Daily Archives: February 3, 2022

After a long series of setbacks, restaurant workers rejoice as a new effort is slated to abolish an exception to D.C. minimum wage laws. Formally titled the District of Columbia Tip Credit Elimination Act of 2021, the new ballot initiative would require employers to pay tipped workers the minimum wage of $15.20 instead of their current $5.05 wage. According to Ryan OLeary, one of the key advocates for the initiative, it is slated to gain the signatures necessary to be put up as a city-wide referendum along with either the primary or general mayoral election in June or November of this year respectively.

Initiative 82, the shorthand for the Act, is not the first attempt to eliminate the sub-minimum wage in D.C. In 2018, a nearly identical proposal named Initiative 77 was put up to referendum. Initiative 77 passed by a 10-point margin in the city, with the most resistance coming from restaurant owners and the whiter and richer residents of Wards 2 and 3 in northwest D.C. Although the campaign amounted to a resounding victory, the D.C. Council repealed Initiative 77 a few months after it was passed. While the council included in the repeal bill several provisions to try to assuage the concerns of frustrated restaurant workers, such as a hotline to report wage theft and mandatory sexual harassment training, these measures were never funded and did not take effect.

Despite the repeal, D.C. leadership now appears willing to consider the new initiative, according to OLeary. New council members who support the initiative, including Christina Henderson, an at-large council member, and Janeese Lewis George from Ward 4, have replaced members who voted to overturn Initiative 77. In addition to a more favorable council, OLeary noted that the restaurant industry responsible for an aggressive astro-turf campaign in 2018 has put up far less resistance now.

Covid happened. Not only have servers recognized what their worth is and what theyre willing to take or put up with on the job, not only have restaurants individually started noticing how much wage shortage there is and how difficult it is to hire, OLeary said, but also the restaurant industry itself, RAMW (Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington), has come to us basically saying we dont want to fight this again.

Advocates for Initiative 82 describe how instituting minimum wage is vital to improving the welfare of restaurant workers in D.C. Aiai Price-Smith (COL 24), who worked a sub-minimum wage tipped job in the Georgetown area, described her experience in the industry. I dont know my coworkers situation, but I cant imagine paying for anything near D.C., Price-Smith said.

Tipping culture was born out of a legacy of racism and still makes marginalized communities vulnerable, according to community activists. The practice of tipping, adopted from European tradition, was popularized by white employers seeking to avoid paying Black workers following the end of slavery. The national sub-minimum wage was later codified into law and last raised by congress in 1996 to $2.13, where it remains today. While D.C. has a somewhat higher sub-minimum wage at $5.05, it is still less than a third of the minimum wage. Initiative 82 is extraordinarily popular among restaurant workers, 88 percent of whom support the initiative.

Today tipping culture continues to put marginalized communities at a disadvantage. Women, people of color [and] trans women and men routinely make less money than someone who looks like me in tips, OLeary, who is a white man, said. At the very heart of this is wage discrimination. He also noted how dependence on tips can lead to situations where servers endure harassment from customers just to ensure a tip is given.

Critics of the initiative have warned that the new rules would disincentivize tipping in general. Others have claimed that paying the minimum wage would cause restaurant prices, which are already under inflationary pressure, to skyrocket and cause small restaurant owners to suffer. Initiative 82, I believe, will increase the operational cost of running a restaurant. As a result, small operators will be forced out in favor of large corporate chains, Greg Casten, one restaurant owner, said in an opinion piece. One study calculated that while any menu price increases would vary depending on the current wages paid to workers, most increases would be modest and at most 20 percent.

According to OLeary, most research shows that many of these concerns are not founded in reality. States that have phased out the sub-minimum wage are practically devoid of any of the alleged consequences described above. Data shows that tipping is generally unaffected by changes in the sub-minimum wage and is fairly consistent throughout the country. In fact, these states actually have reduced both poverty and wealth inequality.

The practical reality of our tipping culture says otherwise: ask yourself, have you ever asked your server what her base hourly wage was to determine the amount that you plan to tip her? Of course not, Mary Cheh, Ward 3 city council member, wrote after the campaign to repeal Initiative 77 in 2018.

