Wage strike ends with protesters cuffed in Village
BY DEAN MOSES
Fair wage strikers marched through
traffi c in Lower Manhattan demanding
“one fair wage” but the demonstration
ended with several protesters getting
cuffed Wednesday afternoon, May 26.
A fair wage protest saw two individuals
arrested after joining about 40 restaurant
workers who blocked traffi c along 6th
Avenue and Bleecker Street on May 26.
Their menu of demands included enforcing
restaurants to offer a livable wage with
tips included before they say they would
return to work.
The rally began just after 12:30 p.m. in
Washington Square Park, where advocates
and elected offi cials including NYC Councilmember
Brad Lander, New York Senator
Brad Holyman, and playwright Eve Ensler
stated that the city has a “wage shortage,
not a worker shortage.”
According to a report by One Fair Wage,
the organizers of the march, “Nine in 10
New York restaurant workers are leaving
their jobs due to low wages and tips.” The
national nonprofi t organization found that
half of New York’s restaurant workers are
considering leaving the hospitality business
since they can’t afford rent or their bills
with their meager pay, forcing them to fi nd
work elsewhere.
The report also found that women have
Both men were hailed as heroes by fellow protesters.
been found to suffer higher rates of hostility,
sexual harassment, and health risks.
Female workers at the rally shared that in
addition to dealing with unwanted physical
contact, some customers have asked them
to lower their masks to see if they are attractive
enough to get a decent tip.
Council Member Lander declared that
while Governor Andrew Cuomo eliminated
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
the subminimum wage for some, he failed
to eliminate it for restaurant workers.
“Governor Cuomo you’ve got an opportunity
to make it right, you’ve heard about
the fact that because of the subminimum
wage there is more sexual harassment for
restaurant servers than in almost any other
part of the economy. You may have heard
that Governor Cuomo has some reasons
why he might want to be making amends
around issues of sexual harassment, as I
remember he might have seven reasons
around making amends around sexual
harassment. Governor Cuomo one good
way of starting to make amends on sexual
harassment would be to end the subminimum
wage and get One Fair Wage for our
restaurant workers,” Lander said.
Marchers held signs stating, “Will Work
for Fair Wages” and “Low Wages Stop
America’s Recovery,” as they made their
way down 6th Avenue. After a short walk,
the demonstration halted at an intersection
between Downing and Bleeker Streets,
where individuals held traffi c for about 20
minutes. Placing chairs and tables on the
roadway, protesters literally sat in traffi c.
“Why are we stopping traffi c right now?
Because low wages stop America’s recovery,”
one demonstrator yelled.
The NYPD played a monotone recording
demanding the group to leave the street
and warning of arrests for those who didn’t
comply. Several of the demonstrators left
while two remained at their table.
NYPD placed Zach Lerner from New
York Communities for Change and Fekkak
Mamdouh, Senior Director and Co-
Founder of One Fair Wage under arrest,
zip-tying their hands and ushering them in
the back of a patrol van. The pair chanted
“One fair wage!” as they were led away.
Ready to ride: MTA, advocates celebrate
newest elevator at Midtown station
BY DEAN MOSES
For years, disability advocates have
been calling for easier subway access
for wheelchair-bound New Yorkers
and parents with strollers — and the MTA
offi cially took another step on June 1 toward
fulfi lling that goal at every station in
New York.
Authority offi cials joined members of the
disabled community at the corner of 55th
Street and 7th Avenue on June 1 to mark
the installation of a new elevator leading to
the 57th Street station on the N/Q/R/W
lines — making it the 137th stop in the
system to have elevator access.
“This is a project that fi nished early because
when COVID happened we started
to take advantage of the opportunity to do
more work, to do it more quickly and this is
one of the results,” said Janno Lieber, President
of MTA Construction & Development.
“Now more than ever, as we reopen, we
need a transit system that is truly accessible
The MTA gathered to celebrate the newest wheelchair accessible station on
June 1.
to all New Yorkers. It will speed up our
recovery and it is justice delayed.”
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Lieber was joined in the shadow of the
new elevator by a large crowd who helped
make it possible, not just in terms of the
physical construction but also through
staunch advocacy. Quemuel Arroyo, MTA
Chief Accessibility Offi cer and Victor
Calise, MTA Board Member and Commissioner
of the New York City Mayor’s
Offi ce for People with Disabilities have
been calling for easier accesses to public
transportation for some time now.
As wheelchair users themselves, they
know the struggle to fi nd accommodations
that meet their needs.
“For far too long, wheelchair users like
myself, riders with vision or hearing disabilities,
seniors who have diffi culty with
stairs, parents with children in strollers,
and so many others have struggled to get
around the system. That is changing now,”
Arroyo said.
After the offi cial celebration Calise
and Arroyo became the fi rst users to ride
the elevators after its offi cial christening.
The pair demonstrated the ease at which
they can now access the turnstiles and the
platforms.
“I have to say just getting out and seeing
a nice accessible station is overwhelming,
we need to continue to be able to do this,”
Calise said
Schneps Media June 3, 2021 3