LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Restaurant servers and bartenders packed the Michigan state Capitol on Tuesday to urge lawmakers to amend a new law set to take affect in February.
They say the law eliminates the tipping system.
VIDEO: Workers chant "save our tips" at rally in Lansing
Servers and bartenders make an hourly wage and heavily depend on tips. The new law is designed to increase those hourly wages until it equals minimum wage.
Servers and bartenders are concerned customers will stop tipping.
7 News Detroit spoke with Keyonna Caston, who's a server at Red Robin.
"My tips are at stake. My livelihood, my life, my well-being, the way I take care of myself, the way I take care of my family is at stake," she explained.
Workers are also concerned that restaurants will pass the cost onto the customer.
"All of my money, all of my bills, everything I'm saving for and working for all comes from tips and if I lose that, I lose the ability to pay for my future," Jordynn Robinson, a hostess at Peppermill in Standale, said.
Hear more from two workers at the rally in the video below:
Justin Winslow is president of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association.
"These servers, these bartenders, these restaurant operators are angry and getting to the point of frankly being pissed off that no one's listening to this. They didn't ask for this change. They didn't want for it. I hope legislators are listening this time," he explained.
Hear more from Justin Winslow in the video below:
Paul Roma works in the accounting department for National Coney Island.
"At the end of the day, restaurants have to survive too. This would be devastating to the paradigm under which we do business and devastating to the wait staff that get paid this way. It was something no one wanted expect a small group out of New York and here we are today," he said.
Restaurant Opportunities Center originated out of New York. Chris White is the director for the Michigan chapter, which gathered the signatures for the legislation.
"Wages drive more consumer activity," White said.
He said one of the main reasons people leave their job is because they're not getting paid enough. White said this legislation helps cut down on turnover.
"So, what we're doing is stabilizing the industry, and we're actually improving the industry by raising the wages because tips are not gonna change. If you're tipping, that waitress makes $3.93 an hour, you're not going to stop tipping if it goes up $2 an hour for the next three or four years," White explained.
