Who Subsidizes Restaurant Workers' Pitiful Wages? You Do | Mother Jones

Many people - not just Republican voters - harbor the view that people who get Food Stamps, etc. are lazy people who really need a kick in the ass.  But the Fight for Fifteen labor movement campaign is getting a boost from the recognition that Food Stamps, Medicaid, and Earned Income Tax Credit are really subsidies to low wage employers. - gwc
Who Subsidizes Restaurant Workers' Pitiful Wages? You Do | Mother Jones

by Hannah Levintova

Americans who like to eat out occasionally, the full-service restaurant industry is full of relatively affordable options—think Olive Garden, Applebees, or Chili's. But these spots aren't exactly a bargain once a hefty hidden cost is factored in: The amount of taxpayer assistance that goes to workers earning little pay.

Food service workers have more than twice the poverty rate of the overall workforce, and thus more often seek out public benefits. A new report published last week by the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC), a restaurant workers' advocacy and assistance group, calculated the tab and found that from 2009 to 2013, regular Americans subsidized the industry's low wages with nearly $9.5 billion in tax money each year. That number includes spending from roughly 10 different assistance programs, including Medicaid, food stamps, and low-income housing programs like Section 8.