This Article was Originally Posted on Northeastern Global News by Ian Thomsen.
Should the full minimum wage be paid to restaurant workers who currently receive tips?
That is the ballot question — Question 5 — being asked of voters in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Under current Massachusetts law, restaurant workers receive an hourly salary that amounts to less than half of the standard $15 minimum wage — the idea being that tips can make up the difference. If tips do not make up the difference, employers are required to make up the gap to meet the $15 wage.
The issue of balancing wages and tipping for restaurant workers has been raised in at least a dozen other states, says Patricia Illingworth, a Northeastern professor of philosophy and business.
“There are certain burdens that tipped workers face,” says Illingworth, who is also a lecturer in law and public policy. “They don’t really know how much money they’re going to make. They don’t know which shifts they’re working. All of this makes them very dependent upon customers.
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