Campaign Partners
One Fair Wage
New York's tipped workers deserve and demand an equal minimum wage.
It’s time for New York’s subminimum wage for tipped workers to end. 400,000 tipped workers in New York are subject to a minimum wage that is $4 to $5.50 less than that of non-tipped workers. These workers deserve an equal minimum wage on top of their tips.
Tipped workers are more likely than non-tipped workers to live in poverty and face multiple economic hardships.
Income fluctuations, a result ofthe irregularity of tips compared to regular paychecks, make it harder for tipped workers to stay financially stable. Thirty-two percent of tipped workers said they were worried all or most of the time about their household finances, compared to only 23 percent among non-tipped workers, according to CSS’s annual Unheard Third survey.
In addition to exacerbating income inequality, the subminimum wage also creates an increased risk of sexual harassment from customers and management.
Among this predominately female workforce, many workers feel pressure from management to dress in ways that objectify themselves to try to earn bigger tips, according to a report by Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.
CSS Research and Testimony on the Tipped Minimum Wage
Testimony: Hearing on Ending the Subminimum Wage in New York State (July 2018)
Upward Mobility: In Sight for More New Yorkers, Still Out of Reach for Most (July 2018)
Expanding Workers’ Rights: What it Means for New York City’s Low-Income Workers (Jan. 2018)
CSS Statement on Increase in the Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers (Feb. 2015)
Statement on State Wage Board Recommendations for Tipped Workers (Feb. 2015)
Testimony: New York’s Tipped Workers and the Sub-Minimum Wage (Oct. 2014)
Lower Minimum Wage for City’s Tipped Workers Hurts Latinos (Oct. 2014)
New York’s Tipped Workers and the Sub-Minimum Wage (Oct. 2014)
Research from our report Expanding Workers' Rights: What it Means for New York City's Low-Income Workers. Click here to read more.
Tipped Workers, Employers & Consumers:
Tell the NY Dept. of Labor that You Support One Fair Wage!
Tipped Workers:
Find out if your legal rights have been violated