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ISWU
Part of the One Fair Wage campaign

YOUR SHIFT RUNS ILLINOIS.YOUR PAY SHOULD TOO.

Servers, bartenders, cooks, housekeepers, baristas: Illinois Service Workers United is the network that helps you know your rights, get support, and build power, from your shift to Springfield.

Join ISWUGet help with a problem at work
  • Free
  • Confidential
  • En español
  • Tipped wage · $9.00/hr (state minimum $15; up to 40% tip credit)

Start here, confidentially

TELL US WHAT YOU NEED. WE'LL TAKE IT FROM THERE.

Whether you want to join, need help with something at work, or want to organize your coworkers, start here. It takes about a minute.

  1. 01

    Tell us

    A few details, in English or Spanish.

  2. 02

    We call back

    An organizer reaches out by phone or Signal.

  3. 03

    You decide

    Nothing happens without your say.

Confidential

I want to

A nickname or alias is fine

Optional

Optional

Preferred language

ISWU provides education, organizing support, and referrals. It does not provide legal representation.

  1. 01We never share your information with your employer.
  2. 02A real organizer follows up with you, usually within a few days.
  3. 03Not ready to share details? Just leave your name and the best way to reach you.
01 / KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE OWED BEFORE YOUR NEXT SHIFT.

A tip jar with folded bills on a bar counter after closing
Fig. 01 — Tip jar, after close
See all rights guides

Guides available in English and Spanish.

02 / MEMBERSHIP

MEMBERSHIP IS MORE THAN A NAME ON A LIST.

Training, support, community, and a real voice in Springfield. Built by service workers, for service workers.

A housekeeping cart stacked with towels in a hotel corridor
Fig. 02 — Housekeeping, mid-shift
  • Workshop table set with handouts and pensFig. 01
    01

    Know Your Rights Education

    Plain-language workshops on pay, tips, scheduling, safety, and retaliation.

  • Phone and notebook on a break-room tableFig. 02Featured
    02

    Workplace Support and Referrals

    Help understanding a problem at work and finding the right agency, legal, labor, or community resource.

  • Circle of folding chairs ready for a meetingFig. 03
    03

    Worker Organizing

    Connect with coworkers, name shared concerns, and build worker-led campaigns.

  • Microphone at a podiumFig. 04
    04

    Leadership Development

    Power Hours, public speaking, telling your story, testimony, and becoming a worker leader.

  • Cocktail tools and citrus on a barFig. 05
    05

    Skills and Career Development

    Mixology, food safety, and career referrals to high-road employers.

  • Illinois Capitol dome in Springfield at duskFig. 06Featured
    06

    Legislative Advocacy

    Meet elected officials, join lobby days in Springfield, and speak at hearings.

  • Community meeting room set up for an eventFig. 07
    07

    Community and Events

    Industry nights, workshops, membership meetings, and campaign actions.

  • Interpretation headphones beside a transit card and coffeeFig. 08
    08

    Participation Support

    Interpretation, transportation, childcare planning, and stipends, where available.

Become a member

CHICAGO RAISED THE FLOOR. RESTAURANTS KEPT OPENING.

  • 01 —

    15,300

    Hospitality jobs added in Illinois

    JUL 2024–DEC 2025

  • 02 —

    1,574

    New restaurant licenses after One Fair Wage took effect

  • 03 —

    83%

    Restaurant license renewal rate

    2025

  • 04 —

    #1

    In the nation for restaurant transaction growth

    Q3 2025

Chicago began phasing out the tipped subminimum wage in July 2024. Tipped workers have reached 76% of the city's full minimum wage.

Sources: Wage figures: City of Chicago Office of Labor Standards (July 2026); Illinois Department of Labor via Illinois Legal Aid Online.

From your shift to Springfield

THE TIMELINE CHANGED. THE DESTINATION DID NOT.

In May 2026 Chicago changed the schedule, but it didn't repeal One Fair Wage. Now we take the fight statewide.

  1. $17
  2. $19
  3. $21
  4. $23
  5. $25
  6. $27
per hour · HB 5367 & SB 3821: a path to $27 by 2032
  1. CHICAGO OFWDEFEND

    Protect Chicago's progress

    Chicago's One Fair Wage stays on the books. Tipped workers are at 76% of the full minimum; larger employers reach full parity by July 1, 2030.

    76%
  2. HB 2982SUPPORT

    One Fair Wage with Tips on Top

    Full minimum wage before tips for every tipped worker in Illinois.

  3. HB 4263OPPOSE

    Gratuity Allowance–Home Rule

    Would strip cities of the power to set stronger tipped-wage protections.

  4. HB 5367 · SB 3821SUPPORT

    $27 for Illinois

    A path to a $27 minimum wage by 2032, indexed to inflation.

And in Washington: ask Senators Duckworth and Durbin to cosponsor the Living Wage for All Act.

See the full campaignTake action

YOU'RE NOT ON THE FLOOR ALONE.

“One job should be enough to live on. Tips should always be on top.”
Illinois Service Workers United
    Share your story
    03 / EVENTS

    COME THROUGH. BRING A COWORKER.

    Free workshops, skills classes, and campaign actions across Illinois.

    A community room set with folding chairs and a whiteboard for a rights workshop
    Fig. 03 — Before a rights workshop

    No events scheduled yet

    New workshops and actions are being planned. Leave your number and we'll tell you first.

    Get notified
    See the full calendar

    TIPS ON TOP · PROPINAS ENCIMA · $27 FOR ILLINOIS

    CLOCK IN WITH US.

    • 01Free to join
    • 02Confidential
    • 03English & Español

    Join Illinois service workers building power for a living wage, with tips on top.

    Join ISWUGet support
    JoinGet Help