Mel Nichols, a 37-year-old bartender in Phoenix, Arizona, takes home anywhere from $30 to $50 an hour with tips included. But the uncertainty of how much she’s going to make on a daily basis is a constant source of stress.
“For every good day, there’s three bad days,” said Nichols, who has been in the service industry since she was a teenager. “You have no security when it comes to knowing how much you’re going to make.”
The amount tipped workers make varies by state. Fourteen states pay the federal minimum, or just above $2 an hour for tipped workers and $7 an hour for non-tipped workers.
Tipped hourly work wages are just another way that corporations fuck over workers.
It’s funny how they don’t consider raising the minimum wage for those who don’t receive tips, but rather lowering it for those who do. Make clear the type of people who propose this
Minimum wage is the basic necessity… Why the question arises to lower that too remains mystery in this 2020’s where inflation, rich poor division, daily lifestyle are all in a chaotic state?
the correct answer is there should be no tips and those workers should be paid the same amount as every other worker.
I’ve read on other social platforms from wait staff that they would prefer tips to a living wage because they can make so much more with tips than without.
I’ve cut my dining out significantly recently because with the recent hike in restaurant prices, plus the minimum 20%
taxtip, dining out is unaffordable.Also, during covid I became an incredible cook.
I don’t even understand the issue. What’s keeping them from tipping someone who earns a livable wage? Your service was exceptionally good? Here’s my green bill of appreciation. On top of the fair wage you earned by showing up at your place of employment.
A tip should be a reward for higher quality work, not asking your customers to subsidize your workers because you’re too cheap.
A higher minimum wage for restaurant staff is going straight onto the menu prices anyway. But then customers weary of expensive restaurant food stop showing up.
Restaurants are pretty much the toughest industry to be in. The vast majority of them fail. And the ones that really succeed (fast food) don’t have tipping anyway.
The ones who are making all the money are the landlords who own the land the restaurants lease from. They don’t care if 7 tenants restaurants go out of business in 5 years. They can always find more.
Thing is, the price is clearly going up whether or not the wages do… so… Moot point
The prices are going up now because all of the following are getting more expensive:
- ingredients
- energy
- rent
- delivery fees (for delivery of ingredients to the restaurant)
- laundry
- maintenance
Raising the wages of staff is another expense to add on. To the list.
Restaurants are not a lucrative business. Most barely break even or lose money. They can’t afford to pay staff more without raising prices.
No. An employee’s value to the business isn’t reduced by them receiving tips. The business shouldn’t be able to pay them less because they are a better employee.
Downvoted for even asking such a cunty question with only one answer.
Wait do people really not know that servers and bartenders already make below minimum wage before tip? In NY and I think most states have it set up so the specially set minimum wage for tipped service workers + the minimum % you must claim from tips comes out to the state wide minimum wage amount. Everything they make in tips after that is cash in hand no taxes, period.
The fact this is even up for debate shows the people debating to raise it have no idea what they’re talking about.
If you suck at you job and keep getting scheduled on swing shifts that see no patrons so no tips, your employer must match the necessary amount to get you to minimum wage. Only ever saw that happen a few times for really really part time servers. But in one or two 4-6 hour dinner rushes at average sized establishment, it was more rare for the servers to NOT take home more than what the cooks made in a 40hr week. 8-12hrs of largely untaxed tips = more than 40hrs @ 12/hr or at least that was the case 7-10 years ago.
Lesson 2, never go salary working for a restaurant. It turns you into legal slave labor. You will be at that restaurant more than you aren’t for the same fuckin paycheck amount week in and week out. I never went salary but have a record of 91hr work week when the place I was at opened a new location. Made bank hourly but if I were salary I’d be the same amount paycheck for 90hrs of work.
That’s what we should be looking to improve regulations on. Exploiting faux salary promotions for exploration of labor laws lol
I stopped reading after your first paragraph because there is so much wrong.
Minimum wage is federal law. If, as a tipped worker, at the end of a pay period, your base wage plus tips doesn’t make minimum wage, your employer must make up the difference. (I don’t know if states with higher minimum wages carry over this requirement, or if the employer only has to make up to the federal minimum wage.)
You are supposed to report all tips as income. Yes, most people will under-report cash tips, but that is tax fraud. (Again, this may vary for state taxes, but I’m not aware of any that say tips past minimum wage are tax-free.)
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