Have you talked to a lot of servers about it? I have a few friends who are servers who hate the idea of cutting out tips and just making minimum wage because they would make significantly less money.
Tips were first used as a way for rail lines to avoid having to pay black coach attendants a wage.
It isn’t surprising that service workers don’t want to abolish tips, since that’s primarily how they get paid now - but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t abolish them. The owners should have to pay their workers a living wage. By making that the consumer’s responsibility, it frees the business owner from the responsibility of paying their workers for their labor.
For maybe a month or two, but when the restraints are no longer to hold on to good staff at minimum wage, employers will have to start offering more to get people to work for them.
Yeah – The goal is not to keep servers, etc. working at minimum wage, it’s to eliminate tips in favor of employers paying a livable wage.
I’d rather the menu prices reflect the actual cost of the item, including the service workers’ wages, than have to tack on another n% at the end. And, at least back in the before-times for the like, month, I worked as a server, I would’ve loved to go to work and not worry about “Oh shit, it’s the Sunday church crowd” and resign myself to not making any money that shift.
Crazy thought, really really outside the box lateral thinking type shit, but how about paying them a living wage instead? Seems to work for other industries. I’m not tipping my welder.
Legally mandating a minimum wage is not magic. It can be done, other countries have already done it, and the US is already doing it, in other industries. This is really not as far fetched as you make it out to be.
Exactly. Servers can make bank on tips, especially on holidays.
I don’t think we should ban tips, but we also shouldn’t let restaurants pay servers under minimum wage and there should be something printed on the bill/POS about tips being appreciated but not required. Also, tips shouldn’t be required to be shared, customers should be able to select who gets the tips (waiter, cooking staff, or shared).
That’s the tipping I like. When I’m getting served. I want to sit at my table and enjoy the whole experience. I want my water refilled, I was to be asked if I want another drink. I want the courses the flow on and off the table. I want to be able to talk about the dishes. Then I want to tip based on how well it all went.
But that’s for a role that’s a bit more involved than fillings gas or pouring coffee. The waiter’s our agent at the restaurant, fighting with (armed!) kitchen staff always on the verge of a breakdown, rejecting shit product and passing along tips for good stuff, etc.
I’m tipping drivers if the toppings aren’t slid to one side. I’m tipping my cabbie. I’m tipping my barber as he does a lot with very little.
But I’m not tipping people where there’s little interaction or judgement for me specifically. My bus driver, the flight attendant, the pilot, the gate agent, the carny operator, the pet food guy, my grocer, my pharmacist. No weasel no grease.
And if it’s forced it’ll be the last. That’s it. I’m still boycotting restaurants because they couldn’t abide by the regional health officers instructions on masking. I can do this.
Having said that, minimum wage is the minimum. Enough of this bullshit where tipped staff makes less base pay.
Have you talked to a lot of servers about it? I have a few friends who are servers who hate the idea of cutting out tips and just making minimum wage because they would make significantly less money.
Tips were first used as a way for rail lines to avoid having to pay black coach attendants a wage.
It isn’t surprising that service workers don’t want to abolish tips, since that’s primarily how they get paid now - but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t abolish them. The owners should have to pay their workers a living wage. By making that the consumer’s responsibility, it frees the business owner from the responsibility of paying their workers for their labor.
Tip wages are exploitative, plain and simple.
For maybe a month or two, but when the restraints are no longer to hold on to good staff at minimum wage, employers will have to start offering more to get people to work for them.
Yeah – The goal is not to keep servers, etc. working at minimum wage, it’s to eliminate tips in favor of employers paying a livable wage.
I’d rather the menu prices reflect the actual cost of the item, including the service workers’ wages, than have to tack on another n% at the end. And, at least back in the before-times for the like, month, I worked as a server, I would’ve loved to go to work and not worry about “Oh shit, it’s the Sunday church crowd” and resign myself to not making any money that shift.
I like your optimism.
Crazy thought, really really outside the box lateral thinking type shit, but how about paying them a living wage instead? Seems to work for other industries. I’m not tipping my welder.
I mean, if we’re waving a magic wand, I have a huge list of other improvements for society
Legally mandating a minimum wage is not magic. It can be done, other countries have already done it, and the US is already doing it, in other industries. This is really not as far fetched as you make it out to be.
Exactly. Servers can make bank on tips, especially on holidays.
I don’t think we should ban tips, but we also shouldn’t let restaurants pay servers under minimum wage and there should be something printed on the bill/POS about tips being appreciated but not required. Also, tips shouldn’t be required to be shared, customers should be able to select who gets the tips (waiter, cooking staff, or shared).
That’s the tipping I like. When I’m getting served. I want to sit at my table and enjoy the whole experience. I want my water refilled, I was to be asked if I want another drink. I want the courses the flow on and off the table. I want to be able to talk about the dishes. Then I want to tip based on how well it all went.
Obligate tipping for counter service is bullshit.
As a server, tips for me were huge.
But that’s for a role that’s a bit more involved than fillings gas or pouring coffee. The waiter’s our agent at the restaurant, fighting with (armed!) kitchen staff always on the verge of a breakdown, rejecting shit product and passing along tips for good stuff, etc.
I’m tipping drivers if the toppings aren’t slid to one side. I’m tipping my cabbie. I’m tipping my barber as he does a lot with very little.
But I’m not tipping people where there’s little interaction or judgement for me specifically. My bus driver, the flight attendant, the pilot, the gate agent, the carny operator, the pet food guy, my grocer, my pharmacist. No weasel no grease.
And if it’s forced it’ll be the last. That’s it. I’m still boycotting restaurants because they couldn’t abide by the regional health officers instructions on masking. I can do this.
Having said that, minimum wage is the minimum. Enough of this bullshit where tipped staff makes less base pay.