MLK Jr.'s fight for fair pay resonates with MI service workers

Michigan food service workers are commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today, bringing to mind their own, more recent battle for fair wages and benefits.

They are among the low-wage workers who got their day in court in December. They are asking for a controversial legal provision known as "adopt and amend" to be ruled unconstitutional, which would allow the state's minimum wage to increase to about $14 an hour.

Roquesha O'Neal, a former restaurant worker and member of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United-Michigan, said despite optimism about the case, even in 2024, work environments are often not fair for Black and brown workers.

"When you think about Martin Luther King, you think about the service that he gave; not just Black workers or white people, he did it for humankind," O'Neal explained. "When I think about the service workers as a whole, they give unconditional love, unconditional service, not on race but on passion."

Low-wage Michigan workers did get a small pay increase as of Jan. 1, when the state minimum wage was increased by 23 cents an hour, to $10.33. Although it is seemingly a step forward, more substantial pay hikes have been held up in court.

O'Neal recalled when she was a restaurant worker, she faced many barriers and did not make enough money to pay for quality child care. She pointed out service work is tough, and people who stick with it deserve a livable wage, basic health care and sick leave. A voter initiative about earning paid sick leave prompted the "adopt and amend" tactic by state lawmakers, who worked to roll it back.

"Hear our cry and our pain," O'Neal urged. "Think about those who have to take care of their loved ones and they are below poverty, can't even take care of their families. Listen to the pains of workers."

The court ruling is expected later this spring.