Amy Poehler recalled on Tuesday the non-stop harassment she dealt with working as a waitress while she was trying to get her acting career going years ago.
Poehler, who was at a rally for One Fair Wage, said she waited tables for 15 years when she was a struggling actress, amNewYork reported.
“When I was a struggling actress I waited tables in New York,” Poehler said. “I worked for the most part with very reasonable restaurant owners. But I did, like every women in this room, deal with incredible amounts of harassment from customers and coworkers.
“It was a very routine way of life.”
Poehler said she relied on her waitress job as her main source of income for more than a decade. She added that waitresses are required to “please” customers and managers because their income is based on tips, putting women in a vulnerable position.
“Because we rely on tips, we have to please our customers, our managers, we have to please our chefs. And all of these expectations to please puts women in very vulnerable positions that often lead to exploitation,” the 46-year-old actress said.
The actress addressed the crowd of nearly 100 people at The Rockefeller Foundation in midtown Manhattan. She urged New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to raise wages for workers in the food industry.
“Let’s just stop under-serving the many people who serve us,” Poehler said to the crowd.
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