By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 11/07/2026In America, Congress and state legislatures have created a system that allows restaurateurs to transfer this risk onto their employees: the "tipped minimum wage." 15/ 1559
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 11/07/2026Federally, the minimum wage for tipped employees is only *$2.13/hour*, with the caveat that employees are obliged to "top up" their workers' pay if the tips from their shift don't add up to $7.25/hour. 16/ 2405
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 11/07/2026So if you work five hours and don't wait on a single table, your boss has to pay you $36.25 ($7.25/hour * 5 hours). But if you have a busy shift and you make $40 in tips, your boss only has to pay you $10.65 ($2.13 * 5 - the tipped minimum). 17/ 1506
Cheery Littlebottom @cherrylittlebottom.bsky.social · 11/07/2026This is so depressing and also explains a cynical sign I saw once where the business was hectoring customers to tip well because the staff were on a low hourly. I thought: why don't you just pay a better rate? This explains the obvious reason. Damn 000
