Bartender sparks debate after revealing shocking pay slip for 70 hours of work

The topic of salaries is certainly a divisive one. And with the current cost of living crisis, it is a very important topic of discussion to have.

Well, a bartender from Austin, Texas has sparked quite the debate after revealing how much she makes in a 70-hour shift.

The TikTok star also explained to her followers why everyone should “always” tip their servers, explaining that she simply wants to be “paid adequately and consistently.”

However, the video has divided opinion:

Aaliyah Cortez worked at a sports bar for a year before uploading a video of her paycheck to TikTok in January 2020.

In a short clip, Aaliyah showed her followers a breakdown of their salary, revealing that she only gets paid $2.13 an hour without tips.

She must therefore rely largely on tips provided by customers of the sports bar.

If she worked 70 hours for just over $2 an hour, in theory that means she should have taken home about $140.

But when you hear how much Aaliyah actually took home, I think you’ll be a little shocked.

Aaliyah revealed that after 70.8 hours of work, she received a modest salary of $9.28 after federal taxes, Social Security and Medicare.

Aaliyah added: “That’s why you should always tip your bartenders and servers, anyone who serves you or provides you with a service.”

“Sure, I got tips, but that’s what I got for my hourly wage,” she continued. “That’s what you tip for.”

The mother lashed out at the service industry and said she just wanted to be “paid adequately and consistently.”

“There are laws that allow tipped employees to be paid below the federal minimum wage, forcing us to rely on the customer to pay our wages,” she told Buzzfeed.

“It’s not right that we have to do this, but I wanted to shed some light on the issue and educate the public about the importance of tipping.

“If I’ve had two good weeks of tips, my check will be pretty low. At my last restaurant, my checks were $0.

“I would like us all to be paid fairly and regularly. As you can see from my check, I can’t afford to live on $2.13 an hour, so I rely solely on the generosity of my clients.”

Viewers were divided by his video, with one person commenting: “This is why the US should be like EVERY other developed country and not have a tipping culture. Businesses should pay your wages. Tipping should not be a thing.”

A second added: “Tipping is optional, always has been and always will be. The IF YOU CAN’T TIP DON’T EAT AT THE RESTAURANT thing is pointless, we just pay our own bill.”

“It’s the company’s fault, not the customers who keep it open,” thought a third person.

However, others were a little more understanding, as one person wrote: “No ma’am, your bar/restaurant is getting free labor and that’s not normal.”

And another pointed out: “The people angry about this are the ones who don’t tip lol.”

“I don’t understand why people go to a restaurant and can’t leave a decent tip, like going to a fast food place instead,” someone else complained.