Senator Akshar Rallies With Servers to Save the Tip Credit

New York State Senator Fred Akshar is planning to stand with local restaurant workers and small business owners in a rally in Binghamton to push back against the possible elimination of the tip credit for restaurant and service industry workers in New York.

The Republican says restaurant owners and servers have called his office over the past several months to weigh in on the issue of crediting a portion of tip income toward the state minimum wage with employers making up the shortfall.

According to information from the Senator’s office, Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier this year said he was directing the Labor Department to look into possibly eliminating the credit and tips for restaurant and service industry workers.

Many restaurant owners across the state have said they can’t afford to pay wages to servers without the additional income from tips and not have the costs passed on to diners.