Skip navigation menu
Hero background image

DIGNITY FOR SERVICE WORKERS

Problem

Service workers keep Oregon running—preparing food, cleaning, caring for families, transporting communities, and supporting tourism—yet remain undervalued, underpaid, and underprotected.

Low wages + insecurity

  • Leisure and hospitality workers in Oregon earn an average wage of $16–$18 per hour as of 2024, which is significantly lower than the current national median hourly wage.

  • In Oregon, 1 in 7 leisure and hospitality jobs pay under $15/hour (2024)

  • MIT Living Wage: ~$22/hour for a single adult in Oregon

Precarious schedules

  • Unpredictable hours, last-minute cancellations, and fluctuating income make it nearly impossible to budget, secure childcare, or attend school.

Lack of benefits

  • Most service workers lack:

    • Employer-provided health insurance

    • Paid sick leave

    • Retirement plans

  • Many rely on public support programs, such as Medicaid or SNAP, to survive.

Workers at greatest risk

  • Women, immigrants, and Black and Latino workers are disproportionately represented.

  • Surveys show higher rates of:

    • Wage theft

    • Unsafe conditions

    • Harassment and retaliation

  • Workers still face risks from heat, smoke, chemicals, and physical strain without clear federal protections.

Reality:

There is no labor shortage — there is a dignity shortage.

Solutions

1. Raise wages to living standards

  • Raise the federal minimum to a true living wage, indexed to inflation and region.

  • Eliminate subminimum wages, including tipped and disability exemptions.

  • Enforce fair pay across service industries.

Workers can meet basic needs, rely less on public assistance, and support local economies.

2. Protect and grow unions

  • Pass the PRO Act to remove barriers to organizing.

  • Ban captive-audience anti-union meetings.

  • Enable sector-wide bargaining across restaurants, hotels, and retail.

  • Increase penalties for union-busting and unfair labor practices.

Fair wages, predictable schedules, and safe workplaces become the standard.

3. Fair schedules + strong workplace safety

  • Require:

    • Advance schedule posting

    • Predictability pay for last-minute changes

    • Anti-retaliation protections for refusing sudden shifts

  • Establish national OSHA standards for:

    • Heat and smoke exposure

    • Safety in kitchens, warehouses, food service, and hospitality

    • Chemical and cleaning hazards

Healthier workplaces, lower turnover, and more stable incomes follow these changes.

4. Affordable housing + reliable transit

  • Target housing funds to areas where service workers live and work

  • Support transit expansions for early morning, late-night, and rural shifts

  • Prevent long commutes caused by housing price spikes.

Workers can live near their jobs, save money, and strengthen their communities.

5. Pathways to advancement

  • Tuition-free community college for service workers seeking new skills

  • Paid apprenticeships in hospitality, healthcare, trades, and clean energy careers

  • Wage progression tied to training and experience

Service jobs become career stepping stones, not poverty traps.

6. Ban wage theft + end exploitation

  • Strengthen enforcement against:

    • Unpaid overtime

    • Misclassification as contractors

    • Stolen wages

  • Expand federal DOL staffing dedicated to service industries.

Workers keep what they earn, and honest businesses compete fairly.

Bottom Line

Service workers hold up restaurants, hotels, hospitals, grocery stores, airports, and schools — yet policy treats them as replaceable.

Raising wages, fair scheduling, strict safety standards, affordable housing and transit, expanded training, and strong unions will lift Oregonians out of crisis and boost economic growth.

A fair economy means workers who make life possible live with dignity, not struggle.