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Comment by hashmap | Hacker News Reader

The better societal rule is to disallow tipped employees from receiving less than minimum wage. A better step yet is barring restaurant staff from receiving tips altogether. The marginal benefit from letting them accept the generosity of customers is far overcome by abusive employers leaning on the guilt of customers to pay their employees something to live on.

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> The better societal rule is to disallow tipped employees from receiving less than minimum wage

This is already the case in California where minimum wage is $15.50 and many localities are higher. There is no exemption for tipped employees, regardless of how much in tips they may receive.

> The better societal rule is to disallow tipped employees from receiving less than minimum wage.

That's already the case. Tipped employees have to be paid the normal hourly minimize wage if their reduced wage plus tips doesn't equal out to minimum. This has been the law for decades.

That's not the same at all, though. All that means is that the employer gets to legally steal tips and convert them into wages.

It is literally exactly what it means. Tipped employees can not legally be paid less than the standard minimum wage.

I believe they meant "minimum wage always, then with any tips they get added to it", not "minimum wage if tips aren't enough to get them there"

But they can be paid that minimum wage in part through the employer stealing the employee's tips. So, not really paying them the minimum wage.

It's not though - the restaurant pays the employee as low as $2.83 per hour. Restaurants should have to pay their employees the same minimum wage as everyone else, and anything the customers decide to give the wait staff should be extra (if tipping really should be legal at all)

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