Restaurant workers, advocates and families of lost loved ones came together in Albany on Monday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Thousands of service workers who lost their lives working during the onset of the pandemic were honored.

The event at the Legislative Office Building in Albany was hosted by One Fair Wage. While marking the somber occasion, advocates were also calling for an end to New York’s subminimum wage for tipped workers.

It’s an outdated system that has left restaurant workers vulnerable to economic instability, workplace harassment, and exploitation, they said.

The New York State Restaurant Association had a response to this rally.

A spokeswoman said: “It’s unfortunate that some are using the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 shutdown as a backdrop to inflict even more pain on restaurant workers and the industry. There’s a reason why no state has moved to eliminate the tip credit recently. It’s because it is a failed policy.”