Voters in Arizona and Massachusetts are set to decide whether employers should be able to continue to pay tipped workers such as servers and bartenders a lower minimum wage than non-tipped workers.

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.

  • r0ertel@lemmy.world
    5·
    1 month ago

    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% tax tip, dining out is unaffordable.

    Also, during covid I became an incredible cook.