"We've partnered with Relay Delivery, a third-party delivery as a service company, in New York City to outsource some of our fulfillment responsibilities to them. This partnership arises primarily to stem elevated driver pay costs in NYC, which have more than doubled since the new driver pay law was introduced."
Between 1978 and 2024, chief executive pay spiked by 1,094%, according to the Economic Policy Institute—which means the average CEO earns 281 times the average worker. A new report from the Institute for Policy Studies captures how this disparity persists across some of the largest companies in the country and how the low-wage workers they employ are forced to rely on public benefits.
Less than 40% of employees received a bonus last year, down from 44% in 2021. And in 2024, the average bonus payout was $1,786, down from $1,857 a year earlier, according to the study. That's not the only pay-related trend to watch in 2026. Pay transparency will also be a hot topic this year, said ADP Chief Talent Officer Jay Caldwell. In June, counties in the European Union will be required to comply with new pay transparency laws, mandating salary disclosures in job advertisements (much like many U.S. states).
The server you mentioned may need tips to survive on her sub-minimum or minimum wage income. However, a tip should never be requested, and for a server to follow your niece out of a restaurant to discuss a small tip is beyond the pale. Although some establishments suggest tips that can go as high as 35%, most customers give 15% or 20% of the total bill.
There was usually a room of about 100 to 150 people, with two to three servers and two bartenders. One night, it was just the bartenders and me, so about 50 people per section. This usually wouldn't bother me, but three of my big tables were occupied by one large group. I went to help with the middle of the three tables, as a large portion of their group had just arrived.
