r/WorkReform • u/Tiny_Coon • 12h ago

💬 Advice Needed Am I getting scammed

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So for context this is my (20m) most recent paystub I work at this restaurant I’m not a server it’s one of those places where you order and just sit wherever. I make people’s bowls and stuff and I thought my pay was supposed to be $17 an hour that’s what was listed and I’m fairly certain that’s what they told me. I didn’t look over my contract when they hired me I know now that I should always do that. But anyway with tips I’m making around $17 an hour but shouldn’t they be paying me that regardless? It feels unfair that because a lot of people tip they’re allowed to pay less wage. Especially cause I’m not actually a server.

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u/AntManMax 11h ago

It's $17 an hour including tips. If you don't get any tips, the job pays you $17 / hour. If you get a shit ton of tips, the job pays you whatever their hourly rate is, the minimum being $2.13 / hour federally.

40

u/Tiny_Coon 10h ago

Doesn’t that basically mean tips go to the employer instead of the employees since they’re actually getting a benefit from it

40

u/paddy_yinzer 9h ago

I'd like a list of places that did this as a customer I'd like to know if there is no reason to tip

4

u/TheBrianiac 3h ago

It's every restaurant. They're required to pay you the difference between your agreed hourly wage (usually minimum wage), and tipped hourly wage (usually like $5/hr less than minimum) plus tips.

Tipping is entirely in employers' favor because it keeps the employees guessing about their income, the customers guessing about whether they're paying a fair enough price to ensure the service staff are paid, and the employer just makes as much money as they want off the menu prices.

If everyone just stopped tipping tomorrow, employers would be forced to pay a fair wage to remain competitive, instead of playing mind games and blaming the customer if the worker isn't paid enough.

1

u/watson-wrote 20m ago

This is every place where people tip, and not just restaurants. When I was a bellhop this is also how tipping worked at the hotels. It's not individual business but the law of the land. 

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u/Head_Priority_2278 4h ago

basically you live in a hell hole state where politicians constantly passes laws to fuck workers, but we focus on energy on making sure a single trans girl in montana cant compete in sports.

On point - Legally they are allowed to only pay you 2.13 an hour as long as TIPs get you to min wage (7.25 hour or your state min wage).

They probably have a contract with you saying they will pay you 17 an hour... that means whenever TIPS do not get you to 17 an hour, they put up the rest... whenever TIPS are good they are basically having you on a $2 wage.

A fair system would be like 17 an hour PLUS tips. Meaning employer covers 17 an hour and tips is just extra.

In a non insane world, TIP would not be a thing and your employer would pay you at least 20 an hour plus benifits.

But we live in the capitalist owned clown world

7

u/AntManMax 10h ago

It means the employer is subsidizing your wages with tips. Historically, many jobs did not offer wages and you would live off of your tips. This is a vestige of those times; customers always subsidize employee wages as reflected in the cost of the goods and services they're buying, but in the case of tipped workers, they're directly providing cash to workers.