About the Police Harassment of Amelia Powell for Wearing Bikinis - #Michael Ayele (a.k.a) W - #Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

20. ORDINANCE NO. 16-2151 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CUPERTINO TO ADD CHAPTER 3.37 (MINIMUM WAGE ORDINANCE) TO TITLE 3 (REVENUE AND FINANCE) OF THE CUPERTINO MUNICIPAL CODE TO INCREASE THE CITY-WIDE MINIMUM WAGE WHEREAS, families and workers need to earn a living wage, and public policies which help achieve that goal are beneficial; and WHEREAS, payment of a minimum wage advances the interests of the City as a whole by creating jobs that keep workers and their families out of poverty; and WHEREAS, a minimum wage will enable a worker to meet basic needs and avoid economic hardship; and WHEREAS, this ordinance is intended to improve the quality of services provided in the City to the public by reducing turnover, absenteeism, and instability in the workplace; and WHEREAS, prompt and efficient enforcement of this Chapter will provide workers with economic security and the assurance that their rights will be respected; and WHEREAS, key findings of a regional mm1mum wage study and survey performed by the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at UC Berkeley and BW Research showed that increasing the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour by 2019 in Santa Clara County would: • Increase earnings for 250,000 workers • Raise average annual earnings of affected workers by 19.4 percent, or $3,200.00 (in 2014 dollars) • Slightly increase average prices in Santa Clara County by 0.2% over three years • Have a net effect on employment that is slightly negative at the county level (1,450 jobs) and close to zero at a 10 county regional level; WHEREAS, the Cities Association of Santa Clara County recommends a regional minimum wage increase to $15.00 by 2019 as an effort to create an even playing field

21. Ordinance No. 16-2151 that mitigates the impacts to local economies, provides equity to our shared economy, and implements regional consistency across the county. NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CUPERTINO DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: Section 1: Title 3 of the Cupertino Municipal Code is hereby amended by adding Chapter 3.37 (Minimum Wage) to be numbered, entitled and to read as follows: 3.37 Minimum Wage. 3.37.010 Title. This chapter shall be known as the "Minimum Wage Ordinance." 3.37.020 Authority. This chapter is adopted pursuant to the powers vested in the City of_ Cupertino under the laws and Constitution of the state of California, including, but not limited to, the police powers vested in the City pursuant to Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution and Section 1205(b) of the California Labor Code. 3.37.030 Definitions. The following words and phrases, whenever used in the chapter, shall be construed as defined in this section: (a) "City" shall mean the City of Cupertino, California or any agency designated by the City to administer the terms of this chapter. (b) "Employee" shall mean any person who: 1. In a calendar week performs at least two (2) hours of work for an employer as defined below; and 2

22. Ordinance No. 16-2151 2. Qualifies as an employee entitled to payment of a minimum wage from any employer under the California Minimum Wage Law, as provided under Sec. 1197 of the California Labor Code and wage orders published by the California Industrial Welfare Commission, or is a participant in a welfare-to- work Program. (c) "Employer" shall mean ariy person, including corporate officers or executives, as defined in Sec. 18 of the California Labor Code, who directly or indirectly through any other person, including through the services of a temporary employment agency, staffing agency or similar entity, employs or exercises control over the wages, hours or working conditions of any employee and who is either subject to the City's business license requirements or maintains a business facility in the city. (d) "Governmental agencies" shall include federal agencies, state agencies, school districts and auxiliary organizations as defined under Education Code Sections 72670(c) and 89901. "Governmental agency" does not include the City of Cupertino. "Minimum wage" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.37.040 of this chapter. (e) "Welfare-to-Work Program" shall mean the CalWORKS Program, County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP) which includes the Personal Assisted Employment Services (P AES) Program, and General Assistance Program, and any successor programs that are substantially similar to them. (f) 3.37.040 Minimum wage. Employers shall pay employees no less than the minimum wage set forth in this section for each hour worked within the geographic boundaries of the City of Cupertino. Governmental agencies are exempt from the minimum wage requirements under the principle of governmental immunity when the work performed is related to the agency's governmental function. (a) (b) Effective January 1, 2017, the Minimum Wage shall be an hourly rate of twelve dollars ($12.00). On January 1, 2018, the minimum wage shall be an hourly rate of 3

23. Ordinance No. 16-2151 thirteen dollars and fifty cents ($13.50). On January 1, 2019, the minimum wage shall be an hourly rate of fifteen dollars ($15.00), except when these scheduled increases are temporarily suspended under subdivision (f). To prevent inflation from eroding its value, beginning on January 1, 2020, and each January 1st thereafter, the Minimum Wage shall increase by an amount corresponding to the increase, if any, in the cost of living, not to exceed 5%. The prior year's increase in the cost of living shall be measured by the percentage increase, if any, as of August of the immediately preceding year of the Bay Area Consumer Price Index (Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA for All Items) or its successor index as published by the U.S. Department of Labor or its successor agency, with the amount of the Minimum Wage increase rounded to the nearest multiple of five ($.05) cents. If there is no net increase in the cost of living, the minimum wage shall remain unchanged for that year. The adjusted Minimum Wage shall be announced by October 1st of each year, or as soon as practicable thereafter if the Consumer Price Index for August has not yet been published, and shall become effective as the new Minimum Wage on January 1st of the following year. (c) Commissions or guaranteed gratuities, not including discretionary tips, may be counted toward payment of the minimum wage when the commissions or guaranteed gratuities are earned and paid together with other compensation paid to an employee and are equal to or greater than the current minimum wage. For each pay period, employers shall pay the employee an amount that equals or exceeds the current hourly minimum wage. (d) The employer may offset a portion of the minimum wage for housing and meal costs only if the offsets are the same as those available under the California Minimum Wage Law. The offsets shall only be recognized if there is a prior voluntary agreement between the employer and the employee. (e) A violation for unlawfully failing to pay the minimum wage shall be deemed to continue from the date immediately following the date that the wages were due and payable as provided in Part 1 ( commencing with Section 200) of Division 2 of the California Labor Code, to the date immediately preceding the date the wages are paid in full. 4

24. Ordinance No. 16-2151 (f) until the minimum wage is fifteen dollars ($15.00) per hour, to ensure that economic conditions can support a minimum wage increase, the City Manager or designee shall annually make a determination and certify to the City Council whether each condition below is met: On or before September 1, 2017, and on or before every September 1 thereafter (A) Total nonfarm employment for California, seasonally adjusted, decreased over the three-month period from April to June, inclusive, prior to the September 1 determination. This calculation shall compare seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment in June to seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment in March, as reported by the Employment Development Department. (B) Total nonfarm employment for California, seasonally adjusted, decreased over the six-month period from January to June, inclusive, prior to the September 1 determination.·This calculation shall compare seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment in June to seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment in December, as reported by the Employment Development Department. (C) California state retail sales and use tax cash receipts from.a 3.9375-percent tax rate for the July 1 to June 30, inclusive, period ending one month prior to the September 1 determination is less than retail sales and use tax cash receipts from a 3.9375-percent tax rate for the July 1 to June 30, inclusive, period ending 14 months prior to the September 1 determination. The calculation for the condition specified in this subparagraph shall be made by the City Manager or designee using data posted online by the State Board of Equalization, following the procedure specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) of Section 1182.12 of the California Labor Code as follows: (i) The State Board of Equalization shall publish by the 10th of each month on its Internet Web site the total retail sales (sales before adjustments) for the prior month derived from their daily retail sales and use tax reports. (ii) The State Board of Equalization shall publish by the 10th of each month on its Internet Web site the monthly factor required to convert the prior month's retail sales and use tax total from all tax rates to a retail sales and use tax total from a 3.9375-percent tax rate. 5

