Arizona Opinion: I’m a restaurant worker in Arizona. Here’s why I support Julie Su to be the next Labor Secretary

In Phoenix, Arizona, where I have worked as a restaurant server for 20 years, the confirmation of Julie Su for Labor Secretary holds a lot of significance for restaurant workers. With Su’s commitment to enforcing labor laws, her confirmation would mark the continuation of her efforts to build an inclusive economy that provides restaurant workers like me a fair shot to get ahead.

Tipped workers in Arizona still earn subminimum wages of $9.80 an hour — which is nearly impossible for us to save a few bucks for rainy days, let alone get a decent meal. Yet, when we work long hours in order for us to earn a little bit more, it keeps us away from our children, spouses and loved ones. Only by finding a good union job as a server at the airport have I felt free from constant wage insecurity, a feeling all those in the restaurant industry deserve. Having an ally like Julie Su as Secretary of Labor would help extend that freedom to others.

Our daily earnings fluctuate as we mainly depend on the whims of our customers, instead of a guaranteed income — plus tips — from our employers. With rising costs of food, rent and gas, we are struggling to stay afloat. Yet, unscrupulous employers who pocket tips, refuse to pay overtime, or don’t ensure we get paid at least the minimum wage on a bad shift, help drive wages down for all of us. I know that there are thousands of restaurant workers across Arizona, many of whom are immigrants, women and people of color, who are in a dire situation.

As the confirmation hearings for Julie Su loom large, I know that there may be some challenges — but it is something that we can overcome. Our elected officials, like our very own Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, are vital to Su’s confirmation. I hope that Sinema and Kelly will listen to our pleas and understand why Su’s confirmation means the world to restaurant workers.

An experienced leader like Su, who has been considered to be the most qualified nominee for Labor Secretary and has spent her life making sure that no worker is left behind, is hard to come by. As Deputy Secretary, a position she has held since 2021, she has a strong vision of a thriving labor sector with workers’ well-being — the very backbone of every business — at its center. Su, the daughter of hardworking Chinese immigrants, would open the door of opportunities for all restaurant workers and ensure that we are well protected in the workplace.

Being a native Arizonan, I love our more than 325 days of sunshine a year. But it has been almost a hand-to-mouth existence. If I don’t show up at work because I am feeling unwell, it only means that I lose my income, affecting my capacity to get food on the table for my family and pay our mortgage on time.

It's really essential for our country to have a Labor Secretary who truly understands the well-being and welfare of workers, many of us are being treated with no respect and dignity as if we were disposable, even though it has been clear that our work is essential to the survival of the restaurant industry and our communities. Su will give us a voice on the job and hold billion-dollar corporate-owned restaurants to take responsibility for keeping us safe and giving us the wages that would lift us out of poverty.

We have served business owners and our communities through thick and thin, so it's time to also serve us and afford us the decent lives that we deserve. The absence of committed workers is really bad for business. I hope that business owners would heed our call for thriving wages and better working conditions.