Labor leaders gathered in Brooklyn Monday to highlight the struggles of workers who rely on tips to make a living.

Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries stepped into the shoes of restaurant workers.

"We can't build back a strong economy without making sure that working people are treated right and they get the wages and dignity and respect of the job that they should,” said Su.

New York State is one of the 43 states where restaurant service workers are not being paid minimum wage.

"Having to rely on tipping and the kindness of strangers makes it so that our wages fluctuate so much from week to week, day to day, and even from shift to shift. It was pretty hard to know how much you were going to make,” said restaurant worker Chanta Miller.

The struggles of workers in the tipping industry were only exasperated by the pandemic when restaurants were only open for takeout.

According to One Fair Wage, twice as many restaurant workers in New York State have left the industry since the pandemic than the national state average.

Restaurant workers and labor representatives are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to help pass the One Fair Wage Act, which would guarantee minimum wages for all tipped workers across the state.