Video / Tipped hospitality worker roundtable with Congressman Steven Horsford

Tipped hospitality worker roundtable with Congressman Steven Horsford

Thursday, August 8, 2024 Culinary Union roundtable with Congressman Steven Horsford and tipped hospitality workers - The Culinary Union has called on Nevada elected officials to support the federal ban of sub-minimum wages and taxes on tips.  Nevada stands as a model where workers receive a fair minimum wage, without relying on customer tips to cover wages. Currently, 34 states maintain minimum wages above the federal standard of $7.25 (NCSL), but tipped employees in many states still earn as little as $2.13 per hour (DOL). According to the BLS, approximately 1.1 million workers in the United States earn at or below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. As an example: In Massachusetts, the tipped minimum wage is $6.75 an hour while the state minimum wage is $15.00 an hour.   It is outrageous that over a million workers in this country are not guaranteed a fair minimum wage in 2024. Employers across the nation need to take responsibility for paying a real minimum wage and congress must ensure it. Seven states (Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) have banned the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, ensuring that these workers receive the same minimum wage as non-tipped employees (NELP). By eliminating the sub-minimum wage, these states have taken real steps to protect tipped workers and guarantee they earn a fair wage.  It’s time for the rest of the country to follow. We continue to urge elected leaders in Nevada - including city council members, state legislators, county commissioners, and federal representatives - to endorse a federal ban on a sub-minimum wage and to ensure that there are no taxes on tips. Culinary Union has led the fight for over 30 years for fair taxation on tips and our union supports the ban on taxes on tips. It’s time for nationwide change to ensure that workers receive a fair wage and earn enough so that one job is enough to provide for their families.  States and territories that maintain the lowest sub-minimum wages for tipped employees: Alabama ($2.13), Georgia ($2.13), Indiana ($2.13), Kansas ($2.13), Kentucky ($2.13), Louisiana ($2.13), Mississippi ($2.13), Nebraska ($2.13), North Carolina ($2.13), Oklahoma ($2.13), Puerto Rico ($2.13), South Carolina ($2.13), Tennessee ($2.13), Texas ($2.13), Utah ($2.13), Virginia ($2.13), Wyoming ($2.13), Delaware ($2.23), West Virginia ($2.62), and Arkansas ($2.63). Source & full list: DOL