SOUTH BOUND BROOK - In this hardscrabble river town, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka this afternoon threw on an apron and moved among the tables of this local diner, taking orders and serving workers and labor organizers.

"Coke or Sprite?" he asked.

"Sprite."

"Sprite."

"Sprite is popular here," Baraka deadpanned.

A moment later - "What kind of dressing?"

"Ranch."

Baraka wrote down the orders and moved to the next table.

"We're trying to make sure tip workers across New Jersey are getting the same minimum wage as everybody else," said the Democratic candidate for governor, who stands in solidarity with the thousands of tipped service workers paid just $5.26 an hour before tips in a state with a $15.49 minimum wage.

"It's insane," said Baraka. "The people who are opposed to it have a large influence, and we want to make our economy is equitable and inclusive to all people."

Hosted by One Fair Wage, the event highlighted the urgent need to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers and ensure they receive a full, fair minimum wage with tips on top.

"We represent 100,000 tipped workers," said Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage. "Tips have gone way down since the pandemic. ...Living on a subminimum wage on tips is really unreliable. Tips go up and down. Your rent and cost of living only goes up."

Malika Henderson, a career bartender, knows all about the subject.

"We're looking for a fair and livable wage," she said. "No one should have to solely depend on tips. They're inconsistent. Subminimum has gone on too long. It's time they change it. The instability has not allowed me to get to the next level. Whatever momentum you gain gets halted and you're too busy, in survival mode.

"We want to thrive not just survive," she added.

Fekkak Mamdouh has worked his entire life in the restaurant business. He worked in Windows on the World the morning before 9/11 where many of his coworkers perished.

"As a survivor of 9/11, I am dedicated to the issue because I saw the suffering of families after the deaths of my colleagues," Mamdouh told InsiderNJ. "People who oppose this need to come and work for one day. Do what the mayor is doing today and see if you can survive on what you make. People don't know the reality of what restaurant worker s and tip workers go through. Understand, an owner will never say, 'Because it was slow today, I'm giving you more money.' It's really ridiculous that we are fighting for a minimum wage. It's time for it to change."