Your server might be making $2.13 an hour

Why are these waitresses smiling?

I am shocked to learn that the minimum wage for tipped workers in New Jersey is $2.13 an hour -- the same compensation as in federal law.

So, the next time you're upset by the quality or preparation of food in a restaurant, you might want to talk to the restaurant owner instead of stiffing the waiter.

Of course, many restaurant owners already have the upper hand, paying slave wages to workers and hiding or misrepresenting the quality of the food they serve. 

The media go along with this by rarely devoting any space to the origin of restaurant food.

The New Jersey Assembly wants to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers, but is Governor Christie going to be any more supportive of the effort now that he's refused to raise the minimum for all workers?

“The minimum wage for tipped workers in New Jersey is $2.13 per hour, a paltry sum that has been frozen for more than 20 years and is lower than most states, including all of our surrounding states,” explains Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, one of the sponsors. “It is time for New Jersey to catch up.”

It looks like nothing will change. Customers and servers will be pitted against each other, and many restaurant owners will be laughing all the way to the bank.

The link below provides more information on wages and tipping:

A Guide to Tipping