As restaurants reopen across the nation, “we’re hiring” signs can be found in nearly every storefront, revealing the food service industry’s newest plight in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The national shutdowns that began in March 2020 and continued with cyclical openings and closings throughout the past year have left many service workers without jobs, disproportionately affecting women and people of color and pushing many people into other industries. Closer to home, Brown University’s Brown Dining Services (BDS) has struggled to find enough staff to operate the dining halls safely and effectively, reinforcing the need for higher wages across the industry, regardless of whether or not the workers are tipped. BDS also employs many workers of color to serve a plurality-white community of students, reinforcing the disparities that plague the food service industry.
The need for a livable tipped wage has never been greater, especially as increased unemployment benefits draw to a close and many service workers will be forced to work multiple jobs, risking their health and safety to make ends meet. Although most people believe that the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, under federal law businesses only have to pay their workers $2.13 an hour if they are designated as tipped workers. The tipped minimum wage has not increased since 1991. The Biden administration needs to use this moment of need during a pandemic to ensure that food service employees are paid a...
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Club, a private city club that has operated for more than 150 years, has agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve claims that it falsely represented its eligibility...