In the last 6 years, ROC-NY's worker-led Policy Committee has worked with local policymakers to develop innovative policy options to improve working conditions for restaurant workers.
The Policy Committee played an instrumental role in increasing the New York State minimum wage for restaurant workers and introduced the Responsible Restaurant Act (Intro #569). Research conducted by ROC-NY and the New York City Restaurant Industry Coalition demonstrates that restaurant owners who violate labor law put the public’s health at risk (see our report, Dining Out, Dining Healthy). To address this, ROC-NY's Policy Committee launched a policy campaign that will protect restaurant workers from abuse and exploitation, and simultaneously protect restaurant consumers from workplaces with unsafe health and safety standards. The Policy Committee is also joining the local and national effort to mandate paid sicks days, which is particularly needed in an industry where the workers' health directly affects consumers' health.
