Report: It’s time to give tipped workers the regular minimum wage

[LuckyTheDog]

For the millions of workers who rely on tips, the federal tipped minimum wage is grossly inadequate, according to new research from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI).

In the report Twenty Three Years and Still Waiting for Change, EPI research associate Sylvia Allegretto and economic analyst David Cooper examine the economic conditions of such workers and conclude that lawmakers should eliminate the tipped minimum wage and require that tipped workers be paid the full minimum wage.

MORE HERE: http://wonkynewsnerd.com/time-to-give-tipped-workers-minimum-wage/

[SheilaT]

1. I wonder if then customers will almost

entirely stop tipping, and if that would ultimately hurt most tipped workers.

I'm only speculating, because I've never worked at a job where tips are part of my pay. My son delivers pizza in Portland, OR, and his base pay (I think) is the minimum wage, although he also gets tipped most of the time. I do know that the amount of money someone makes in tips is highly variable, depending on exactly where that person works.

[Coventina]

5. It would probably depend upon what the minimum wage is.

When we went to Europe, the servers all make a decent living, and tipping is much less common (at least in the countries we were in).

A tip is generally just rounding up to the nearest Euro, or some loose change, more of a symbolic "thank you" than paying the poor soul's rent.

It would be nice if that was the way it was here.
Here, tips are used as an excuse to screw over the workers.

[Blecht]

2. It's time to abolish the horrible practice of tipping

Maybe this is a first step. There is nothing more demeaning that to be forced to depend on the whims of your customers to survive.

[Bonx]

17. Yes, having to smile & provide excellent service - every time - for good $$, is a pita

I remember doing it.
Would have been much easier just drifting aimlessly through my shift providing minimum service and knowing it wouldn't affect my pay.
/sarc

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Long past time. There should be ONE minimum wage

and it should apply to everyone who performs work for pay.

(I would say something like 'including the kids who mow your lawn', but where I am, the kids charge about 3 times minimum wage for lawn-mowing.)

[justabob]

4. waiter pay is ridiculous

It is a really hard question though. I worked in the business for most of my adult life, 15+years and the hourly pay didn't change once. I started at 2.13 an hour in the 90s and finished at 2.13 an hour a couple of years ago. Here's the thing though.... no way in hell would I do that job for minimum wage with no tipping. Actual waiter time is one thing... 2.13 +tips is *usually* better than minimum. It is those times when the restaurant is dead and the waiters have to do housekeeping chores and sidework.... That work should absolutely be paid minimum wage, and there have been and are lawsuits on that and the waiters have won some, but it isn't nation-wide yet.

[CBGLuthier]

6. Minimum wage and no more tips? Sounds like a bad idea to me.

I have two kids working in the server industry one a waitress and one a waitress/bartender. They clear better than minimum wage week in and week out.

If you increase the minimum wage from the 2.13 or whatever it is now amount to the full "whopping" 8 bucks plus it is now I guarantee you no restaurant will ever give any of them a raise and many people will stop tipping.

Now if instead we increased our pathetic minimum wage to a working wage then this idea would be fine. But we need to fix the regular wage first and then work on the sub wage.

[LuckyTheDog]

7. The idea is to porvide minimum wage, plus tips

Those things you "guarantee" won't necessarily happen. I seriously doubt people would stop tipping.

[CBGLuthier]

8. I "seriously" would bet more than half would stop tipping

One of the main reasons for tipping is because we all know how badly they are paid.

[Eleanors38]

9. I ask folks why they don't tip. Answer: "They get a salary like everyone else."

I guess they aren't in the "know."

But I know this: I'd rather rake leaves for min. wage than get the same in the restaurant biz with no tips.

[MoonchildCA]

14. I don't know if it's representative of othe states,

but California pays servers full minimum wage, and the "standard" amount to tip here is still 20%.
That varies, of course, with the establishment, and some not-so-generous people, but that's probably true everywhere.

[Eleanors38]

10. Long overdue. ^^^

[littlewolf]

11. my practice of tipping is this:

15 percent for normal service.
20 percent if I felt the person went
above and beyond.
25 percent if they are reading my mind
and I am talking to the manager.
10 percent if it was just beyond sorry service
and I am talking to the manager.

I also agree that their wages need to increase
minimum wage sounds like a plan.
and I will continue to tip.

[taught_me_patience]

12. It's already $9/hr + tips in California

people still tip, and tipped workers can make a lot of money. Good baristas at good coffee shops can make an additional $3-$5/hr. It's not uncommon for good waiters to make an additional $10-15/hr on good nights.

[Shrike47]

13. In Oregon waitstaff get minimum wage now and people still tip. It works.

[cemaphonic]

15. Washington as well

At least in Seattle, 20% seems to be seen as typical. Be interesting to see if that holds up to $15/hr wage.

[aikoaiko]

16. Min. Wage, no tipping, and management can pay more for good or great wait staff

Id like to see tipping go away. It's only a and restaurants can and will pay more to keep really good staff.

[F4lconF16]

18. Tipping needs to go away entirely.

An excellent article here:

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2013/08/tipless_restaurants