The leftist leaders of Seattle, Washington, have decided to raise the city’s minimum wage yet again, promising a whopping $20.76 per hour beginning on Wednesday.
But even those employees who are not laid off as a result of the increased labor costs might end up making less than they did before the government-mandated raise.
As Breitbart reported, many consumers are planning to forgo tips altogether when workers begin making more per hour:
Tipping workers on top of the approaching hourly rate hike does not appear to be a popular idea with some residents who have said they will no longer be shelling out the extra money for workers.
The Mail article continued:
One user who shared a Reddit post on the wage hike, which has picked up steam in the local area, said: ‘With Seattle’s new minimum wage going into effect really soon, most food industry workers are finally reaching a level playing field.
‘As a result, I’ll no longer be tipping more than 5-10%. And I’m ONLY doing that if service is EXCEPTIONAL. It’s only fair—hard work deserves fair pay across all industries.
‘Any instance where I am ordering busing my own table, getting my own utensils, etc warrants $0. I also am not tipping at coffee shops anymore.’
ADVERTISEMENTSeattle’s minimum wage rate is among the highest in America, KTTH radio host Jason Rantz wrote in an opinion piece on Thursday. He noted that Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance requires the increases based on inflation.
Tipping has already become a controversial subject nationwide, with many self-service transactions now ending with a plea for extra cash:
Tipping in America be like pic.twitter.com/kVIaQwQJEA
— Daily Dose of X (@schuld_eth) December 29, 2024
Customers are experiencing tipping fatigue as more places ask for gratuity. pic.twitter.com/B3Up2v0vv6
— CNN (@CNN) March 5, 2023
Is anyone else cutting back on going to restaurants because of Tipping Fatigue?
Everyone expects a tip for doing basically nothing. pic.twitter.com/7BoQoyDXXG
— Dr. Jebra Faushay (@JebraFaushay) December 11, 2023
But for workers and business owners, a dip in gratuities could be among the least of their problems, as one employee told KING 5:
For restaurant workers like Brandon Nyland, who has spent eight years in the service industry, the increase is welcome news.
“I think going from $17 to $20, you’re going to see those raises in cost-of-living adjustments in a 9-to-5 corporate world as well,” Nyland said.
However, Nyland and other industry professionals acknowledge the challenges this could pose for businesses.
“A lot of restaurants are going to have razor-thin, one- to three-percent profit margins,” Nyland explained. “So, a lot of places are probably going to build that price increase into the menu.”
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Here’s some additional coverage of the response to Seattle’s latest minimum wage bump:
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