MA Food Workers: Lower Tips, More Sex Harassment During Pandemic

MASSACHUSETTS — Tipped food service workers in Massachusetts, the District of Columbia and four other states say they are experiencing increased sexual harassment from customers and decreased tips during the pandemic, according to results of a survey released this month by a labor advocacy group.

The survey of 1,675 food service workers by One Fair Wage also showed a decrease in the amount of tips workers are receiving while outlining other pandemic-related working conditions that are unfair or dangerous. In Massachusetts, 87 percent of respondents said tips had decreased, with 70 percent reporting that tips had decreased by more than half.

Of the 134 Massachusetts workers included in the survey, nearly half said they had seen an increase in unwanted, sexual comments from customers since the start of the pandemic in March. Other survey findings included:

• 43 percent of the Massachusetts respondents said one or more of their coworkers had tested positive for COVID-19.
• More than one-in-four said their employers had not conducted mandatory coronavirus safety training.
• 81 percent said their employers do not consistently follow COVID-19 safety protocols.

More than half of the respondents said they were reluctant to enforce coronavirus safety rules for fear of customer backlash. About 80 percent said they had experienced or seen hostile customer responses when safety rules were enforced.

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).