Workers launch 2025 'One Fair Wage' campaign in New York

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Restaurant workers from across New York gathered at the State Capitol on Monday, January 27, to launch the campaign for One Fair Wage legislation. S415A/A1200 would eliminate the state’s tiered wage system for tipped workers, requiring that employers pay them minimum wage, with tips added on top.

Here's Juan Carlos Romero, 33, of Queens, speaking at the One Fair Wage podium shortly after 1 p.m.:

"We need one fair wage now," he said. "This Saturday, Donald Trump announced that he is moving legislation to get rid of taxes and tips for tipped workers. He clearly understands how to pander to 14 million restaurant workers nationwide. He has put more money in their pockets in a time when the cost of living is way too high for most of us in the restaurant industry. But two-thirds of the tipped workers didn't get enough to pay federal income tax, so most of us won't even get that tax break. What about you, Democrats? What are you going to do for us restaurant workers who are struggling to survive? Are you going to stand with the big national restaurant industry corporation that leads the National Restaurant Association, or are you going to stand with us workers and responsible restaurant owners? We want to ask you today: which side are you on?"

S415A/A1200 set new rules for how much tipped workers in New York must be paid, gradually raising base pay for food service and other tipped workers. Right now, they get a lower hourly wage if their tips meet the minimum wage for a given pay period—with employers required to make up any shortfalls—but that system is being phased out.

The bills mandate higher base pay for tipped food service and miscellaneous industry workers, setting a timeline for specific wage increases based on location. In the five boroughs of New York City and Westchester County, and on Long Island, wages would rise to $12.77 in 2026, $14.88 in 2027, and $17 in 2028, before hitting full minimum wage by 2029. Wages for industry workers in the rest of the state would increase to $11.50 in 2026, $13 in 2027, $14.50 in 2028, and $16 in 2029, reaching full minimum wage in 2029.

The bills expand tip sharing by letting food service workers like servers share tips with employees like cooks and dishwashers, who aren't usually tipped. The bills also create a tax credit, the "One Fair Wage Reimbursement Credit," to help businesses transition to higher wages, with specific rules for how to claim it. In 2026, employers would get a credit of $1.50 per hour their employees work at minimum wage rates. The tax break gets smaller each year until ending in 2030 at $1.

Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and State Sen. Robert Jackson, who sponsored the bills in their respective houses of the legislature, joined labor leaders, small business owners, and fair wage advocates for the press conference. They argued that the legislation would benefit some 230,000 workers—particularly women and people of color—by breaking their dependence on unreliable, inconsistent tips. And they offered the statistic that the median tipped New Yorker makes under $19,000 a year.

Here's González-Rojas speaking about the importance of her legislation:

 "This is grueling work. I was working in the restaurant industry as a young person. I know it's a hustle," she said. "They are deserving of the tips, but it should be gratuitous. It should be for your wonderful service, right? Not something you depend on to feed your family or pay rent. It is gratuitous, it's an uplift, the money you're earning, you bring home a good paycheck, and this industry should be able to keep you and your family afloat here in New York."

The Senate version of the bill, from Jackson, justifies ending tipping by pointing out that tipped workers experience an increased risk of wage theft, harassment, and discrimination.

After the press conference, workers plan to participate in Lobby Day on January 28, visiting lawmakers’ offices to deliver a letter and reports of the economic benefits of the One Fair Wage bills. They hope the pressure campaign will inspire lawmakers to back the legislation.

Seven states already require employers to pay tipped workers a full minimum wage. Advocates say that a similar system in New York would provide financial stability and address antiquated disparities in the industry.