SHAMPOOERS

BUSSERS, RUNNERS, &BARTENDER ASSISTANTS

The state minimum wage is $7.25, but thetipped minimum wage is even lower atonly $2.23. Including tips, tipped workersin Delaware earn a median wage of only$9.00 – equivalent to $18,720 for a full-time year-round employee. However, tippedworkers generally are allowed part-timeschedules that vary by season. Seven stateshave eliminated the tipped minimum wage– in those states tipped workers receive thefull minimum wage. Higher wages reduceturnover and pour millions of dollars back

THE STATEOF TIPPEDWORKERS

In Delaware there are over 17,000 tippedworkers, and nearly 60% of these work in therestaurant industry. The restaurant industryemploys nearly 10% of the workforce andis one of the fastest growing sectors of theeconomy. Unfortunately, the restaurant industryoffers several of Delaware’s lowest paid jobs.Five of the ten lowest paid occupationsare in the restaurant industry, and the twolowest paid are tipped occupations.

2 LOWEST PAIDTIPPED OCCUPATIONS

TIPPEDMINIMUM WAGE

$2.23MINIMUM WAGE

$7.25MEDIAN WAGE FORTIPPED WORKERSINCLUDING TIPS

$9.00

TIPPED WORKERS WHOWORK IN RESTAURANTS

58%

Restaurant Opportunities Centers United

www.rocunited.org

DELAWARE

turnover and pour millions of dollars backinto the local economy.

The Rising American Electorate refers to thedemographic groups that are growing themost rapidly, historically with lower voterparticipation rates, but whose growing civicengagement has been crucial in tipping thescales in recent elections. Tipped workersare primarily women, nearly 40% are moms,and although many are married, half of theseare single moms. Although the median agefor tipped workers is 29, half of them areyounger. And they are racially diverse,overrepresented by Latinos, Asians, and AfricanAmericans compared to the broader workforce.They are also a highly educated group.Tipped workers are a snapshot of the RAE.

TIPPED WORKERS AND THE RISING AMERICAN ELECTORATE

$9.00

GENDER

62%  3      8      %

 

In states with a tipped minimum wage of $2.13,the poverty rates for workers of color is nearlydouble that of the seven states without a tipped

TIPPED WORKERS AND THE RISING AMERICAN ELECTORATE

White 66%

Black 16%

Latino 12%

Asian 6%

Other 0%

  <_24 36%  25-34 27%  35-44 14%  45+ 23%

RACEAGEHIGHER EDUCATION

EDUCATION

PARENTS WITH CHILDREN

ON FREE LUNCHES

41%

MARITAL &PARENTAL

STATUS

46%

Married 31%Parents 29%

Dads 14%Moms 38%

Single Moms 17%

      P      O      V      E      R      T      Y

 

 

TIPPED RESTAURANT WORKERS

live in POVERTY at 2X the rateof the U.S. workforce.

19%

   P   O   V  E R

 TY  R  A  T    E    

   P   O   V  E R

 TY  R  A  T    E    

 T    I        P   P        

E      

D      R    E   S  T  A UR A  N   T

    W     O      R        K

           E

        R        S

T      I     P    P   E  D   W O  R  K    E   R

    S

10%

10%

29MEDIAN AGE

  of tippedworker moms

are single moms

double that of the seven states without a tippedminimum wage, with one in four living in poverty.

  WHITE PEOPLE OF COLOR ALL

POVERTY RATES IN $2.13 STATES

  16% 25% 20%

POVERTY RATES IN STATES WITH NO TIP CREDIT

  13% 14% 14%

RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGELiving off tips is precarious, but it doesn’t haveto be this way. Raising the minimum wage andeliminating the tipped credit would providea significant stimulus to the U.S. economy intipped wages alone, providing a boost to localeconomies and the broader food industry, as well.

FOR MORE INFO rocunited.org/stateoftippedworkers/ 

The industry projects employment will continue

to grow at the rate of 13% over the next decade.

HINDUSTRY PROJECTED SALES 2014 ➤ 1.7 BILLION

   B   I   L   L   I   O   N

   I   N   D   U   S   T   R   Y

   G   R   O   W   T   H

19%WORKERS ONFOOD STAMPS

1.2X REST OF U.S.WORKFORCE

16%

MINIMIM

WAGE$10.10

$12.00

$15.00

TIPPEDSTIMULUS

$12.7

$19.4

$30.1