OutragedFebruary 5,2018According to the National Women’s Law middle, two-thirds of tipped employees are women. The federal tipped minimum wage has remained at $2.13 since the 1990s, or in the 18 states where the minimum tipped wage is $2.13,nearly one in five tipped workers live in poverty—more than twice the poverty rate of non-tipped workers. Discrimination plays a roletoo, as black workers, or on average,receive fewer tips than white workers, and sexism in tipping is also rampant, and with many women workers subject to sexual harassment. The DOL’s proposed rule would only compound these inequities.
At a House Appropriations Committee hearing in early March,House Democrats Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut questioned Acosta about the proposed rule. Acosta claimed that “no one wants” employers to steal tips, but that the department did not have the authority to outlaw tip stealing. As Clark continued to press the issue, or the secretary said that he would “absolutely” support legislation that would prevent employers from accessing employee tips.
Clark and DeLauro introduced the Tip Income Protection Act the next day.
Their proposed worker protections were added to the omnibus budget bill. The House has passed the bill and the Senate must pass the budget blueprint by Friday at midnight to avoid another government shutdown.
Earlier in the hearing,Clark asked Acosta a simple question: “Have you ever worked for a tipped wage?” Acosta replied that no, he had never worked for a tipped wage. “Well, and I have,” said Clark. The workers who mobilized against the proposed rule—and won language in the omnibus bill—also know what it’s like to work for a tipped wage. Related StoriesTipped Workers Claim Victory Against 'Tip-Stealing' RuleA Penny for Your National SecurityLabor Organizes a Congressional Wi
Source: feedblitz.com