The Senate is likely to vote on S.B. 1177 any day now, a bill that would cripple restaurant employees’ livelihoods forever. As a former server growing up in Connecticut, I’m concerned that eliminating the state’s tip credit will do more harm than good for hardworking restaurant employees.
Serving not only provided me with extra income during my high school and college years, but it taught me foundational skills in customer service and communication — two things I use today in my full-time career.
This isn’t just my experience. Servers and bartenders across the country value the core competencies and income they earn as restaurant employees. Many have begun fighting back against interest groups trying to eliminate state tip credits in an effort to save the tip income these jobs provide.
This past fall, a Portland, Maine, ballot measure to eliminate the tip credit was defeated by nearly 20 points after residents listened to restaurant workers instead of out-of-state activists. Other blue states, including Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Rhode Island have similarly acted to preserve the tip credit.
Under the current system, Connecticut allows restaurant employers to count tips toward the full minimum wage requirement. This allows restaurants to offer more tipped job opportunities where employees can earn significantly more than the minimum wage on a flexible schedule alternative to a traditional 9-to-5 job.
If tips and the base wage don’t equal...
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