Cuo: Full min. wage andtips

Gov. Cuomo wants workers who get tips to also be paid the full minimum wage, describing the issue Sunday as “a question of basic fairness.”

As it stands under state law, tipped food-service workers receive a minimum wage of $7.50 an hour and other tipped service workers are paid $9.15 an hour — compared to the full minimum hourly wage of $11.

“In New York, we believe in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and that all workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” Cuomo said.

“There should be no exception to that fairness and decency. I have directed the Department of Labor to ensure that no workers are more susceptible to ex- ploitation because they rely on tips to survive.”

Under Cuomo’s review — which he’s expected to discuss in his upcoming State of the State Address — the Department of Labor will hold public hearings to solicit input from workers and businesses about the pay disparity.

The hearings will likely tackle issues that include how 70 percent of tipped workers in the state are women and how studies show black workers are often tipped less than their white counterparts.

Tipping has also been linked to higher rates of sexual harassment, according to a study cited by Cuomo.

The New York State Restaurant Association criticized Cuomo’s plan, citing the industry’s “razor-sharp margins.”