Susan Sarandon was arrested at a protest at the New York State Capitol for raising the minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers
Actress Susan Sarandon is behind bars after attending a protest rally at the New York State Capitol in Albany calling for increases in the minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers.
New York state lawmakers are preparing to raise the minimum wage to $17 an hour, although restaurant workers who receive tips are exempt from the new law.
The 76-year-old actress – who recently celebrated the engagement of her daughter Eva Amurri – was one of eight One Fair Wage activists arrested, according to WNYT.
Spectrum 1 Albany reporter Kate Lisa also shared a video on Twitter showing activists – including former New York City gubernatorial candidate Ana Maria Archila – in the hall of the State Capitol chanting “A fair wage!” repeated.
They also attempted to distribute a giant pink banner around the hall before being arrested for disorderly conduct.
Susan Arrested: Actress Susan Sarandon is behind bars after attending a protest rally at the New York State Capitol in Albany calling for increases in the minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers
Activist: The 76-year-old actress – who recently celebrated the engagement of her daughter Eva Amurri – was one of eight One Fair Wage activists who were arrested, according to WNYT
Sarandon and the others were all cleared, tickets issued, and released.
When New York State last raised the minimum wage to $15 in 2016, one report estimated that wages for tipped workers had fallen by 25% by that time.
Before their arrest, Sarandon spoke at the rally, stressing the importance of these workers.
“They are very, very important and must be treated with dignity, not only because of the arduous work they do, but also because of what they have to do to communicate, to understand, to be patient and all the things that associated with a success business,” Sarandon said.
Just days earlier, Sarandon was on the streets of New York City on the picket line for the Writers Guild of America strike.
The actress was spotted holding a Writers Guild of America East sign as she marched in front of Netflix’s New York headquarters.
She has shown her support for a range of causes throughout her career, more recently supporting the Palestinian people in the “fight against the Netanyahu government”.
Sarandon was also arrested in June 2018 at the Women Disobey protests in Washington DC
Processing: Sarandon and the others have all been processed, tickets issued and released
State: When New York state last raised the minimum wage to $15 in 2016, one report estimated that wages for tipped workers had fallen by 25% by that time
Before: Before their arrest, Sarandon spoke at the rally, stressing the importance of these workers
Strike: Just days earlier, Sarandon was on the streets of New York City on the picket line for the Writers Guild of America strike
She was arrested along with 575 others protesting President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Most recently, the actress starred in Maybe I Do with Diane Keaton, William H. Macy, Richard Gere and Emma Roberts.
She will next be seen in Warner Bros. Blue Beetle as Victoria Kord hits theaters August 18.
Sarandon also has Tyler Perry’s “Six Triple Eight” in post-production, starring Kerry Washington and Oprah Winfrey.