OLeary added that restaurants in the eight states that dont have a sub-minimum wage fared better during the pandemic, experiencing fewer closures than in places such as D.C. One Fair Wage, a national advocacy organization, has published a list of 85 restaurant employers in D.C. that are able to successfully provide their employees with at least the minimum wage, demonstrating that eliminating the sub-minimum wage is more than possible.

Weve sat at the current sub-minimum wage for 30 years, prices have gone up annually for 30 years in restaurants, and so I always feel a little sus when a business tells me when they wont be able to afford something, OLeary said. Your employees can be some of your best customers if they could afford to eat there.

OLeary also spoke about how Georgetown students could help support the law by simply registering to vote in D.C. He also noted that if students wanted to get more involved, they could sign up to become ballot petition signature collectors and get paid for each signature.

Continue reading here:

Initiative 82 on track to end the sub-minimum wage for DC tipped restaurant staff - The Georgetown Voice

By Nat Baldino

Policymakers have praised the trillion-dollar investments of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in November, noting it will create a new generation of high-quality, high-paying jobs, and investments in American infrastructure. Those jobs will be important. But as the Senate considers what working families need in the Build Back Better (BBB) Act, many are left wondering what building back better really means for them.

Black workers in particular have historically been denied opportunities and forced into high-risk, low-wage industriesespecially during the COVID-19 pandemic. An investment in American jobs must address both present and historical harm. True investment must create high-quality jobs and a commitment to Black communities. As the scope of BBB is negotiated, heres what Black workers should pay attention to.

If passed, BBB is expected to create over 3.2 million jobs a year. Many will be through industry partnership grants in high-poverty areas. BBB also reinvests in the Civilian Conservation Corps to create green jobs to fight climate change. This will spawn over 300,000 jobs that prioritize workers who have been historically marginalized.

Why these jobs matter for Black workers: Discrimination has pushed Black workers into low-paying, poor-quality jobs that have little opportunity for growth. Jobs funded by BBB will pay high wages, provide good benefits, and offer room for growth in massive new industries of the green economy. By assigning specific dollar amounts to initiatives aimed at hiring workers who have been underrepresented, Black workers can join the new wave of green jobs.

Dont think youre qualified for these types of jobs? BBB also creates career pathways for workers who have been historically marginalized to enter new fields. Many of these green jobs will be available through subsidized employment: government-funded initiatives to create jobs in new sectors through things like Job Corps, apprenticeships, and specific job opportunities for people who were formerly incarcerated.

Why career pathways matter for Black workers: Programs like theseallow participants to be paid living wages while being trained. This meansthat rather than going into debt to get industry experience, you will be able tosupport yourself even while in training. Subsidized employment programs often support workers in finding full-time employment after the program ends through mentorship and industry connections.

BBB has specific funds to invest in in-home care. An investment in the field itself will mean higher wages and a better standard of living for in-home health care workers. Grocery store workers and essential agriculture workers will also see investments in their industries that will increase their wages. Some of the money going out to each state is set aside for improving wages across the board, raising the standards for the nation. BBB will also strengthen the jobs of child care providers and pre-K teachers by increasing pay to a living wage equal to K-12 teachers with similar credentials and experience.

Why these jobs matter for Black workers: Over half of home health aides are women of color, the majority of whom are Black women. 15 percent of the early child care workforce is Black and paid below the federal poverty rate. Black women in particular have long been forced to do care work. Care workers have been perennially overworked and underpaid, especially as frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing a trend that began during slavery.

If kept in the package, four weeks of paid leave could allow Black workers to take paid time off to care for themselves and their loved ones during times of illness. BBB also includes funding for pregnant women, young parents and families, sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and support services, and care for older individuals from marginalized backgrounds. In addition, BBB provides a child care guarantee that will provide access to affordable, high-quality child care for children and families.

Why these investments matter for Black workers: Compared to white workers,Black workers are 83 percent more likely to be unable to take leave when needed.And, with the historically high cost of child care and discrimination trapping Black workers in low-paying jobs, more than one in four Black parents relied on family members to either help pay for child care or provide child care directly during the pandemic. Investment in paid leave and child care is essential to keeping Black workers in the workforce.

