2024-09-01 03:27:34
“People are finally listening and recognizing that these workers matter.” And there is a battle for who will get their vote.
Americans are being asked to tip more often and in more places than ever before: at fast food counters, at auto repair shops and car washes, even at sef-service stores. This has upset many customers and divided employers and employees.
A problem that came to the attention of the two gladiators for the US presidency.
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump eproposals to abolish income tax on gratuities have been embraced; a move that would in effect “subsidize” them and encourage more businesses to rely on them.
“unfair”
Economists across the political spectrum have rejected the idea of taxation, arguing that it is unfair – as it favors a set of low-wage workers while it could have unintended consequences.
Even tipped workers and unions that represent them are wary, worried that in the long run this policy could lead to lower wages.
But the debate alone makes service workers a politically powerful force.
The spread of tipping in recent years has been, in part, a result of strong demand for workers.
The anger of the Americans about the tip and… the insistent gaze of the restaurateur
A constituency worth attracting
The two contenders’ bids for the US presidency suggest they see the country’s roughly four million tipped workers as a constituency worth appealing to.
“People are finally listening and recognizing that these workers matter,” said Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage.
“Tipped workers have never seen their needs addressed in any way by any presidential candidate. When!”.
Minimum wage if you get tips
J. Jayaraman is not a fan of the idea of tax exemption, although she is optimistic that the attention paid to the issue could lead to policies he considers more important. One of them is eliminating the minimum wage, which allows businesses in some states to pay workers as little as $2.13 an hour; if they receive enough tips to reach the full minimum wage.
But it’s far from clear whether the rapid changes in the tipping landscape will benefit workers in the long run. Already, some workers say they’re seeing their tips drop as more customers grow resentful of being asked for tips all the time — a finding backed up by concrete evidence
Instead of increases
There are also evidence that some businesses are using tips to avoid larger wage increases.
With tipping now embedded in industries where it was once not the norm, more workers will be hurt if customers start refusing to tip.
Living dependent on tips
“The more wages depend on tipping, the more precarious your life is”said Amanda Cohen, a New York chef and restaurateur who criticizes tip-based pay.
A decade ago, Cohen spearheaded their abolition
Banned tips at her vegan restaurant in 2015. Raised wages instead for all the workers in her restaurant – whether they were waiters or cooks – while increasing prices of the menu to cover the above costs.
Her example was followed by other restaurateurs, such as Danny Meyer, a New York restaurateur.
The “agony” of what you will get from one shift to the next
Cohen, Meyer and their colleagues argued that the tipping system was problematic for several reasons. It was fickle, with waiters never being sure what they would earn from one shift to the next. It was also unfairwith tipped workers earning significantly more than hourly cooks in the kitchen.
And it abounded in opportunities for racial prejudice, sexual harassment, and other forms of discrimination and mistreatment.
But the anti-tip movement never gained ground, with the emergence of the pandemic killing any momentum.
“How generous are you feeling today?”
The situation was reversed with the end of the pandemic, as when restaurants and other businesses began to reopen, they faced a severe shortage of workers. Restaurants and cafes that did not allow tipping found themselves losing employees to competitors that did.
For customers, however, the constant requests for a tip — which they either pay or find themselves in the difficult position of turning it down — can be exhausting, said Liz Wilke, head of payroll management company Gusto.
“How generous are you feeling today, Liz? It’s an uncomfortable question you get asked five times a day.”he concluded.
naftemporiki.gr