Wages of Service Industry Workers

Today's Indianapolis Star, has an interesting article on the wages that Indiana's service industry workers earn on the job. Waiters and Waitresses are still only making $2.13 an hour plus tips, which works out to be $12-$15 an hour. As can be imagined this is a small amount in which we are asking the people who serve us food and drinks to live on. When you factor this amount in with the fact that most restaurants and bars do not offer health insurance, you have a group of people who desperately need to work in an environment that does not give them cancer. The servers and bartenders of today unfortunately could be the individuals of tomorrow who need government assistance for health care costs if they work in a smoky place. Indiana and Indianapolis needs to pass a strong smokefree air law that protects all workers from the cancer causing chemicals in secondhand smoke. We need a strong law now, and not one that is watered down with exemptions.