this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2025
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don't be a dick? Trotsky was right on this 100%
If Trotsky refused to go to those restaurants he would be right. By going he was effectively treating them as slaves by expecting unpaid labor as he knew that was their source of income.
where would you go to as a protest against tipping? where do they not force you to tip?
I tip when I go to places that expect tips because my stiffing individual wait staff isn't going to change anything. If I was going to 'protest' I would just boycott sit down restaurants. At this point I only go if someone else really wants to.
There are tons of place to get good food that doesn't involve tipping and I can just make food at home too. Counter service restaurants might have a pity jar for tips, but the business is still paying their staff and not expecting 95% of wages to come from that jar.
I do the same today... I am just wondering if the same amount of choices was available in 1900 (which I doubt)
Today? hmmm I disagree
Absolutely which is what I do but again, not everybody is like us.
People were able to make food at home or get food from places that didn't involve sitting down and making tiped wait staff serve someone for free in 1900.
You don't have fast food, counter service locations, street vendors, or any of the other food sources that don't involve sitting down and being served by someone whose primary income comes from tips?
Really? I had no idea but I guess you are an expert?
Honestly no, every one of those ask for tips now here in Canada.
Is it the vast majority of their income like wait staff in the US?
No? Then tipping is optional there and has nothing to do with what Trotsky did which was in the US when 100% of their income came from tips or current US waitstaff where the vast majority of their income still comes from tips.
The employees deserve a fair wage, and it is fucked that the onus is on the customer to provide that directly. However, not tipping doesn't fix the issue, you are just taking free labor from the workers and not addressing rhe actual issue
Hmmm I think it helps... if the waiting staff cannot make a living, they would look for better paying jobs thus forcing their current employers to pay better OR forcing them to close.
How is this different from any other "boycott" company X by not giving them any money? I could say you are condemning those employees to be inevitably laid off by not giving the corp money
"Hey guys, lets punish the workers so that they have to make change happen instead of maybe taking the initiative to get the laws changed."
So what do you do to get the laws changed?
Nothing, absolutely nothing. There are many other things that impact me directly that take up my time.
But while doing nothing about changing the laws around tipping I am also not punishing the wait staff by refusing to engage in the current system to their detriment. My criticism is leveled at the people who stiff wait staff while doing nothing to fix the system.
People aren't working at a restaurant because they have other options available. It's a shit job that doesn't care if you have no degree, prior convictions, or a mental disorder. All they care about is that you can get to work on time and accomplish 75% of your duties everyday. Most places offer no insurance, have no retirement plans, and force you to work most holidays and weekends. It's a shit job for people with no other options, and you're saying they should get paid less or find a new job
Not sure now... but a few years back it was the best "non skilled" job to have precisely because of tips
It does usually require people to be pretty/attractive... there are other jobs (anything back of the house) that does not require this under the same shitty work conditions
That is not what I am saying at all... Grocery store cashiers get very similar shitty conditions and they get no tips I would like to end tipping and would love for people to be paid a living wage, the question is "how we get there?" and I am trying to see Trotsky's take on it.
Of course, this is another social media post and it would immediately be blasted and misinterpreted without an iota of thought put into it
Worked IT for a payroll company with a bunch of restaurant clients. It was not unusual for servers to drag home $4,000+ a month in tips alone.
Cool. I made $300 a week doing full-time weeknight bartending last year as my primary income. Most servers are barely scraping by