RWDSU members testified today at Department of Labor hearings in the Bronx, New York, as workers and activists gathered beforehand to call for an end to the so-called “tip credit.” Car wash workers are among those affected by regulations which allow employers to pay sub-minimum wages in many industries, under the supposition that tips will make up and exceed the difference. In reality, the policy can act as a vehicle for wage theft, leaving workers earning poverty wages below the minimum wage.

Workers told their stories at the hearings and the rally, explaining how the tip-credit system creates uncertainty and sub-minimum wage pay.