Tracy Allen from the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Maine has called for raising the minimum wage for tipped workers in a guest editorial that appeared in today’s Press Herald.
Despite the fact that they make up such a huge portion of the workforce, many restaurant workers are paid the tipped minimum wage, which is less than the overall minimum wage.
Federally, that means tipped workers are paid just $2.13 per hour plus tips.
The tipped minimum wage has been frozen at just $2.13 per hour since 1991 — that’s 18 years! With the passing of each year, tipped workers effectively earn less and less, and many struggle to make ends meet.
However, Maine has a higher minimum wage and the tipped wage is half of that so actually it is $3.28 an hour in Maine, and if tips do not equal minimum wage for the shift, then minimum wage must be paid. Just an FYI
Yeah, great time to stick it to local businesses as they start to fail during this recession.