minimum wage system in USA

There are 50 states in USA. Are there 50 minimum wage laws?

Does everyone get paid the minimum wage by law? If not why not?

Whats the issue with paying tips?

Posted by Hare
There is a Federal minimum wage.

State and local can pass laws that exceed but not not go lower than Federal.

Exactly. That should cover your first two questions OP.

As to the third, tips (in most cases) are not mandatory. Rather, they are a custom designed to allow the consumer to compensate the service provider based on their (the consumer) perceived value of the service. However, the regulations on wages in many jurisdictions provide (and indeed the Federal rate is lower also) for a much lower minimum wage for those who earn a certain amount of their monthly income from tips. Therefore, refusing to type a server (who likely makes approx. $ 2.50hr) for service provided, can be quite harsh.

see other threads ...

Posted by aquanib

Posted by daron76
server (who likely makes approx. $ 2.50hr)

That hurts.

What do they make within a month? I know it varies, but you can probably give some estimate.

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To fall under this category, the bar is very, very low. For example, if a server makes more than $ 30 per month from tips, then they are eligible for this rate (provided that their income from tips + the minimum wage ( $ 2.13)= the minimum wage per hours worked ( $ 7.25)

So while the server will make the minimum wage regardless (by the end of the month), refusing to tip them deprives them of badly needed income.

Posted by aquanib

Posted by daron76


To fall under this category, the bar is very, very low. For example, if a server makes more than $ 30 per month from tips, then they are eligible for this rate (provided that their income from tips + the minimum wage ( $ 2.13)= the minimum wage per hours worked ( $ 7.25)

So while the server will make the minimum wage regardless (by the end of the month), refusing to tip them deprives them of badly needed income.

😐

Your estimate on server wage: 4 digit number, in $ 's.

That 30 $ per month and you fall in some different rate class (if i understood correctly)......that's kinda counterintuitive, you can make 30 $ in half an hour on a weekend night.

Idk, i think you gave me some statistics and i have to calculate this with idk 160hr/month or 180-200.....but what i wanted was what i wrote in the first line. Not stats but something more practical.

Thanks nevertheless 🙂

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I understand what you asked and I attempted to provide the most coherent answer I could. What one could make in tips, per hour, per shift, per day etc. depends on so many variables (none of which were provided). So literally what I would be trying to answer is an equation similar to; a+(b*(hrs worked))=x

My best answer to that would be speculation, and, since speculation is worthless, your guess is as good as mine.

Sorry for the confusion.

I believe its now $ 15.00 in San Francisco, and here in the Sac area is it now $ 11. But that's really chump change in regards to California costs of living. Most apartments in San Francisco, that are not rent controlled, are around 2400 for 150 sq ft. It's ridiculous.

Posted by PootyButt
In most states, wait staff don't have to be paid minimum wage, because there is an assumption they're being tipped by customers. If you don't tip your waiter in the US they may be making considerably less than minimum wage.

https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

Yea, and I heard if you try and tip Europeans, they find it offensive. Not sure if that is accurate though.

Posted by nikkistar

Posted by PootyButt
In most states, wait staff don't have to be paid minimum wage, because there is an assumption they're being tipped by customers. If you don't tip your waiter in the US they may be making considerably less than minimum wage.

https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

Yea, and I heard if you try and tip Europeans, they find it offensive. Not sure if that is accurate though.

click to expand

no, it isn't.

but you don't have to tip in a lot of places.

Does seem strange that there are so many different minimum wages in the USA and that employers treat their employees so badly. 'forcing' customers to foot the bill