The $3.75 minimum wage is too low for tipped workers. Tipped workers deserve a raise too.
Why is this important?
By removing any increase in the minimum wage for tipped workers, the Portland City Council left 40 percent of low-wage workers out. These workers need a raise too.
In Portland, the median hourly earnings for tipped workers is just $8.77, according to Restaurant Opportunity Centers United. Many of these workers rely on food stamps to get by. Very few of them get health care or paid sick days.
Even at the very highest-end expensive restaurants, servers earn just $14.50 an hour--still less than a living wage in Portland--contrary to the false claims of restaurant lobbyists.
On paper, employers are supposed to bring tipped workers up to the full minimum wage if their tips are too low. In practice, this simply doesn't happen. The Department of Labor has found a violation rate of over 80 percent.
The only two members of the City Council to vote for giving tipped workers a raise were Kevin Donoghue and David Marshall. Mike Brennan, Nick Mavodones, Ed Suslovic, Justin Costa, David Brenerman, Jill Duson, and Jon Hinck all voted to lower the tipped minimum wage to $3.75.
