Are Tipped Wages… Racist?
September 27, 2021
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6:40Now PlayingAre Tipped Wages… Racist?
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as posted by the channelWhat are the origins of tipped wages in America? Why is it such a prominent part of our work and social culture, when similar western nations like Britain, France, and Germany don’t have the same kinds of expectations for their service workers? These were some of the questions we wanted to talk about with our guest, Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage, a national organization working to raise wages for service workers nationwide.
One of the main excuses we give ourselves for the perpetuation of this structure is that tipped wages are actually better for workers than having a more fixed wage. It’s a refrain we hear over and over again, that tips are better for workers because it gives them incentives to be more attentive, and that their wages are probably higher than they would be if tips were gotten rid of entirely.
The origins of tipping lie in feudal Europe, where serfs who were making a “minimum wage” were offered tips on top of the regular wage. From that, the U.S. adapted a system of basically only relying on tips, with the tipped minimum wage being far far below even the measly national minimum wage. After emancipation in the U.S. former slaveholders conspired to undercut the wages they provided to their workers by instituting the tipped system we’re all intimately acquainted with. This was the first instance of removing the “tips on top” model of tipping.
Saru Jayaraman is an American attorney, author, and activist from Los Angeles, California. Saru is an academic at UC Berkeley and the President of One Fair Wage, a national organization working to raise wages for service workers nationwide. Follow her on Twitter
The Bitchuation Room was also joined by Jena Friedman, writer and comedian with an upcoming show on AMC+ called "Indefensible with Jena Friedman." You’ve also seen her on Conan, The Late Show with Steven Colbert, and in the film Palm Springs, and she’s written for The Late Show with David Letterman, The Conners, and Borat 2. Follow her on Twitter
Recorded September 21, 2021
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