I've long known this podcast would end up doing multiple episodes dedicated to different aspects of tipping, little did I know that the very first discussion, on the subminimum wage, would itself, get split into a two-parter.  Tiffany in NYC joined again  for a chat with two organizers from the Restaurant Opportunities Center here in the Bay Area (ROC the Bay): Adam Barr and Maria Moreno. For ease of listening/sharing I just broke it up into two segments.

In Part One:  we talk a little about our own experiences with working in subminimum or equal treatment states, and we look a little at the history of this practice, so..."unique"... to our country. As with most awful things you dig into in the US - it's fucking racist.

To get more info:
I cannot recommend enough this Focus on Health podcast interview with bartender, activist, and educator Ashtin Berry that gets into just why this history, and these conversations are so important. For more reading on the history (we are in no way sufficiently thorough here!) you can read recent One Fair Wage reports, rustle up this whole book on tipping, pick up Saru Jayaraman's book Forked, or check out some of these various articles tackling the subject.  Also, this is why Herman Cain truly, truly sucks.

Check out Part Two here, or wherever you subscribe.

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Thumbnail image is of the Georgia Waiters Union, circa 1900.