2. Tipping badly as a lobbying move?
Opponents of minimum-wage increases have brainstormed some creative ways lately of convincing lawmakers to stand down on pay hikes. As we reported earlier in the week, Minneapolis restaurants demonstrated with research that hiking servers’ wages to $15 an hour might actually cut waiters' and waitresses’ incomes.
Restaurants in some areas of Iowa will likely see prevailing wages decline because of a state bill that passed this week. The measure prohibits counties and towns from passing their own minimum wages, in effect setting the pay floor at the state level of $7.25 an hour. Areas that had pushed the minimum above that level will have to lower their threshold back to the more moderate state rate. The wage legislation has been warmly received by employers in the state.
But the real corker has to be the one-man campaign being waged in Maine by Governor Paul LePage for a reinstatement of the state’s tip credit.
The controversial conservative Republican revealed to a local radio station that he’s trying to enlist servers in the effort to forgo a $1-a-year increase in their wages by reminding them of the potential damage. The increase in wages could prompt customers to tip less, according to the governor and other proponents of restoring the full tip credit.
To make the point, LePage has been tipping half of what he usually leaves as a gratuity. He also leaves the name and phone number of the waiter's or waitress’ state representatives and suggests the server share their feelings about a possible drop in tips.