25. Ordinance No. 16-2151 (iii) The Department of Finance shall multiply the monthly total from clause (i) by the monthly factor from clause (ii) for each month. (iv) The Department of Finance shall sum the monthly totals calculated in clause (iii) to calculate the 12-month July 1 to June 30, inclusive, totals needed for the comparison in this subparagraph. (g) If, for any year, the condition in either subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (f) is met, and if the condition in subparagraph (C) of paragraph (f) is met, the City Council may, on or before October 1 of that year, make a determination to temporarily suspend the minimum wage increase scheduled for the following year. (h) If the City Council makes a determination to temporarily suspend the scheduled minimum wage increases for the following year, all dates specified in paragraph (b) that are subsequent to the October 1 determination date shall be postponed by an additional year. 3.37.050 Waiver through collective bargaining. All or any portion of the applicable requirements of this Chapter shall not apply to Employees covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement to the extent that such requirements are expressly waived in the collective bargaining agreement in clear and unambiguous terms. 3.37.060 Notice, posting and payroll records. (a) By November 1st or as soon as practicable thereafter of each year, the City shall publish and make available to employers a bulletin announcing the adjusted minimum wage rate for the upcoming year, which shall take effect on January 1st. In conjunction with this bulletin, the City shall by November 1st, or as soon as practicable thereafter of each year, publish and make available to employers, in the top three languages spoken in the city based on the latest available census information for the city, a notice suitable for posting by employers in the workplace informing employees of the current minimum wage rate and of their rights under this chapter. 6

26. Ordinance No. 16-2151 (b) Every employer shall post in a conspicuous place at any workplace or job site where any employee works the notice published each year by the City informing employees of the current minimum wage rate and of their rights under this chapter. Every employer shall post such notices in the top three languages spoken in the city based on the latest available census information for the city at the workplace or job site. Every employer shall also provide each employee at the time of hire with the employer's name, address, and telephone number in writing. ( c) Employers shall retain payroll records pertaining to employees for a period of four years, and shall allow the City access to such records, with appropriate notice and at a mutually agreeable time, to monitor compliance with the requirements of this chapter. Where an employer does not maintain or retain adequate records documenting wages paid or does not allow the City reasonable access to such records, the employee's account of how much he or she was paid shall be presumed to be accurate, absent clear and convincing evidence otherwise. 3.37.070 Retaliation prohibited. (a) It is unlawful for an employer or any other party to discriminate in any manner or take adverse action against any person in retaliation for exercising rights protected under this chapter. Rights protected under this chapter include, but are not limited to: the right to file a complaint or inform any person about any party's alleged noncompliance with this chapter; and the right to inform any person of his or her potential rights under this chapter and to assist him or her in asserting such rights. Protections of this chapter shall apply to any person who mistakenly, but in good faith, alleges noncompliance with this chapter. (b) Taking adverse action against a person within ninety (90) days of the person's exercise of rights protected under this chapter shall raise a rebuttable presumption of having done so in retaliation for the exercise of such rights. 3.37.080 Implementation. 7

27. Ordinance No. 16-2151 (a) Guidelines. The City shall be authorized to coordinate implementation and enforcement of this chapter and may promulgate appropriate guidelines or rules for such purposes. Any guidelines or rules promulgated by the City shall have the force and effect of law and may be relied on by employers, employees and other parties to determine their rights and responsibilities under this chapter. Any guidelines or rules may establish procedures for ensuring fair, efficient and cost effective implementation of this chapter, including supplementary procedures for helping to inform employees of their rights under this chapter, for monitoring employer compliance with this chapter, and for providing administrative hearings to determine whether an employer or other person has violated the requirements of this chapter. (b) Reporting Violations. An employee or any other person may report to the City in writing any suspected violation of this chapter. The City shall encourage reporting pursuant to this subsection by keeping confidential, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable laws, the name and other identifying information of the employee or person reporting the violation. Provided, however, that with the authorization of such person, the City may disclose his or her name and identifying information as necessary to enforce this chapter or other employee protection laws. In order to further encourage reporting by employees, if the City notifies an employer that the City is investigating a complaint, the City shall require the employer to post or otherwise notify its employees that the City is conducting an investigation, using a form provided by the City. (c) Investigation. The City shall be responsible for investigating any possible violations of this chapter by an employer or other person. The City shall have the authority to inspect workplaces, interview persons and request the City Attorney to subpoena books, papers, records, or other items relevant to the enforcement of this chapter. (d) Informal Resolution. The City shall make every effort to resolve complaints informally, in a timely manner, and shall take no more than one year to resolve any matter, before initiating an enforcement action. The failure of the City to meet these timelines within one year shall not be grounds for closure or dismissal of the complaint. 3.37.090 Enforcement. 8

28. Ordinance No. 16-2151 (a) Where prompt compliance is not forthcoming, the City shall take any appropriate enforcement action to secure compliance. All remedies in the Cupertino Municipal Code ("the code") are considered cumulative and the use of one or more remedies by the City shall not bar the use of any other remedy for the purpose of enforcing these provisions. (1) The City may issue an administrative citation pursuant to Chapter 3.37 of the code with a fine of not more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for each day or portion thereof and for each employee or person as to whom the violation occurred or continued. The City Council may modify the fine amount by resolution. (2) Alternatively, the City may initiate a proceeding under Chapter 3.37 of the code by issuing a compliance order. (3) The City may initiate a civil action for injunctive relief and damages and civil penalties in a court of competent jurisdiction. (b) Any person aggrieved by a violation of this chapter, any entity a member of which is aggrieved by a violation of this chapter, or any other person or entity acting on behalf of the public as provided for under applicable state law, may bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction against the employer or other person violating this chapter and, upon prevailing, shall be awarded reasonable attorneys' fees and costs and shall be entitled to such legal or equitable relief as may be appropriate to remedy the violation, including, without limitation, the payment of any back wages unlawfully withheld, the payment of an additional sum as a civil penalty in the amount of fifty dollars ($50.00) to each employee or person whose rights under this chapter were violated for each day that the violation occurred or continued, reinstatement in employment and/or injunctive relief. Provided, however, that any person or entity enforcing this chapter on behalf of the public as provided for under applicable state law shall, upon prevailing, be entitled only to equitable, injunctive or restitutionary relief to employees, and reasonable attorneys' fees and costs. ( c) This section shall not be construed to limit an employee's right to bring legal action for a violation of any other laws concerning wages, hours, or other standards or 9

29. Ordinance No. 16-2151 rights nor shall exhaustion of remedies under this chapter be a prerequisite to the assertion of any right. ( d) Except where prohibited by state or federal law, City agencies or departments may revoke or suspend any registration certificates, permits or licenses held or requested by the employer until such time as the violation is remedied. (e) Relief. The remedies for a violation of this chapter include, but are not limited to: (1) Reinstatement, the payment of back wages unlawfully withheld, and the payment of an additional sum as a civil penalty in the amount of fifty dollars ($50.00) to each employee or person whose rights under this chapter were violated for each day or portion thereof that the violation occurred or continued, and fines imposed pursuant to other provisions of this code or state law. (2) Interest on all due and unpaid wages at the rate of interest specified in subsection (b) of Section 3289 of the California Civil Code, which shall accrue from the date that the wages were due and payable as provided in Part 1 (commencing with Section 200) of Division 2 of the California Labor Code, to the date the wages are paid in full. (3) Reimbursement of the City's administrative costs of enforcement and reasonable attorney's fees. 3.37.100 Relationship to other requirements. This chapter provides for payment of a local minimum wage and shall not be construed to preempt or otherwise limit or affect the applicability of any other law, regulation, requirement, policy or standard that provides for payment of higher or supplemental wages or benefits, or that extends other protections. 3.37.110 Application of minimum wage to welfare-to-work programs. 10

