Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t have to do it for the money. As a member of the US Congress, she earns more than $174,695 a year. But that does not apply to her former colleagues in the hospitality industry and millions of Americans who have to live on so-called ‘tipped’. That is why the former waitress put on the apron again for an hour.
“I was nervous that I may have lost my touch,” 29-year-old Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Friday from the restaurant in New York where she had organized her stunt. “still got it!” she reassured her more than 4 million followers.
Alexandria Ocasio-Ortez, or “AOC” as she is affectionately called by her supporters, was voted the youngest Congress member ever last year. It is therefore not taken seriously by everyone. President Donald Trump even taunted her as a “young waitress.”
But the ‘left winger’ of the Democratic Party is proud of her past. Through her experience as a clerk, she says she learned a lot about life. “It is unbelievable how often you are exploited, harassed and how your rights are violated,” said Ocasio-Cortez about her previous job as a waitress.
Work for $2.13 an hour
After Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‘service’ was over, AOC argued for raising the minimum wage for tips. The hourly wage for such jobs is $2.13 for an hour. In theory, this is supplemented by hefty tipped, which are more common in the American service sector. However, according to the politician, those revenues are too low and offer no security. She, therefore, argues for an increase in wages to $15 per hour by 2024.
Opponents, however, fear that an increase will lead to rising wage costs, forcing shops and restaurants to close.
However, their voice was not heard during the action of Ocasio-Cortez. The restaurant was mainly filled with supporters and campaign staff who had shown up in large numbers. They chanted her name and repeated the slogan of the campaign “A fair wage! A fair wage!”
