Minimum Wage
Aaliyah, like many other bartenders and servers, earns the absolute minimum wage of $2.13 per hour.
The problem comes in when the U.S. Department of Labor stipulates that every tip Aaliyah receives can be used by her boss as a means to pay her a salary below the federal minimum wage. Contrary to what most people think, her tips form part of her salary! And there are other problems with this.