30. Ordinance No. 16-2151 The minimum wage established pursuant to Section 3.80.040(b) of this chapter shall apply to the Welfare-to-Work Programs under which persons must perform work in exchange for receipt of benefits. Participants in Welfare-to-Work Programs shall not, during a given benefits period, be required to work more than a number of hours equal to the value of all cash benefits received during that period, divided by the minimum wage. 3.37.120 Fees. Nothing herein shall preclude the City Council from imposing a cost recovery fee on all employers to pay the cost of administering this chapter. Section 2: CEQA Exemption. The City Council finds, pursuant to Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, Section 15378(b)(2), that this ordinance is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in that the adoption of an ordinance of general policy and procedure does not constitute a project within the meaning of CEQA. Constitutionality; Severability. Section 3: If any section, subsection, sentence, clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid, such decision or decisions shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this ordinance, and each section, subsection, sentence, clause -and phrase thereof irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared invalid. Section 4: Certification. The City Clerk shall certify to the passage and adoption of this Ordinance and shall give notice of its adoption as required by law. Pursuant to Government Code Section 36933, 11

31. Ordinance No. 16-2151 a summary of this Ordinance may be published and posted in lieu of publication and posting of the entire text. INTRODUCED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Cupertino the 20th day of September, 2016, and ENACTED at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Cupertino the 4th day of October 2016, by the following vote: Members of the City Council Chang, Paul, Sinks, Wong Vaidhyanathan None None AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ATTEST: ~# Grace Schmidt, City Clerk 12

32. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 W (AACL) Michael A. Ayele P.O.Box 20438 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia E-mail : waacl13@gmail.com ; waacl1313@gmail.com ; waacl42913@gmail.com Date. : December 02nd 2022 Request for Records Hello, This is Michael A. Ayele sending this message though I now go by W. You may call me W. I am writing this letter to file a request for records with your office.i The bases for this records request are [1] the July 10th 2014 report published by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) on the subject of “Why It’s Time to Give Tipped Workers the Regular Minimum Wage;”ii [2] the statements made by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on (or around) May 31st2019 “to draw attention to increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour” in the United States of America (U.S.A);iii [3] the September 11th 2017 complaint filed by Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrerro and Matteson Hernandez in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington;iv [4] the December 13th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) Women’s Bureau (WB) on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry.” v [5] the December 07th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights on the subject of “Embracing Diversity: Civil Rights Protections for Immigrants and Refugees.”vi I) Requested Records What I am requesting for prompt disclosure are records in your possession detailing [1] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a Latina woman, who was born October 13th 1989 in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx in the State of New York;vii [2] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who attended Boston University, and graduated with degrees in Economics and International Relations in May 2011; [3] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has previously performed an internship with the late Senator Edward Moore Kennedy when she was a student of Boston University; [4] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who worked as a waitress and a bartender following the financial crisis of 2008 when she was a student of Boston University;viii [5] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who worked for the Bernie Sanders W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 1

33. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 campaign during the 2016 presidential election;ix [6] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who launched her first campaign for Congress in May 2017;x [7] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who shocked the Democratic political establishment, when she defeated former Congressman Joseph Crowley in June 2018; [8] your discussions about Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who was in January 2019 sworn-in as the youngest woman and youngest Latina ever to serve in Congress;xi [9] your discussions about Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has continued to speak about her previous employment as a waitress and a bartender even after she was elected as the youngest woman and youngest Latina to ever serve in Congress in January 2019; [10] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who doesn’t deny being harassed when she was working as a waitress in New York beginning Calendar Year 2008;xii [11] the extent of your knowledge on whether Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez ever filed a charge of discrimination pursuant to Title VII of the 1964 and 1991 Civil Rights Act with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for the harassment she endured while working as a waitress in the State of New York; [12] the extent of your knowledge on whether the EEOC reached out in good faith to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to discuss with them the harassment she endured when she was working as a waitress in the State of New York beginning Calendar Year 2008; [13] the extent of your knowledge on whether the EEOC reached out in good faith to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to inquire if she has personal knowledge of women, who were being harassed when they were employed as waitresses; [14] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has on March 08th 2019 revealed that she was mocked for having previously worked as a waitress;xiii [15] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has on May 11th 2019 publicly repudiated the “idea that financial struggle is due to ‘poor character;’” xiv [16] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has on May 31st 2019 “returned to work at a bar in Jackson Heights, Queens” to “draw attention to increasing the minimum wage to $15 (fifteen dollars) per hour across the whole country;” [17] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has on May 31st 2019 stated that it is unacceptable for the “federal tipped minimum wage to be $2.13 (two dollars and thirteen cents) an hour;” [18] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who has on May 31st2019 stated that “any job that pays $2.13 an hour is not a job” but “indentured servitude;” [19] your discussions about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as a woman, who’s very much in favor of setting the federal minimum wage to $15/hour for all workers (whether or not they are in the accommodation and food services sector); [20] your discussions about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that 89% (eighty nine percent) of Black/African American adults favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, including 73% (seventy three percent) who support the idea strongly; [21] your discussions about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that three-quarters of Hispanics (76%) and Asian Americans (73%) favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, with 52% of Hispanics and 43% of Asians saying they strongly support the idea; [22] your discussions about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 2

34. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 that 51% (fifty one percent) of Caucasian U.S adults favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour; [23] your discussions about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that six-in-ten U.S adults (62%) favor raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour; [24] your discussions about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that a significant majority of the U.S public agrees with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on the subject of raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour (for all workers); xv [25] your discussions about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as a legislation that established “many of the basic labor protection workers enjoy today, such as the 40-hour workweek, overtime protection, and a national minimum wage;” [26] your discussions about the FLSA as a legislation that introduced a new “subminimum wage” for workers who customarily and regularly receive tips;xvi [27] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which concluded that “tipped workers would be better off if we simply eliminated the tipped minimum wage, and paid these workers the full regular minimum wage;”xvii [28] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that the “restaurant industry is an intense user of both minimum wage and tipped wage workers, with more than 60 percent of tipped workers employed in food service;” [29] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “tipped workers are predominantly women (66.6 percent) and disproportionately young” with the majority being at least 25 (twenty five) and over one in four being at least 40 (forty) years of age; [30] your discussions about the finding of the EPI, which concluded that “tipped workers have a median wage (including tips) of $10.22 (ten dollars and twenty two cents), compared with $16.48 (sixteen dollars and forty eight cents) for all workers;” [31] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “while the poverty rate of non-tipped workers is 6.5 (six and a half) percent, tipped workers have a poverty rate of 12.8 (twelve point eight) percent;” [32] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “tipped workers are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty as are non-tipped workers;”[33] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “poverty rates are significantly lower for tipped workers in states where they receive the full regular minimum wage;” [34] your discussions about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “workers in the accommodation and food service industry – an industry with a high concentration of tipped workers – are offered paid leave (sick, holiday, and vacation leave), health insurance, and retirement benefits at rates far below those of private sector workers overall;” xviii [35] your discussions about the September 11th 2017 complaint filed by Jovanna Edge alongside Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington; [36] your discussions about Jovanna Edge as an “individual and resident of Monroe, Washington” who “owns and operates a chain of drive up coffee businesses, and specifically bikini-barista stands in Everett, Washington;” [37] your discussions about Leah Humphrey as an “individual and resident of Fall City, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [38] your discussions about Leah Humphrey as a woman, who believes that bikinis shouldn’t be sexualized; [39] your discussions about Leah Humphrey as a woman, who has previously stated that she wears bikinis for the purpose of accepting her body-image and W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 3

35. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 having her body image accepted by the people around her; xix [40] your discussions about Liberty Ziska as “an individual and resident of Mukilteo, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [41] your discussions about Liberty Ziska as a woman, who believes that women should wear what they want and what makes them comfortable; xx [42] your discussions about Amelia Powell as “an individual and resident of Seattle, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [43] your discussions about Amelia Powell as a woman who was attending a “prominent four year university in the Seattle area” to complete her post-secondary academic education in international relations and political science at the time she was employed in Everett, Washington; [44] your discussions about Amelia Powell as a woman, who chooses to wear bikinis to express that she is “young, fun and confident;” [45] your discussions about Natalie Bjerke as an “individual and resident of Snohomish, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [46] your discussions about Natalie Bjerke as a woman, who believes that “women dressed in bikinis at a bikini barista stand create messages of empowerment and approachability, and that without the bikini the customers would not receive the same messages;”xxi [47] your discussions about Brittany Giazzi as an “individual and resident of Kirkland, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [48] your discussions about Brittany Giazzi as a woman, who chooses to wear bikinis at work to proudly display her tattoos; xxii [49] your discussions about Juanita Castaneda Guerrero as an “individual and resident of Kirkland, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [50] your discussions about Matteson Hernandez as an “individual and resident of Everett, Washington” who “earns her living as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington;” [51] your discussions about Matteson Hernandez as a woman, who’s employed as a dental assistant in addition to working as a bikini barista in Everett, Washington; [52] your discussions about the decision of Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez to file a complaint with the U.S District Court for the Western District of Washington for the purpose of challenging the constitutionality of the City of Everett Ordinance No. 3559 –17, which “prohibits women from exposing ‘more than one-half of the part of the female breast located below the top of the areola’ and the ‘bottom one-half of the anal cleft;’” [53] your discussions about the decision of Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez to file a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington for the purpose of challenging the constitutionality of the City of Everett Ordinance No. 3560 –17, which requires workers “to cover completely their upper and lower body, including the pectorals, stomach, back below the shoulder blades, and the ‘top three inches of legs below the buttocks’” xxiii[54] the extent of your knowledge on whether Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez ever reached out to the U.S Department of Labor (DOL) Women’s Bureau (WB) to inform them that the city government of Everett, Washington was specifically targeting them to prohibit them from earning a living wage as bikini baristas; [55] the extent of your knowledge on whether Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 4

36. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 Hernandez ever filed a complaint of discrimination with the DOL and/or the EEOC against the City of Everett, Washington; [56] the complaints filed by Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez with the DOL against the City of Everett, Washington; [57] the extent of your knowledge on whether the city government of Everett, Washington reached out to the DOL (WB) and/or the EEOC (before September 05th 2017) to inform them of their plans to enact City Ordinance No. 3560 – 17; [58] your discussions about the December 13th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the DOL (WB) and the EEOC on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Solutions;” [59] the name(s), the academic background(s), the professional responsibility(ies) and the annual salary(ies) of the individuals who will be discussing (i) the challenges tipped workers face in the restaurant industry, (ii) workers’ rights and protections for the purpose of the webinar hosted by the DOL (WB) and the EEOC on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Solutions;” [60] the PowerPoint slides and other documents that will be provided by the DOL (WB) and the EEOC for the purpose of their December 13th2022 webinar on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry;” [61] your discussions about the December 07th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the EEOC and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights on the subject of “Embracing Diversity: Civil Rights Protections for Immigrants and Refugees;” [62] the name(s), the academic background(s), the professional responsibility(ies) and the annual salary(ies) of the individuals who will be discussing the civil rights protections for immigrants and refugees for the purpose of the December 07th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the EEOC and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights; [62] the PowerPoint slides and other documents that will be provided by the EEOC and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights for the purpose of their December 07th 2022 webinar on the subject of “Embracing Diversity: Civil Rights Protections for Immigrants and Refugees;” [63] the work-sharing agreement concluded between the EEOC and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights; [64] the name(s), the academic background(s), the professional responsibility(ies) and the annual salary(ies) of the individual/individuals in your local/state government employees who have corresponded with the EEOC, the DOL (WB) and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights about their webinars of December 07th 2022 as well as December 13th 2022. II) Request for a Fee Waiver and Expedited Processing The requested records do/will demonstrate that [1] Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a Latina woman, who was born on October 13th 1989 in the State of New York; [2] Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a woman, who attended Boston University, and graduated with degrees in Economics and International Relations in May 2011; [3] Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a woman, who has previously performed an internship with former Senator Edward Moore Kennedy when she was a student of Boston University; [4] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who believes that Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez internship with former Senator Edward Moore Kennedy may have W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 5

37. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 been registered as a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience on her academic transcript with Boston University; [5] Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a woman, who began working as a waitress and a bartender following the financial crisis of 2008 when she was a student of Boston University; [6] Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is a woman, who has for the purpose of a February 01st 2022 interview (with the New Yorker) stated that she “ate shit” when she was working as a waitress and a bartender in the State of New York;xxiv [7] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has spent a lot of his time in December 2015 listening to a white supremacist shouting the hateful word “N****r” while he (this same white supremacist, whose name was James Burke) was throwing the most obscene things in the locked and confined room assigned to him by the Maryland Department of Correction (MDDOC); [8] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has performed a search for records on the Internet to find out if Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez ever filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and/or the Department of Labor (DOL) for the harassment she experienced when employed as a waitress in the State of New York; [9] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who couldn’t find any records on the Internet about any charge of discrimination filed by Alexandria Ocasio Cortez with the EEOC and/or the DOL for the harassment she endured as a waitress and a bartender in the State of New York; [10] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has performed a search on the Internet to find out if the EEOC and/or the DOL ever reached out to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to discuss the harassment she experienced as a waitress in the State of New York given the nature of webinar they say they’re going to hold on December 13th 2022; [11] Michael Ayele (a.k.a) W is Black man, who couldn’t locate any responsive records on the Internet about the conversations that took place between Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the EEOC and the DOL about the harassment she experienced as a waitress in the State of New York; [12] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who couldn’t locate any records on the Internet about the conversations that took place between Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the EEOC and the DOL about improving the working conditions of waitresses and bartenders in the U.S.A; [13] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has previously corresponded with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about California’s Fast Food Accountability Standards and Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act); [14] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has not appreciated the tone of the EEOC letter sent to him on November 17th 2022 on the subject of California’s FAST Recovery Act particularly in light of the December 13th 2022 webinar the EEOC and the DOL (WB) will be holding on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Solutions;” [15] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has been in very bad terms with the EEOC for many years; [16] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who is in very bad terms with the EEOC because of letters such as the one they have sent him on November 17th2022 on the subject of California’s FAST Recovery Act; [17] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who will not be attending December 13th 2022 webinar the EEOC and the DOL (WB) will be holding on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Solutions;” [18] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has previously held summer jobs in Ocean City, Maryland during Calendar Years 2011, 2012 and 2014; [19] W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 6

38. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has spoken to many thousands of people (the majority of whom were from Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey) when he was working summer jobs in Ocean City, Maryland during Calendar Years 2011, 2012 and 2014; [20] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has previously spoken to many waitresses working on the boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland about their federal tipped minimum wage; [21] several waitresses working on the boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland have informed Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W that their federal tipped minimum wage was between $3 - $4 (three to four dollars) per hour; [22] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who’s very much in favor (like most of the U.S public and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez) of raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour; [23] Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez are women, who have filed a complaint with the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington challenging the constitutionality of the City of Everett Ordinance No. 3559 – 17 and 3560 – 17; [24] Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez are women, who have successfully challenged in a court of law the constitutionality of the City of Everett Ordinance No. 3559 – 17 and 3560 – 17;xxv [25] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who believes that women should wear what makes them feel comfortable in public settings without undue pressure exerted on them; [26] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who believes that women shouldn’t be sexually harassed for wearing a bikini whether it is at the workplace, on a beach or elsewhere; [27] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who was bothered by the police harassment Amelia Powell was subjected to for wearing a bikini while working as a barista in the City of Everett, Washington; [28] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who highly doubts that Amelia Powell work experience as a barista was registered on her academic transcript as a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) experience; [29] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has recently corresponded with the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) about the April 27th 2022 report published by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) into pattern of police misconduct in Minneapolis (Minnesota); [30] the SFAC have disclosed to Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W documents detailing the internship opportunities they had offered to college/university students in the State of California;xxvi [31] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has previously interned with the Callaway County government (in the State of Missouri); [32] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has graduated from Westminster College (Fulton, Missouri) on December 31st 2016; [33] Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W is a Black man, who has previously corresponded with the Department of Justice (DOJ) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about the rape and murder of Jeanne Ann Clery as well as how he was informed what constitutes “affirmative and effective consent;” [34] the Department of Justice (DOJ) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have informed Michael A. Ayele (a.k.a) W that Westminster College (Fulton, Missouri) (the college he has graduated from) had extended an invitation to William Webster on August 29th 1986 approximately 5 (five) months after the April 1986 rape and murder of Jeanne Ann Clery on the campus of Lehigh University (located in the State of Pennsylvania). xxvii W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 7

39. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 In my judgment, the facts presented in this records request are not the sort to bolster public confidence in the activities of the U.S government overall [and more particularly in the good faith of the meetings that will be hosted in part by the EEOC on December 13th 2022 as well as December 07th 2022]. Given the nature of my correspondence with the EEOC on the subject of California’s FAST Recovery Act, I (personally) will not be attending the December 13th 2022 and December 07th 2022 meetings that will be hosted in part by the EEOC (even though I am not at this point of time calling for the general public and representatives of the media to boycott them): I just don’t think anything meaningfully constructive will come out of these meetings (given the way they have been set up) and I don’t like to waste my time. As a Black man with a U.S college degree (who has previously spent a few summers working in Ocean City, Maryland), I would like to take this opportunity to [1] denounce the many unfair labor practices I was witness to; [2] denounce the EEOC handling of Charge No. 28E - 2014 – 00485C; [3] denounce all form of violence committed against women irrespective of their racial backgrounds, their sexual orientations, their national origins, their religious affiliations, their disability status and/or their employment history (as waitresses, bartenders, baristas); [4] denounce the harassment Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has been subjected to when she was previously employed as a waitress in the State of New York (and also since she’s become a member of Congress); [5] denounce the sexual harassment women are subjected to for wearing bikinis at the workplace, on the beach or elsewhere; [6] denounce the police harassment Amelia Powell has been subjected to while working as a bikini barista in the City of Everett (Washington); [7] call upon the immediate increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour for all workers (whether or not they are employed as waitresses, bartenders, baristas etc); [8] denounce wage theft; [9] call upon all employers to pay their employees working over 40 hours per week overtime; [10] call upon employees to have standards for themselves and refuse to work in settings that refuse to pay them overtime after working 40 hours per week. The core issues presented in this records request are as follows. 1) Have you had conversations about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as a legislation that established “many of the basic labor protection workers enjoy today, such as the 40-hour workweek, overtime protection, and a national minimum wage?” Have you had conversations about the FLSA as a legislation that introduced a new “subminimum wage” for workers, who customarily and regularly receive tips? Have you had conversations about the July 2014 finding of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), which concluded that “tipped workers have a median wage (including tips) of $10.22 compared to $16.48 for all workers?” Have you had conversations about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “while the poverty of non-tipped workers is 6.5%, tipped workers have a poverty rate of 12.8 percent?” Have you had conversations about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “poverty rates are significantly lower for tipped workers in states where they receive the full regular minimum wage?” Have you had conversations about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “workers in the accommodation and food service industry (…) are offered paid leave (sick, holiday, and vacation leave), health insurance, and retirement benefits at rates far below those of private sectors workers overall?” Have you had conversations about the July 2014 finding of the EPI, which concluded that “tipped workers W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 8

40. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 would be better off if we simply eliminated the tipped minimum wage, and paid these workers the full regular minimum wage?” If yes, will you promptly disclose those records? 2) Have you had conversations about the creative way Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez went about to raise awareness on the subject of the urgent need to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour (on May 31st 2019)? Have you had conversations about the decision of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez to label “any job that pays $2.13 an hour” as “indentured servitude?” Have you had conversations about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that 89% of Black/African American adults favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Have you had conversations about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that 76% (seventy six percent) of Hispanics favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Have you had conversations about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that 73% (seventy three percent) of Asian Americans favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Have you had conversations about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that 51% of Caucasian U.S adults favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour? Have you had conversations about the April 2021 finding of the Pew Research Center, which concluded that a significant majority of the U.S public agrees with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on the subject of increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour? 3) Have you had conversations about the September 11th 2017 complaint filed by Jovanna Edge alongside Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez in the United States District Court for the Western District Court of Washington? To the extent of your knowledge, have Jovanna Edge, Leah Humphrey, Liberty Ziska, Amelia Powell, Natalie Bjerke, Brittany Giazzi, Juanita Castaneda Guerrero and Matteson Hernandez contacted the DOL (WB) to file a complaint against the City of Everett (Washington) before filing a complaint with the U.S District Court for the Western District Court of Washington? If yes, will you disclose those records? 4) Will employees of your local/state government be attending the December 13th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the DOL (WB) and the EEOC on the subject of “Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Solutions?” Will employees of your local/state government be attending the December 07th 2022 webinar that will be hosted by the EEOC and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights on the subject of “Embracing Diversity: Civil Rights Protections for Immigrants and Refugees?” If yes, will you disclose the name(s), the academic background(s), the professional responsibility(ies) and the annual salary(ies) of your local/state government employees, who have corresponded with the EEOC, the DOL (WB) and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights about their webinars of December 07th 2022 as well as December 13th 2022? Will you disclose the name(s), the academic background(s), the professional responsibility(ies) and the annual salary(ies) of individual/individuals, who will be hosting the December 07th 2022 and December 13th 2022 meetings of the EEOC, the DOL (WB) and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights? Will you also disclose the PowerPoint slides and other documents that will be provided by the EEOC, the DOL (WB) and the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights for the purpose of their webinar of December 07th 2022 as well as December 13th 2022? W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 9

41. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 This records request should be expedited because it puts into question the government’s integrity about the way that people are treated in the U.S.A on account of their gender, their racial backgrounds, their national origins, their religious affiliations, their disability status and their employment history in the accommodation and food services (AFS) sector. My request for a fee waiver should be granted because [1] I have identified operations and activities of the federal government in concert with U.S city/county/state government as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations; [2] the issues presented are meaningfully informative about government operations or activities in order to be ‘likely to contribute’ to and increase public understanding of those operations or activities. Under penalty of perjury, I hereby declare all the statements I have made to be true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. Be well. Take care. Keep yourselves at arms distance. W (AACL) Michael A. Ayele Anti-Racist Human Rights Activist Audio-Visual Media Analyst Anti-Propaganda Journalist W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 10

42. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 Work Cited iPlease be advised that I have previously disseminated a vast number of documents obtained through records request via Archive.org, Scribd.com, Medium.com and YouTube.com. These documents have been made available to the public at no financial expense to them. As a member of the media, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that the records you disclose to me could be made available to the general public through the means I have mentioned above or other ones. On December 10th 2021, I have launched a website on Wordpress.com for the purpose of making the records previously disclosed to me by the U.S government further accessible to members of the general public interested in the activities of their elected and non- elected representatives. You can find out more about the recent publications of the Association for the Advancement of Civil Liberties (AACL) here.: https://michaelayeleaacl.wordpress.com/ iiThis report explored the history and rationale for the subminimum wage earned by workers who receive tips for their services. The federal tipped minimum wage was originally set at 50 percent of the regular minimum wage. Today, the subminimum wage for tipped workers is a mere $2.13 an hour. (…) Over that time, its value has eroded to just 29.4 percent of the regular minimum wage that applies to non-tipped workers. Still, many states have enacted tipped minimum wages above $2.13. This report shows that tipped workers receive higher total wages and have lower levels of poverty in states where the tipped minimum wage is relatively high. Often, discussion and action surrounding the minimum wage ignores or excludes tipped workers and the subminimum wage they receive. Yet this is a growing occupational sector, and effective policy could transform the low-wage, high-poverty jobs in the sector into better quality jobs. Much of tipped employment is the epitome of “just-in-time” employment—adjusting staffing levels on an immediate basis in response to customer flows. While this may be good for the employer, it is far less beneficial for workers because it can produce highly unpredictable work hours, and thus highly unpredictable pay. Wage volatility is further exacerbated by workers’ reliance on tips from customers, which also vary considerably. A tipped worker’s paycheck can vary wildly depending on the fluctuations of customer tips and assigned shifts, making it difficult for tipped workers to budget, or make investments that require more stable and predictable income levels—such as buying a home or a car, or seeking further education. In real terms, the U.S. minimum and subminimum wage floors have long been in decline, exacerbating the general stagnation or decline of wages for the vast majority of American workers, particularly low-wage workers. Even the broader world is taking notice, as the International Monetary Fund (2014) recently recommended that the U.S. minimum wage be increased, given its current low level (compared both with its historical values and international standards). The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2014) has also recommended an increase in the U.S. minimum wage as a measure to improve job quality and workers’ well-being. Reports from the Congressional Budget Office (2014) as well as research from academia (Dube 2013) conclude that raising the wage floor would lift hundreds of W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 11

43. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 thousands, if not millions, out of poverty. For all these reasons, it is perhaps no surprise that polling consistently shows that most Americans (73 percent) would like to see a minimum-wage hike (Pew Research Center 2014). To the best of our knowledge, there has not been a poll conducted specifically on changing the $2.13 tipped wage, but in all likelihood, this is simply another indication of the lack of public awareness on this issue. We cannot help but wonder whether, if more Americans knew the exceptionally low base wages being paid to tipped workers, they might prefer these employers pay tipped workers a higher base wage, and let tips once again be simply an expression of gratitude for good service. We suspect most would agree that the consumer subsidy to these employers has grown for too long. It is certainly time to raise both wage floors, but given the dramatic differences in living standards for tipped versus non-tipped workers, we question whether there should be a two- tiered wage system at all. Tipped workers in the seven “equal treatment” states appear to be noticeably better off than their counterparts in the rest of the country, receiving higher total wages and experiencing poverty at significantly lower rates. At the same time, industries that employ tipped workers in these states are thriving. Raising the tipped minimum wage up to a higher percentage of the regular minimum wage would be a step in the right direction, but perhaps we should simply eliminate the tipped minimum wage altogether, and give tipped workers the same basic protection afforded to other workers. Twenty-Three Years and Still Waiting for Change. Why It’s Time to Give Tipped Workers the Regular Minimum Wage. Economic Policy Institute.: https://www.epi.org/publication/waiting-for-change-tipped- minimum-wage/ iiiAOC is still A-OK mixing drinks, despite taking over a year off from work as a bartender. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in a little bit of political theater on Frieday as she returned to work at a bar in Jackson Heights, Queens. The appearance was part of a bid to draw attention to increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour across the whole country. Ocasio- Cortez famously tended bar and worked as a waitress in Manhattan's Union Square -- not Jackson Heights, a neighborhood she now represents in Congress -- in the time leading up to her historic primary victory over incumbent Joe Crowley on June 26, 2018. (…) The 29-year-old spoke to plenty of cameras and a few customers Friday afternoon. "The federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13 an hour. That is unacceptable," Ocasio-Cortez grabbed a mic and told patrons. "Any job that pays $2.13 an hour is not a job. It's indentured servitude. All labor, all labor, has dignity and the way that we give labor dignity is by paying people the respect and the value that they are worth at minimum. We have to make one fair wage and We have to raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour -- nothing less." The federally tipped minimum wage refers to the salary workers who receive tips must be paid. Those workers include servers and bartenders. The minimum wage is already $15 per hour in New York City, where Ocasio-Cortez was tending bar on Friday, though tipped workers make W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 12

44. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 only $10 per hour (large businesses) or $9 per hour (small businesses). New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill mandating $15 per hour for the metro area and $12.50 for the rest of the state for the 2016-17 budget. New Jersey, Illinois and Maryland have also instituted minimum wages that will gradually increase to $15 over the next few years, following in the footsteps of New York and California, the first state to enact a $15 per hour minimum wage. (…) The federal minimum wage, which has not changed since 2009, is $7.25 per hour. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez goes back to work as bartender – for a day. ABC News.: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-back-work-bartender- day/story?id=63417917 ivEverett is a city of approximately 100,000 people located in Snohomish County, Washington. Everett has public places where its citizens and visitors dress in a variety of clothing. Public places in Everett include beaches, parks, and public thoroughfares. On September 5, 2017, Everett enacted two new ordinances. Ordinance No. 3559-17 is entitled “An Ordinance Relating to Lewd Conduct, Amending Ordinance No. 1145 –85 as Amended (Chapter 10.24 EMC).” Ordinance No. 3560 17 is entitled “An Ordinance concerning the regulation of Quick Service Facilities including Barista Stands.” The “Ordinances” as used in this complaint means the Citywide Ordinance and Dress-Code Ordinance together. For many years prior to the enactment of the Ordinances, the City had a lewd conduct ordinance, specifically Ordinance No. 1145 –85 as codified in Everett Municipal Code Chapter 10.24 (the “Lewd Conduct Ordinance”) which prohibits in public places: (1) An exposure of one’s genitals, anus, or any portion of the areola or nipple of the female breast; or (2) The touching, caressing or fondling of the genitals or female breasts; or (3) Masturbation; or (4) Sexual conduct. The Baristas do not challenge the Lewd-Conduct Ordinance as it existed before the Citywide Ordinance amended it. [But it is worth noting that the previous Lewd-Conduct Ordinance criminalized a woman for touching her own breasts in public, perhaps for no other purpose than to adjust the fit of a bra, which certainly raises constitutional questions.] The previous Lewd-Conduct Ordinance is sufficient to regulate the conduct that the City seeks to regulate by enacting the new Ordinances. The Citywide Ordinance amends the previous Lewd-Conduct Ordinance by adding two additional prohibitions: the display of either (1) the “bottom one-half of the anal cleft” or (2) “more than one-half of the part of the female breast located below the top of the areola.” The Citywide Ordinance is not clearly written. The Citywide Ordinance is vague and ambiguous. The City provides no guidance about how to determine what the City means by “bottom one-half of the anal cleft” and “more than one-half of the part of the female breast located below the top of the areola.” Women throughout the City of Everett must guess at what is lawful attire under the Citywide Ordinance. The Citywide Ordinance is not rationally related to preventing crime or any other state interest. To properly enforce the Citywide Ordinance, a police officer must determine the location of the “top of a woman’s areola,” which can only be seen by exposing the breast. This would subject women to humiliating and offensive searches. The Dress Code Ordinance specifically targets bikini barista stands. The Dress-Code Ordinance requires baristas to completely cover their “upper and lower body (breasts/pectorals, stomach, back W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 13

45. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 below the shoulder blades, buttocks, top three inches of legs below the buttocks, pubic area and genitals).” The Dress-Code Ordinance prohibits women in “Quick Service Facilities including Barista Stands” from wearing exactly what women typically wear in public on a warm summer day. The Dress-Code Ordinance is not clearly written. The Dress-Code Ordinance is vague and ambiguous. The City provides no guidance to determine what the City means by “upper and lower body (breast/pectorals, stomach, back below the shoulder blades, buttocks, top three inches of legs below the buttocks, pubic area and genitals).” For example, the City does not identify where pectoral end. Women cannot determine whether they may expose part of the area below the collarbone or whether that would constitute part of the pectorals requiring clothing coverage. Women cannot determine where “back below the should blades” begins. Some women do not naturally have visible shoulder blades. Women cannot determine what type of clothing is lawful under the Dress-Code Ordinance. Women cannot determine whether certain common shirt styles like tank tops, halter tops, or v-neck shirts would violate the Dress Code Ordinance. Plaintiff Natalie Bjerke will testify that “I tried to draw a diagram to figure out what the Ordinances are trying to say. Even looking up the words, I really am confused as to what the Ordinances say. I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t get it.” The City claims that the Ordinance are designed to ward against crime, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, corruption of minors, and adverse impacts upon aesthetics and property values of surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. The City’s legislative record does not support its conclusion that the Ordinances will meet these goals. The Dress-Code Ordinance prevents the Baristas from freely expressing their viewpoints and opinions through their clothing, tattoos, and scars. The Dress-Code Ordinance deprives the Baristas of their right to choose their occupation. (…) The Citywide Ordinance does not provide guidance for police about how to enforce it. To enforce the Citywide Ordinance, police officers must stop women they suspect of violating the law and require those women to undress to expose their entire anal cleft so that police can determine which part is the “bottom one-half of the anal cleft,” which would allow the police to measure if it properly covered. To enforce the Citywide Ordinance, police officers must stop women they suspect of violating the law and require those women to undress to expose their entire breasts so that police can measure from “the top of the areola” to determine whether “more than one-half of the part of the female breast located below the top of the areola” is covered. Women with larger areola or breasts are subject to different restrictions than women with smaller areola or breasts. But police cannot determine which women suspects have large areole requiring a certain length of clothing, and which women suspects have small areole requiring a different length, without requiring the suspected women to undress. The Ordinances will lead to abuse. Police have already show a propensity to harass the Baristas. Police frequently go to bikini-barista stands undercover and ask workers to remove bikinis in exchange for larger tips. Amelia Powell will testify that she has felt harassed by police at the stand and on one occasion she was followed by police from a bikini-barista stand after she left work. Police will now have cause to require women to undress and be searched, which would violate their liberty and privacy interests, and Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches. Jovanna Edge et al v City of Everett. Case 2:17 – cv – 01361 – MPJ. v Tipped Workers in the Restaurant Industry: Challenges and Solutions. Department of Labor.: W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 14

46. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 https://usdolee.webex.com/webappng/sites/usdolee/webinar/webinarSeries/register/1695425beb8 a4682b086c2f15e38c3b1?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govd elivery&utm_term= viThis program will allow members of the immigrant and refugee communities to learn about legal protections for their communities under state and federal law, have exposure to state and federal enforcement agencies that handle complaints of violations of law, and gather information and resources to share with community members. The event, which will be held virtually via Zoom, will feature a panel discussion as well as a question and answer session. EEOC & NJDCR Present Embracing Diversity: Civil Right Protections for Immigrants and Refugees Virtual Program. Zoom.: https://njoag.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_cR1_nW6uTQe6o4IdEwWNXw?utm_co ntent=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= viiOcasio-Cortez was 11 when the Twin Towers came down and 18 when the Great Recession struck. She watched President Barack Obama bail out the banks, Occupy Wall Street fail to extract concrete wins, and college debt soar. That series of events, she said, has defined her generation. "Our whole adolescence was shaped by war, was shaped by the increased erosion of our civil liberties and privacy rights, and then was shaped as soon as we got into college by a ground-shaking recession that has haunted our economic outcomes ever since," she said. "We have never seen an America where the fruits of capitalism have actually been good for an entire generation of millennials." The Democratic Party suffered widespread losses at the local level under the Obama administration. Like many, Ocasio-Cortez found inspiration in Sanders' strident argument that wealth and income inequality represent "the great moral issue of our time." Right now young voters, particularly women, are more left-leaning than they've been in decades. Nearly 60% of voters between 18 and 25 identify as Democrats or lean left. And those under 30 went for Democrats by 31 points in the 2018 midterms. By virtue of her identity, her message, and her online medium, Ocasio-Cortez is speaking directly to young people, immigrants, and people of color, the nontraditional voters Democrats must energize. She won 80% of the votes cast in precincts in which the average voter was under 40, according to the progressive think tank Data for Progress. The Truth About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The Inside Story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties. Business Insider.: https://www.insider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-biography-2019-1 viiiOcasio-Cortez's father died of lung cancer when she was a sophomore in college. He was 48. Her Puerto Rican mother cleaned houses to support her two kids. But the money wasn't enough, and she had to fight off foreclosure.After Ocasio-Cortez graduated from college, she wanted to help, so she moved home to the Bronx and supplemented her nonprofit jobs by waiting tables and W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 15

47. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 mixing drinks at night.She made the most of the service-industry work, befriending customers and building a support network of colleagues."I got really, really, really good at listening to people, and I got really good at understanding people's needs, beyond just food and drink," she said. But she also had to grow a "really thick skin" to deal with rude customers and harassment. "You get used to people putting themselves above you all the time," she went on. "You really start to realize that a person who's treating you badly is really just expressing a problem with themselves."The Truth About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The Inside Story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties. Business Insider.: https://www.insider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-biography-2019-1 ixOcasio-Cortez hasn't always called herself a socialist. She was "honestly questioning" whether to support Sanders or Clinton as the 2016 primary heated up, said Shah, the former classmate. But soon after she launched her campaign, a college acquaintance reached out suggesting she look into the Democratic Socialists of America. So she went to a DSA meeting in a Washington Heights church basement. The theme was labor. The group brought in several undocumented Hispanic immigrants who described their experiences being exploited in the workplace. There was a translator, but Ocasio-Cortez speaks Spanish, so she listened to what the immigrants had to say without any filter. "They were talking about how they were working in these factories with no windows, and they were being made to operate heavy machinery with no training, and that they were being paid far, far below anything that resembles a living wage," she said. She was moved by their stories, and by the solidarity in the room. "I had never experienced something like that before," Ocasio-Cortez said. "You know, you read about these things, but it's not the same as being in the same room as that." DSA was not immediately sold on her. When she met with the group again during the summer of 2017, they "were not impressed," said Aaron Taube, a leader of the Queens DSA branch. Taube wasn't at the gathering but said the then 27-year-old was "still learning and growing as a candidate." The group reconsidered its support in early 2018 when the campaign reached back out. Annie Shields, a DSA member and Nation magazine editor, said Ocasio-Cortez impressed her at a series of endorsement meetings in which she showed a rare ability to command the room and appeal to an ideologically diverse and often warring coalition. "It's a charisma, and then you couple that with real radical politics," Shields said. "That's a combination I had never seen before." DSA endorsed the insurgent campaign in late April after extensive vetting. Their 103 canvassers knocked on 13,000 doors and led an aggressive get-out-the-vote effort over the next two months. With Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential bid, Trump's election, and Ocasio-Cortez's rise, DSA has seen a resurgence in national prominence. Between 2015 and 2017, a period encompassing the span of Sanders's campaign, the group grew from 8,000 dues-paying members to 25,000. During that time the average age of the group's members dropped from 64 to 30. Its membership surged the day after Trump was elected and again the day after Ocasio-Cortez won her primary. Today, it's 55,000 members strong (but still an insignificant force on the national political stage). With newly-elected Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, DSA now has two lawmakers in Congress. But the vast majority of Democrats are allergic to the group and any mention of socialism. (…) W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 16

48. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 After defining democratic socialism in vague terms, Ocasio-Cortez hasn't discussed it much in recent months. "I'm not here to fight for or defend this 'ism' or label, which is why you always just see me talk about policy," she said, adding that there are other people who are more qualified to talk about DSA's ideology. "I just don't think it's my role." These days, the new congresswoman is reluctant to align herself fully with any one group or thinker. She says she's seeking policy advice from a variety of progressive organizations and experts. (DSA leaders, including Taube and national director Maria Svart, have a weekly call on Fridays to discuss policy issues with Ocasio-Cortez's legislative adviser, Randy Abreu.) Ocasio-Cortez is also critical of the establishment advice-givers. She argues that many of them have a "bias towards maximization of corporate profit" — a point she made when she criticized a Harvard orientation for freshman lawmakers stacked with CEOs and lobbyists. So she's looking elsewhere — to a different breed of academics, activists, issue experts, and journalists. "We're literally writing a whole new playbook, which means we can use some of the books and we can use some of the institutions and we can use some of the knowledge that's been produced up to this point, but we have to do a lot of building our own institutions as well," she said. "What we're really doing right now is saying, 'What perspectives are not being heard right now? Let's bring those to the table.'" The Truth About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The Inside Story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties. Business Insider.: https://www.insider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-biography-2019-1 x. Soon after Election Day in 2016, Ocasio-Cortez's younger brother, Gabriel, sent her name to Brand New Congress, a Bernie Sanders-inspired group recruiting candidates for the House and Senate. When she got home from her North Dakota trip, a leader of BNC called her out of the blue with an ask: Will you run for US Congress in New York's 14th district? BNC cofounder Saikat Chakrabarti said the group wasn't looking for anyone to challenge the district's 10-term Democratic incumbent when they reached out to the 27-year-old. But after a few calls and a meeting with Ocasio-Cortez, Chakrabarti thought, "Holy crap: You're an incredible candidate." It took a few months of convincing, but Ocasio-Cortez, still moved by what she saw at Standing Rock, said yes. The congressional campaign began with a handful of volunteers, living-room stump speeches, and a coalition of local progressive support. They proposed big ideas: a universal jobs guarantee, abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, and tuition-free public college. Justice Democrats, another Sanders-inspired group that Chakrabarti founded, gave Ocasio-Cortez media and policy training. Volunteers led an aggressive canvassing operation. Ocasio-Cortez quit Flats Fix in mid-February 2018. Chakrabarti moved home to New York in early 2018 to cochair the campaign. Ocasio-Cortez's press secretary, Corbin Trent, left his wife, kids, and food-truck business in Tennessee to sleep on Chakrabarti's couch. Alexandra Rojas, now the 23-year-old executive director of Justice Democrats, led the last six weeks of the campaign's text- and phone-banking effort. The crew was unconventional and politically inexperienced. Then a pair of 20-something socialist filmmakers from Detroit produced a polished, low-budget ad that framed Ocasio-Cortez as a courageous working-class underdog. W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 17

49. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 The two-minute spot went viral. Donations jumped, hundreds of new volunteers turned out to the field offices, and Vogue published a glowing profile. The ad's central message: Economic inequality is the issue of our time. The video caught the attention of another young woman of color running an insurgent Democratic primary bid. Ayanna Pressley remembers watching it several times in a row and saying aloud to herself, "Hell yes." "I was struck by her rawness, her conviction — she'll hate me saying this — her beauty," said Pressley, now Massachusetts' first black congresswoman. Two weeks before the election, Rep. Ro Khanna became the only member of Congress to endorse Ocasio-Cortez. He made the decision at 2 a.m. It was particularly tortured because he'd already endorsed her opponent, Rep. Joe Crowley. But the progressive Democrat thought to himself: "This is the type of person who deserves to have a shot to serve. She's doing it for all the right reasons." The Truth About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The Inside Story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties. Business Insider.: https://www.insider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-biography-2019-1 xi Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. House of Representatives.: https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/about Scott Starrett was craving tacos.The 32-year-old had recently moved to New York City from Austin, Texas. So when a tiny taqueria called Flats Fix opened up around the corner from his Manhattan office, he soon became a regular with his graphic design-firm colleagues.Because it was 2016, lunch conversation would frequently turn to the presidential race. One friendly bartender would often join in. Her name was Sandy."Everyone just loved Sandy," Starrett said. "She had an infectious kindness, an infectious presence."The 26-year-old Bronx native would talk about her time interning in Sen. Ted Kennedy's office in college. Starrett would bring up his work for local candidates in Texas. Sandy started volunteering for Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign.Then Donald Trump was elected.Soon after, the bartender and political organizer raised some money and road-tripped out to North Dakota, where Native Americans were leading protests against the Dakota Access Oil pipeline. Starrett had lent her a camera to document the trip.When she got back, she had a new idea. She might run for office. Starrett and his design firm got to work on branding.They created a campaign poster inspired by the United Farm Workers of the 1960s. It could've been mistaken for a Netflix show ad.In blaring-blue and yellow block type alongside an image of Sandy, it read ꜟOcasio!Sandy, now better known as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was running for the US House of Representatives.Eighteen months later, she became the youngest woman to be elected to Congress.Along the way, she beat a popular and powerful 20-year incumbent in her own party. And she's proved to be the most disruptive new Democrat in decades, striking fear in both Republicans and Democrats. The Truth About Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: The Inside Story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties. Business Insider.: https://www.insider.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-biography-2019-1 xiiRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says she “ate shit” both as a bartender and in her job in Congress in a new interview with the New Yorker. Ocasio-Cortez went from a bartender and W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 18

50. REQUEST FOR RECORDS 12/02/2022 waitress in New York City to a member of Congress virtually overnight in 2018, when she knocked out powerful, long serving Democratic congressman Joe Crowley in a major upset victory. The New York Democrat is not in her second term in Congress and has become one of the most influential figures in the Democratic Party – but she says she still runs up against roadblocks and frustrations. “And so the day-to-day of my day job is frustrating. So is everyone else’s,” Ocasio-Cortez told the New Yorker’s David Remnick. “I ate shit when I was a waitress and a bartender, and I eat shit as a member of Congress. It’s called a job, you know?” Ocasio- Cortez described Congress as a “shit show” and “scandalizing, every single day, saying that ‘the most powerful people’ are ‘just susceptible to groupthink, susceptible to self-delusion.’” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the ‘day-to-day’ of her job is full of frustrations: “It’s called a job, you know?” Business Insider.: https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/rep- alexandria-ocasio-cortez-says-the-day-to-day-of-her-job-is-full-of-frustrations-its-called-a-job- you-know/articleshow/89575961.cms xiiiI find it revealing when people mock where I came from, & say they’re going to “send me back to waitressing,” as if that is bad or shameful. It’s as though they think being a member of Congress makes you intrinsically “better” than a waitress. But our job is to serve, not rule. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on Twitter.: https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1104069510238269440 xivGoing from waitressing a year ago to now carries a LOT of life-adjustments. But 3 paychecks in has shown me how 1 of the greatest scams in US is the idea that financial struggle is due to “poor character.” It’s a huge myth designed to keep people from empowering themselves. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on Twitter.: https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1127258010936598528 xv About six-in-ten U.S. adults (62%) say they favor raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, including 40% who strongly back the idea. About four-in-ten (38%) say they oppose the proposal, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 5-11. (…) Support for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is extensive across most demographic groups, according to the survey, which was conducted among 5,109 U.S. adults. Black adults in particular stand out for their support: 89% favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, including 73% who support the idea strongly. (…) About three-quarters of Hispanic (76%) and Asian Americans (73%) also favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, with 52% of Hispanics and 43% of Asians saying they strongly support the idea. White adults, by contrast, are divided: 51% favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour – including just 30% who strongly favor it – while 48% oppose it. About seven-in-ten adults who live in lower-income households (72%) say they favor raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, including about half (52%) who strongly favor such an increase. Smaller majorities of those in middle- (58%) and upper-income households (55%) say they favor a $15 minimum wage. There are sharp partisan differences in opinions. While 87% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they favor increasing the wage to $15 an hour (including 61% who strongly W (AACL) – MICHAEL A. AYELE 19