[andor436]

As a software engineer with the same career length as the author, it really hurts to read things like this and realize our respective pay is so different for what feels like arbitrary reasons.

I'm a part owner (one of hundreds!) of a brewpub in Austin called Black Star. It's cooperatively run, both the restaurant side and the organization itself. One of our core principles is to pay each member of the staff a livable wage, and to not allow tipping in the brewpub. It's been very successful, and I hope something that will spread.

A bit about it here: http://www.blackstar.coop/blog/2015/5/4/black-star-co-op-ups...

You can get involved with Restaurants Advancing Industry Standards in Employment (RAISE) here: http://rocunited.org/our-work/high-road/raise/