LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Tipped workers are having a tougher time this year than they did in 2020, with lower tips and increases in customer hostility and sexual harassment, according to a new survey.
Advocacy group One Fair Wage found that 75% of tipped workers surveyed reported lower tips this year.
On top of that, hostility or harassment related to COVID-19 safety protocols has increased — 54% said they have had to deal with it. And that pressure led to 30% of workers saying they were less likely to enforce rules because they feared lower tips.
And 31% report an increase in “unwanted sexualized comments from customers.”
The survey, based on responses from 238 workers portrays an unhappy workforce that seems to be getting thinner and thinner.
More than half — 54% — say they have considered leaving their job since the pandemic began.
One Fair Wage has campaigned for better protections for workers who rely on tips. While Nevada requires that tipped workers be paid $8.75 per hour with benefits ($9.75 if benefits are not offered), many states only require companies to pay $2.13 per hour — with rules that state tips must bring that up to at least $7.25, which is the federal minimum wage.
The survey indicates that’s just not happening.
Restaurants and bars are the businesses most frequently involved in this problem, and the pandemic has impacted those businesses severely during the pandemic.
