My barber has to do Uber on the side. He sold his shop and now works there for the new owner until his other barber gig grows. He's a refugee from Mosul and a really great guy, but he's not getting enough from the barbering.

Someone should write a book about a wealthy barber. :)

I see your point, but a change like that would require major legal changes, which would take years. In the meantime, I don’t want to screw people who rely on tips to live.

workers will finally ask for livable wages from their employers

Most states allow booth renting, which means that the barber or stylist is paying the salon/shop owner for the privilege of working there. They can be expected to help keep the place clean, only sell products the shop owner authorizes, be available for walk-ins a certain number of hours per week, and keep pricing in line with that shop's policies, but otherwise they're "their own boss." Whatever that means at that point.

So many barbers and stylists are not making wages. They've effectively got a landlord who sets their prices for them. The only power they have is to change shops and hope for a less abusive landlord, but that also risks alienating reliable and repeating customers.

It's an absolutely fucked and predatory system. It requires a legislative fix, but just like the other big tip-dependent sector of food service, the people in these jobs are overwhelmingly overworked women struggling to make ends meet. Many people find it difficult to engage in political advocacy when they're struggling to survive.

Basically, I hate this "ask for livable wages" rhetoric because at-risk people have the hardest time self-advocating. Don't blame poor people for being poor. See that there's a problem and advocate on for them.

Don't forget that when you do this, you're deciding what issues that worker should be protesting.

They didn't agree to hunger strike for YOUR cause. Those are hard working people that rely on those tips because of the system that exists. Whether or not the system should work this way is debatable (for what it's worth, I agree that it shouldn't be this way) but for now, tipping IS part of the social contract, and not tipping a server doesn't make you an activist, it makes you an asshole.

This is specifically for servers, and gig workers (Uber drivers, delivery services) There are a lot of people I don't tip, because they aren't making half of minimum wage per hour. I don't often tip anyone other profession unless they've really gone above and beyond.

They can ask all they want, the laws allow them to do it, so you would need to change legislation first.

my barbers commute in from 2 hours away,

Why?!?