Friday, July 23, 2021, 10:00 am EDT

Join the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) of Michigan at a virtual press conference on Friday, July 23rd, at 10:00 am EDT, to hear from restaurant workers, leaders from Black churches and other interfaith groups, elected officials, and community allies on why we need to raise the federal minimum wage and provide workers the living wages that they deserve.

Why is 7.25 an important number to remember?

On Sunday, 7/25, it is hard to ignore that the U.S. federal minimum wage has been frozen at $7.25 per hour since 2009. Yes, it has been more than 12 years since it was last raised $0.70 from $6.55. Since then, hardworking families—including millions of restaurant workers—have struggled to get by: hundreds of thousands of them live in poverty, rely on public assistance, and experience discrimination and wage theft.

In Michigan, the minimum wage is currently frozen at $9.65 per hour and $3.67 per hour for tipped employees because of the state’s Improved Workforce Opportunity Wage Act. Workers have continued struggling to make ends meet, and this has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Share your story with us by emailing Anthony at info@rocunited.org!

Speakers

Chris white

ROC Michigan State Director and Moderator

Dr.
Alicia Renee Farris

Chief Operations Officer, ROC United

Bishop J. Drew Sheard

Presiding Bishop of COGIC and Pastor of Greater Emmanuel Institutional COGIC

Dr.
Wallace R. Mills, Jr.

BME State Convention President and Pastor, New Ebenezer Baptist Church

State Rep.
Helena Scott

District 7th

Pastor
Hurley J. Coleman, Jr.

World Outreach Campus Church and Saginaw African American Pastors

Nik Cole

Michigan Chef

State Rep.
Bill Sowerby

District 31st

Kamilia Landrum

Executive Director, Detroit Branch NAACP

Rev.
Edward Pinkney

Pastor, God Household of Faith, Benton Harbor

The Reverend
Reginald Brantley

United Church of Christ and ROC United Board of Directors

Faith Partners

BANCO (Benton Harbor)
BASS (Highland Park)
Be-Moor Radio
Chosen Kingdom Builders (Pontiac)
Church of GOD in Christ, Inc
Council of Baptist Pastors Detroit and Vicinity, Inc.
Detroit Branch NAACP
Detroit People's Platform
Economic Justice Alliance of Michigan (EJAM)
Evangelical Baptist District Association
Greater Emmanuel Church of COGIC
Michigan Faith in Action
Michigan State A. Philip Randolph Institute
Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network (MUUSJN)
MOSES
Saginaw African American Pastors
Southeast Michigan Jobs with Justice
Southeast Michigan Synod of ELCA- Advocacy Team
Tri-City Community Development Corporation (Southwest Detroit, Ecorse and , River Rouge)
World Outreach Campus Church (Saginaw)

Almost 59% of restaurant workers in Michigan are women, and 27.4% are people of color, populations who bear the brunt of the pandemic’s social and economic impacts.