BBB increases the maximum federal Pell Grant by $550 annually, making it easier for workers with low incomes to afford college. HBCUs will also see more funding, allowing these institutions to support more students with low incomes to attend college. In addition, BBB will provide funding for adult education through programs like English, math, digital skills, and GED programs, as well as community college-based short-term workforce training.

Of course, investing in Black futures means investing in Black workers now. To do so, Congress needs to pass the strongest possible version of Build Back Better.

Originally posted here:

5 Things Black Workers Need to Know About BBB - The Center for Law and Social Policy

Thousands of parcels are likely to be delayed in Sydney as couriers strike over their pay rates.

About 100 franchisees of Aramex couriers (formerly Fastway couriers), representing the majority of the companys greater Sydney delivery drivers, are striking for 24 hours on Friday.

The Transport Workers Union says the couriers are fed up with outrageously unfair pay rates that earn them an average of $2.10 per parcel they deliver.

Central to the dispute is Aramexs franchise model, which requires couriers to use their own vehicles and pay the associated expenses.

Aramex describes its couriers as independent business owners.

This means our couriers have a vested interest in getting your parcel to you safely and as fast as possible, the company says on its Australian website.

TWU NSW president Tony Matthews says the companys model is nothing short of modern slavery on wheels, with some couriers working more than 50 hours a week and taking home just a few hundred dollars after costs.

It should go without saying that its unacceptable for couriers to be working for less than half the minimum wage in some cases - but thats the reality for Aramex couriers under these extremely unfair franchise contracts, Mr Matthews said.

Aramex says it takes a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery in its operations or supply chains.

Its modern slavery statement, intended to meet Aramexs obligations under the applicable Global Modern Slavery legislation including laws in NSW, identifies the risk of modern slavery in its operations and supply chains as low.

Risks that may arise include migrant labour exploitation, equality, fair pay, excessive hours, safety and human trafficking, the statement reads.

Couriers are also protesting what they say are exorbitant deductions for parcels that are not delivered.

One courier who had COVID-19 was unable to deliver parcels and penalised more than three times what they would have been paid if they had been able to deliver the parcels, the TWU says.

All that does is creates enormous pressure on couriers to continue working while theyre sick, and thats not good for them or the community, Mr Matthews said.

Aramex also runs Blu Couriers, an Amazon Flex style delivery network providing individuals the opportunity to work on their own terms delivering parcels in their own cars.

Aramex has been contacted for comment.

Fridays strike is the latest industrial action in the parcel delivery business in recent months, with unions staging strikes and other stop-work action against AusPost, StarTrack, and FedEx in the lead-up to Christmas.

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Thousands of parcel deliveries to be delayed as Sydney couriers go on strike - 7NEWS

