The hypothesis that eliminating the tip credit [raising wages] will decrease sexual harassment charges does not hold up

By Lisa Fickenscher of The NY Post.

"Does tipping lead to sexual harassment?

The question is being debated in New York and a handful of other states that are weighing whether to raise the minimum pay for tipped workers, including restaurant servers.

But at least one group that is opposed to the change says that raising the pay has no impact on the number of sexual harassment complaints, according to data obtained from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, The Post has learned.

What’s more, New York has the lowest rate of sexual harassment complaints by restaurant workers compared with the seven states, including California, Oregon and Nevada, that pay tipped workers the full state minimum wage, according to the EEOC data.

“The hypothesis that eliminating the tip credit [raising wages] will decrease sexual harassment charges does not hold up,” claims Michael Saltsman, managing director of the Employment Policies Institute, a conservative think tank that obtained the EEOC data.

On Friday, there is a hearing in Albany addressing tipped workers’ wages following an order late last year by Gov. Cuomo, who cited a study showing that tipping practices have been linked to higher rates of sexual harassment.

“At the end of the day, this is a question of fairness,” Cuomo said, pointing out that 70 percent of all tipped workers in New York are women.

The study by a worker’s advocacy group — Restaurant Opportunities Centers United — claims that workers in states that require the full minimum wage be paid to tipped employees experience fewer incidents of sexual harassment.

A gaggle of celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Jane Fonda and Reese Witherspoon have thrown their support behind the group and its cause.

A growing number of restaurant workers, however, have challenged the celebs and their support of the cause that they say will ultimately lower their take-home pay."