NEW YORK (AP) - In more than a decade slinging drinks, bartender Autumn Alston has depended on tips to earn a living, leading to an often-inconsistent income from some customers who tip a lot, some who stiff and a few who make cringe-inducing suggestions.
"There was a time when a guy was like, "If you pull your shirt down a little more you'd probably get more money,'" said the 32-year-old mother of two from the Bronx. "This is what you go through working in this industry."
Alston and other service workers who depend on tips are at the center of New York State's latest minimum-wage debate - whether to raise the "below minimum-wage."
Like most states, New York allows restaurants and hotels to pay servers, busboys and other tipped workers less than minimum wage - $5 per hour instead of $8.75 - as long as they make up the difference with tips.
Now New York is considering raising the sub-minimum to $7 an hour to decrease the reliance on tips. But restaurant owners are fighting the proposal, which they say would lead to higher menu prices and hurt the very employees it's designed to help.
Seven states including California have eliminated their tipped wage altogether, requiring all tipped workers to be paid the minimum wage before tips.
Supporters and opponents of higher wages see the tipped wage debate as a preview of a larger legislative fight over the standard minimum wage. In 2013, New York lawmakers voted to gradually raise it from $7.25 to $9 per hour at the end of 2015. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and other supporters now want lawmakers to raise it to $10.10 and authorize local governments to set it even higher. On Sunday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo reiterated his support for the overall minimum wage to increase to $10.50.
New York's tipped wage hasn't gone up since 2011. It's up to Cuomo's labor commissioner to decide whether to raise it again, and a state wage board was tasked with coming up with a recommendation. This month the board voted against eliminating the wage entirely and is expected to vote on the increase to $7 in the coming weeks.
Restaurant owners argue a hike would dramatically increase labor costs, putting some out of business.