The leader of the Islamic State group killed in a U.S. raid overnight in northwest Syria was largely a mystery, with almost no known photos, never appearing in public or in the groups videos.He met his end in the same rebel-held Idlib province where his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hunted down by the Americans more than two years ago, some distance from the main theaters in eastern Syria and Iraq where the group once held vast swaths of territory in a self-declared caliphate.A veteran militant since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he took the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi when he took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid. It was up to him to lead the groups remnants as they regrouped following the downfall of their caliphate and shifted underground to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria.His death comes as IS militants, after years of low-level hit-and-run ambushes, had begun to carry out bolder, higher profile attacks. Last month, IS attacked a prison in northeast Syria to free jailed comrades, leading to a 10 day battle with Kurdish-led forces that left some 500 dead. President Joe Biden said al-Qurayshi was directly responsible for the prison strike, as well as the mass killings of the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014.He was responsible for the recent brutal attack on a prison in northeast Syria ... He was the driving force behind the genocide of the Yazidi people," Biden said Thursday. We all remember the gut-wrenching stories, mass slaughters that wiped out entire villages, thousands of women and young girls sold into slavery, rape used as a weapon of war."It is unclear whether al-Qurayshi's death will break the groups momentum.His real name was Amir Mohammed Saeed Abdul-Rahman al-Mawla, an Iraqi in his mid-40s, born in 1976 and believed to be an ethnic Turkman from the northern Iraqi town of Tel Afar. He held a degree in Islamic law from the University of Mosul.His adoption of the nickname al-Qurayshi when he became ISs caliph, suggested that he, like his predecessor, claimed links to the tribe of Islams Prophet Muhammad.Like his predecessor who was killed in the village of Barisha only about 15 miles away al-Qurayshi spent his last days in Idlib province, an area held by insurgent groups hostile to IS.He was staying in a three-story house in the town of Atmeh, near the border with Turkey. The early Thursday raid on the house killed him and 12 other people, including four women and six children, according to first responders.After the raid, few people in Atmeh knew who the family renting the house was. Journalists at the site quoted neighbors as saying that the man who lived on the top floor with his family had earlier identified himself as Abu Ahmad, a Syrian who was displaced by war from Aleppo province. Children's toys, a crib and religious books, including a biography of Prophet Mohammad, were found in the bombed house. Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, is home to 3 million people, many of them displaced by the civil war, making it easy for strangers to blend in. The house, surrounded by olive trees, appears to have been chosen by al-Qurayshi to be as far away as possible from the eyes of onlookers.Around midnight Wednesday helicopters landed in the area carrying U.S. special forces and closed on the house.If you dont leave, we have orders. We will fire missiles toward the house. There are drones overhead, a man speaking with Iraqi dialect could be heard saying through a loudspeaker. An audio was circulated on social media.An explosion shook the area later and knocked out much of the top floor.Videos released by the oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, showed a paramedic rushing a little girl from the house into an ambulance. A photo of a girl circulated on social media later showing a girl who appeared to be about five with blood on her face.They killed my mother and father, the girl was quoted as telling paramedics who rescued her.It was not clear if the girl was al-Qurayshis daughter.Al-Arabiya TV said three of the four women who were killed in the raid might have been the wives of the extremist leader. It is common for members of extremists group to be married to up to four women, which is allowed under Muslim tradition.Since taking command of IS, al-Qurayshi has topped the wanted list of the U.S. and other regional governments fighting the extremists. He did not appear in public, and rarely released any audio recordings. His influence and day-to-day involvement in the groups operations is not known, and he has no known successor.On March 18, 2020, the State Department listed al-Qurayshi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. A few months later, the U.S. doubled its reward to $10 million for information leading to his identification or location. Al-Qurayshi was also known by the two other noms de guerre, Abu Omar al-Turkmani and Abdullah Qaradash.The U.S. Treasury Department said al-Qurayshi helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter and trafficking of members of Iraqs Yazidi religious minority and that he oversees the groups global operations. Thousands of Yazidi men were killed from the group, and thousands of women taken as slaves in what rights groups say amounts to a crime of genocide.Al-Qurayshi began his militant work shortly after former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power. A year after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, al-Qurayshi joined al-Qaida in Iraq, run by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.Al-Qurayshi was arrested by U.S. troops in Mosul in 2004, where he was held for two years. During his imprisonment, he became al-Baghdadis top security henchman.Following al-Zarqawis death in a U.S. strike in 2006, al-Qurayshi became a senior official with the al-Qaida affiliate's successor group, the Islamic State in Iraq, which under al-Baghdadi transformed into the Islamic State group.When IS overran much of northern and eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared its caliphate in 2014, al-Qurayshi became a senior official in the leadership. As the groups caliphate crumbled in the years-long war with a U.S.-led coalition in both Iraq and Syria, he went into hiding.

The leader of the Islamic State group killed in a U.S. raid overnight in northwest Syria was largely a mystery, with almost no known photos, never appearing in public or in the groups videos.

He met his end in the same rebel-held Idlib province where his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hunted down by the Americans more than two years ago, some distance from the main theaters in eastern Syria and Iraq where the group once held vast swaths of territory in a self-declared caliphate.

A veteran militant since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, he took the name Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi when he took over command of IS after al-Baghdadi was killed in the October 2019 raid. It was up to him to lead the groups remnants as they regrouped following the downfall of their caliphate and shifted underground to wage an insurgency in Iraq and Syria.

His death comes as IS militants, after years of low-level hit-and-run ambushes, had begun to carry out bolder, higher profile attacks. Last month, IS attacked a prison in northeast Syria to free jailed comrades, leading to a 10 day battle with Kurdish-led forces that left some 500 dead.

President Joe Biden said al-Qurayshi was directly responsible for the prison strike, as well as the mass killings of the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014.

