There are laws in place for service workers related to minimum wage. The employers have to make up the difference if tips don’t meet the rate for hours worked. It seems to me that’s not sufficient for the times.
Hypothetically, if everyone were to stop tipping in the U.S. would things be better or worse for workers? Would employers start paying workers more?
Sadly I think that might be the only way to make it stop. But it doesn’t feel right. If a waiter/waitress is getting a zero dollar paycheck, that means they’re making more than some minimum amount. If we stop tipping, they’ll be paid that minimum amount. In our effort to get service jobs fairly paid, should we punish them by paying them less first?
This already seems to be happening as companies push to squeeze more and more profits for the shareholders. I was at a local pizza place not long ago that you were forced to scan the QR code and order yourself. They did bring the food out, but that was it. You even had to get your own drink and refills.
Off-topic, but that was also the biggest bill I had from a pizza place in as long as I can remember. It was bumping $100 for 4 of us to eat sub-par pizza and drink water.