If the large majority doesn’t tip, wait staff will become homeless. That’s the only “message” you’re sending. Restaurant owners won’t care in the slightest.
Don’t patronize organizations that don’t pay their employees. This is the message, you’re claiming you want to send. You have to take money away from the people who set the policy, not the worker who has to live under the policy. Find restaurants that refuse tips and spend your money there. (Or just don’t go out.)
Until we end tipping, tip your servers.
…not the worker who has to live under the policy.
They don’t have to work there.
They do, their alternatives are being homeless, or working at another company that’s very likely managed the exact same way.
The lack of a social safety net or sufficient welfare, empowers exploitative labour conditions.
I was once poor and facing homelessness and I intentionally avoided tipped positions and only applied for jobs where I was paid more than $2.10/hr. I got one of those jobs.
I’m not insinuating that everyone can do this, but I think most people can, considering the vast majority of mininum-wage jobs are not tipped-wage jobs. I don’t think most people feel forced to take a tipped-wage job.