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Let’s say a waiter makes $8 a per hour. Plus he earns another $10 per hour in tips. And there’s a roofer who makes $18 per hour. It would seem to me that both people should be treated the same.

Try telling that to a waitress who may work a 5 hour shift and mostly on weekend nights. Then they come home and have to pay a baby sitter.

First off, I was an assistant manage at a Truck Stop restaurant in the early 80's when Reagan signed the legislation, and trust me, he lost a lot of women when he did that. It pissed off a lot of young struggling mothers who counted on those tips.

No, you cannot compare a construction worker with those making tips. Most tip earners are part time, and usually they work weekends on Friday and Saturday. And only during rush hour. The best get the best and most hours, the rest are lucky if they can get more than a few hours when the tips are good.

I used to manage restaurants back in the day, and watching the labor cost is a huge part of making money. I would have 15 waitresses working from like 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm if it was a good night. However, the money things slow down, I couldn't send waitresses home fast enough.

Tip earners are only needed for the rush hours. As for the rest of the day, you have those who manage the dead hours when you may get 2 or three customers an hour.

No, do not ever compare a tip earner to construction. workers who are employed 8 hours a day, and seldom if ever get sent home early.

I was an assistant manage at a Truck Stop restaurant in the early 80's when Reagan signed the legislation, and trust me, he lost a lot of women when he did that. It pissed off a lot of young struggling mothers who counted on those tips.

> No, do not ever compare a tip earner to construction. <

I picked roofer in my example on purpose. You bet being a server is difficult work, for all the reasons you mentioned, and more.

But so is being a roofer. Carrying shingles up a ladder on a hot day then installing them is no fun. And I should know. I was an involuntary roofer for a week in my younger days. My father was a carpenter, and he got a roofing job. I was the laborer.