Joshua Chaisson Comments on "Why Tipping is Good for Waiters"

Joshua Chaisson, co-founder of Restaurant Workers of America, writes an interesting piece on the Daily News about the benefits of the tipped minimum wage, in light of governor Cuomo’s recent proposal to eliminate the tip credit in New York. Chaisson, who has worked in the restaurant industry for 17 years, claims the tipped minimum wage allows some waiters to make “an excellent living” while having a flexible schedule. He believes eliminating the tipped minimum wage would negatively affect waiters and businesses alike, as it has already in places like the Bay Area where restaurants have closed after changing their tipping system.  Chaisson also mentions renown New York restaurateur Danny Meyer’s attempt to eliminate tipping in his restaurants, claiming that the experiment hurt Meyer’s business and decreased his employees’ morale. Chaisson urges waiters to come out and advocate for the tipped minimum wage as he did when similar legislation was being discussed in Maine. He claims: “If servers in New York want to save their jobs and tip income, there must be a strong grass-roots movement from the bottom up… Servers are the underdog in this fight in New York. Powerful political and union interests are aligned against you — just as they were aligned against us in Maine. The only way to get your message out is to organize, and do it soon.”