PHOENIX: There are two proposals headed for the November ballot that will alter Arizona’s tipping policies.
Raising the minimum wage for all workers is one option.
On a slow day, the other would guarantee that eateries make up the difference by paying waiters and waitresses less than the minimum wage.
It is, on the one hand, the prospect of higher income. The other raises concerns about increased costs, a decline in patronage, and even the closure of more eateries.
If you ask customers, tipping has become a contentious topic in recent years.
One diner, Craig, stated, “The wait staff, they depend on those gratuities to make a living.”
“A decent response is absent. I’m not sure,” remarked Terri, a different client.
What’s contained in the first bill?
A national organization named One Fair Wage seeks to raise the minimum wage for all workers, including waiters, to $18 in three phases spread over three years.
Image: NBC News
According to Mariah Ross of One Fair Wage, “your pay shouldn’t be determined by somebody’s personal feelings toward you based on the service that you provided.” “If you’re working, you should be paid and living wage be able to afford your bills and take care of your family.”
For certain tiny enterprises, however, it’s a tall order to offer wages that fit all.
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According to Fair Trade Coffee CEO Stephanie Vasquez, the problems are more intricate.
“I just don’t think that there’s going to be any one policy that’s going to be able to umbrella and encompass everything that’s needed for all of those teammates,” she stated.
How does the second bill work?
Legislators in the state have launched an initiative on behalf of the Arizona Restaurant Association.
The Tipped Workers Protection Act is the name of the law.
With a sweetener, it would allow eateries to pay tip workers 25% less than the minimum wage.
As the owner, you are responsible for making up the difference from your own pocket if we have a quiet afternoon and I don’t make the minimal pay. Although it doesn’t occur frequently, Steve Chucri of the Arizona Restaurant Association stated that it does occasionally happen.
The great tip argument will now be decided by voters and patrons in a restaurant near you and on the November ballot.
If One Fair Wage gathers enough signatures by July 3rd, both initiatives may succeed simultaneously.