so the rest of us can thrive.