This is a common misunderstanding, but not tipping servers doesn’t mean they had to work for free. In the case of a tip shortfall, employers are required by federal law (in the US at least) to make up the difference between what the server made and minimum wage.
They do it based on averages, so when they get shorted by a customer then that work is free and the business only has to make up something if their two week average including tips is under minimum wage.
Either they make on average above minimum wage due to tips, or they make minimum wage due to employer pay. In no case will their weekly pay fall below the hourly minimum wage, so all of their time is compensated (not well enough, of course, but minimum wage being inadequate is another discussion entirely).
Not tipping punishes the wait staff by reducing their expected source of income that is tied to their labor with zero impact on tipping culture. Trying to justify that with ‘but mah minimum wage’ is just adding insult to injury.
People who refuse to tip on principle, but still go to places based on tipping culture are assholes. Trying to justify it is just doubling down.
If you want to punish the business owner, boycott the business. If you want tipping culture to end, work on legislation that allows it to exist.
Not tipping punishes the wait staff by reducing their expected source of income that is tied to their labor with zero impact on tipping culture. Trying to justify that with ‘but mah minimum wage’ just adds insult to injury.
Agreed.
People who refuse to tip on principle, but still go to places based on tipping culture are assholes. Trying to justify it is just doubling down.
Again, agreed.
If you want to punish the business owner, boycott the business. If you want tipping culture to end, work on legislation that allows it to exist.
Once again, I agree.
I’m not sure how this was supposed to be a rebuttal to the fact that servers are still compensated if you don’t tip them, and that, contrary to what you said, there is no “free labor” involved.
Was this comment just unrelated soapboxing, or did you assume that I was making a moral argument of some sort instead of a factual one?
Your point is like saying if you refuse to pay for a meal then you didn’t get it for free because other people paid for their food. It is like saying that not paying overtime is fine because because they get their base wage.
Your ‘technically they get minimum wage’ ignores the whole point of tipping being tied directy to the service being provided that I was trying to point out it was fundamentally incorrect.
The difference, of course, being that tipping is optional (because the server still gets paid either way, by law), and that in all of the other cases the person has no other avenue to ensure that they receive compensation for their labor. Whether it’s an asshole move or not is irrelevant to your assertion that you force servers to perform free labor by not tipping them, which is factually incorrect, as detailed above.
This is a common misunderstanding, but not tipping servers doesn’t mean they had to work for free. In the case of a tip shortfall, employers are required by federal law (in the US at least) to make up the difference between what the server made and minimum wage.
The employer just has to make sure you meet the local minimum wage over the course of the work week.
They do it based on averages, so when they get shorted by a customer then that work is free and the business only has to make up something if their two week average including tips is under minimum wage.
Either they make on average above minimum wage due to tips, or they make minimum wage due to employer pay. In no case will their weekly pay fall below the hourly minimum wage, so all of their time is compensated (not well enough, of course, but minimum wage being inadequate is another discussion entirely).
That is an awful argument.
Then it should be super duper easy for you to rebut.
Not tipping punishes the wait staff by reducing their expected source of income that is tied to their labor with zero impact on tipping culture. Trying to justify that with ‘but mah minimum wage’ is just adding insult to injury.
People who refuse to tip on principle, but still go to places based on tipping culture are assholes. Trying to justify it is just doubling down.
If you want to punish the business owner, boycott the business. If you want tipping culture to end, work on legislation that allows it to exist.
Agreed.
Again, agreed.
Once again, I agree.
I’m not sure how this was supposed to be a rebuttal to the fact that servers are still compensated if you don’t tip them, and that, contrary to what you said, there is no “free labor” involved.
Was this comment just unrelated soapboxing, or did you assume that I was making a moral argument of some sort instead of a factual one?
Your point is like saying if you refuse to pay for a meal then you didn’t get it for free because other people paid for their food. It is like saying that not paying overtime is fine because because they get their base wage.
Your ‘technically they get minimum wage’ ignores the whole point of tipping being tied directy to the service being provided that I was trying to point out it was fundamentally incorrect.
The difference, of course, being that tipping is optional (because the server still gets paid either way, by law), and that in all of the other cases the person has no other avenue to ensure that they receive compensation for their labor. Whether it’s an asshole move or not is irrelevant to your assertion that you force servers to perform free labor by not tipping them, which is factually incorrect, as detailed above.