> it's unkind to not tip if it means cheating the wait staff out of their wages.
Very likely "unkind", but I categorically reject your framing of it as "cheating by the customer".
The practical and ethical responsibility for a livable wage lies with the employer, even if your specific state's laws permit them to violate it.
The real culprits are (collectively) the lawmakers and their donors, who allow this "race to the bottom", followed by the employers who benefit every day from the workers' powerlessness.
Or, to put it another way: "Donate cash to my salaried employee out of pity, so I don't have to pay them for their actual work! If you don't do it, they'll starve and it'll be all your fault!"
Very likely "unkind", but I categorically reject your framing of it as "cheating by the customer".
The practical and ethical responsibility for a livable wage lies with the employer, even if your specific state's laws permit them to violate it.
The real culprits are (collectively) the lawmakers and their donors, who allow this "race to the bottom", followed by the employers who benefit every day from the workers' powerlessness.
Or, to put it another way: "Donate cash to my salaried employee out of pity, so I don't have to pay them for their actual work! If you don't do it, they'll starve and it'll be all your fault!"