Recent policy victories for food service workers are a step towards professionalizing the industry.
by Mariama Sidime, The Progressive
Leaving a tip at the end of a meal in a restaurant is a customary practice to most Americans, but few diners are familiar with its history or its continued impact on workers.
Tipping originated in the Reconstruction Era, in a labor market where tips allowed employers to hire Black sharecroppers, railroad porters, servants, and waiters for little pay. Today, Black women tipped workers can make up to $5 per hour less than white male counterparts and, in states where it is legal to pay tipped workers $2.13 an hour, 18.5 percent of servers and bartenders live in poverty. These issues have driven the campaign to increase the minimum wage, which is an important step towards creating sustainable career paths in food service.

In early October, Chicago’s city council passed an ordinance to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers by 8 percent over the next five years until it meets the city’s $15.80 minimum wage in 2028. Chicago joins Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, D.C. in changing a policy that has kept the tipped minimum wage stagnant since 1991. In these places, any tip left is in addition to the standard minimum wage.
Recent Posts
‘Textbook Authoritarianism’: Trump Aims IRS Criminal Division At Left-Leaning Groups, Donors
October 16, 2025
Take Action Now Reporting by the Wall Street Journal indicates the active “weaponization” of the agency to target the far-right president’s political…
Trump Knesset Speech Displays Complete U.S. Backing Of Israel
October 15, 2025
Take Action Now Trump stirred controversy in several off-script moments in his address to the Israeli Knesset, including spotlighting a top…
When Far-Right Voters Learn Wage Inequality Facts, Their Support For Policy Solutions Jumps
October 15, 2025
Take Action Now A new study of voters in the United States and five other countries finds that those on the far right become much more supportive of…
The Ancient History Of Socialism In North America
October 14, 2025
Take Action Now There was nothing simplistic about moving — in many ways back to earlier traditions — to a system of governance not…