Right, but as is, most restaurant employees (except cooks) get absolutely nothing except tips. There's not even the possibility of healthcare for those workers and as they are usually paid "under the table", none of their earnings go toward anything like FICA.

What I'm saying is, there's no stability for the workers and by and large, the consumers are aware of that. Many consumers might even be sympathetic to service workers because many consumers once held similar jobs. If there were some stability, some way to be employed and not have to worry about being cut off completely, then people might feel better about demanding change. For example, right now it's difficult to get a job in a restaurant or more difficult than it used to be. Servers come and go quickly because there's usually someone waiting in the wings to take their place. When you're living hand to mouth and there's people lining up for your job, why would you go out of your way to endanger that, especially if you likely don't have money saved up for medical emergencies?

As for the same wages thing . . . well, even in the current system, there are a lot of workers who do just barely enough to make money. Then there are others who do the work of five people and get paid accordingly. I don't know that a standardized wage would be better overall, though I do think that the minimum wage for service work is necessary.

I understand that Europeans especially, find the American standards of service to be intrusive, what with all the questions. However, the first time I went to a European country, I thought the service was pretty lackluster, to the point that I couldn't find anyone when I wanted to pay my bill. So, I guessed how much it was, put down the money (sans tip of course) and left.