He was responsible for the recent brutal attack on a prison in northeast Syria ... He was the driving force behind the genocide of the Yazidi people," Biden said Thursday. We all remember the gut-wrenching stories, mass slaughters that wiped out entire villages, thousands of women and young girls sold into slavery, rape used as a weapon of war."

It is unclear whether al-Qurayshi's death will break the groups momentum.

His real name was Amir Mohammed Saeed Abdul-Rahman al-Mawla, an Iraqi in his mid-40s, born in 1976 and believed to be an ethnic Turkman from the northern Iraqi town of Tel Afar. He held a degree in Islamic law from the University of Mosul.

His adoption of the nickname al-Qurayshi when he became ISs caliph, suggested that he, like his predecessor, claimed links to the tribe of Islams Prophet Muhammad.

Like his predecessor who was killed in the village of Barisha only about 15 miles away al-Qurayshi spent his last days in Idlib province, an area held by insurgent groups hostile to IS.

He was staying in a three-story house in the town of Atmeh, near the border with Turkey. The early Thursday raid on the house killed him and 12 other people, including four women and six children, according to first responders.

After the raid, few people in Atmeh knew who the family renting the house was. Journalists at the site quoted neighbors as saying that the man who lived on the top floor with his family had earlier identified himself as Abu Ahmad, a Syrian who was displaced by war from Aleppo province. Children's toys, a crib and religious books, including a biography of Prophet Mohammad, were found in the bombed house.

Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, is home to 3 million people, many of them displaced by the civil war, making it easy for strangers to blend in. The house, surrounded by olive trees, appears to have been chosen by al-Qurayshi to be as far away as possible from the eyes of onlookers.

Around midnight Wednesday helicopters landed in the area carrying U.S. special forces and closed on the house.

If you dont leave, we have orders. We will fire missiles toward the house. There are drones overhead, a man speaking with Iraqi dialect could be heard saying through a loudspeaker. An audio was circulated on social media.

An explosion shook the area later and knocked out much of the top floor.

Videos released by the oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, showed a paramedic rushing a little girl from the house into an ambulance. A photo of a girl circulated on social media later showing a girl who appeared to be about five with blood on her face.

They killed my mother and father, the girl was quoted as telling paramedics who rescued her.

It was not clear if the girl was al-Qurayshis daughter.

Al-Arabiya TV said three of the four women who were killed in the raid might have been the wives of the extremist leader. It is common for members of extremists group to be married to up to four women, which is allowed under Muslim tradition.

Since taking command of IS, al-Qurayshi has topped the wanted list of the U.S. and other regional governments fighting the extremists. He did not appear in public, and rarely released any audio recordings. His influence and day-to-day involvement in the groups operations is not known, and he has no known successor.

On March 18, 2020, the State Department listed al-Qurayshi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. A few months later, the U.S. doubled its reward to $10 million for information leading to his identification or location. Al-Qurayshi was also known by the two other noms de guerre, Abu Omar al-Turkmani and Abdullah Qaradash.

The U.S. Treasury Department said al-Qurayshi helped drive and justify the abduction, slaughter and trafficking of members of Iraqs Yazidi religious minority and that he oversees the groups global operations. Thousands of Yazidi men were killed from the group, and thousands of women taken as slaves in what rights groups say amounts to a crime of genocide.

Al-Qurayshi began his militant work shortly after former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was removed from power. A year after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, al-Qurayshi joined al-Qaida in Iraq, run by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Al-Qurayshi was arrested by U.S. troops in Mosul in 2004, where he was held for two years. During his imprisonment, he became al-Baghdadis top security henchman.

Following al-Zarqawis death in a U.S. strike in 2006, al-Qurayshi became a senior official with the al-Qaida affiliate's successor group, the Islamic State in Iraq, which under al-Baghdadi transformed into the Islamic State group.

When IS overran much of northern and eastern Syria and northern Iraq and declared its caliphate in 2014, al-Qurayshi became a senior official in the leadership. As the groups caliphate crumbled in the years-long war with a U.S.-led coalition in both Iraq and Syria, he went into hiding.

See the rest here:

Who was the ISIS leader killed during the US raid in Syria? - WYFF Greenville