Resolution - Tipped Workers — File 199277

R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, Four of the 10 lowest-paying jobs in Massachusetts are in the restaurant industry; and WHEREAS, The tipped minimum wage in Massachusetts is $3.00 per hour and many tipped workers must rely primarily upon fluctuating tips from customers to support themselves and their families; and WHEREAS, Massachusetts tipped workers earn a median yearly income of just $15,900 a year; and WHEREAS, Massachusetts tipped workers experience poverty at 2½ times the rate of the general workforce and one-in-eight tipped workers rely on food stamps to feed their families; and WHEREAS, The subminimum wage for tipped workers has a disproportionate impact on women, who make up the vast majority of the tipped workforce, thus perpetuating the gender wage gap as female tipped workers are paid 75% of what their male counterparts are paid; and WHEREAS, The subminimum wage forces workers to rely on tips and makes them more vulnerable to sexual harassment from customers and management; and WHEREAS, The restaurant industry is the single largest source of sexual harassment charges filed by women with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and WHEREAS, The seven states without a subminimum wage have experienced higher average restaurant sales per capita and higher average employment growth for tipped workers than states with subminimum wages; and WHEREAS, 71% of Americans support One Fair Wage and favor increasing the tipped minimum wage until it reaches parity with the general minimum wage; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Somerville Board of Aldermen supports One Fair Wage in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and supports raising Massachusetts’ subminimum wage for tipped workers until it comes into line with the full minimum wage.