Pennsylvania State Representative Patty Kim of the 103rd Legislative District wants to change the way people are paid in the hospitality industry.
She's introduced House Bill 345, which would raise the minimum wage for hourly workers and tipped workers to $12 an hour starting in July.
Every year it would increase by 50 cents a year until by 2027 it reaches $15 an hour. And after that she said there would be a cost of living adjustment added.
Kim was asked by Kevin Battle on the KDKA Radio Morning Show, would people not have to tip if people are getting paid $15 an hour?
"It's up to the customers. What's really important is that these servers get the steady income every day, every week, every year, which I think is one of the reasons why a lot of servers are not going back to work," she explained.
She says having steady pay from unemployment benefits have been very good for some workers and offer a lot less stress and back-breaking work.
Kim says that in Arizona, one restaurant owner is offering to pay part of their tuition to comunity college, which says is a sign that we're not looking at workers as dispenable.
Restaurantuers in Pittsburgh have similar offerings, with some offering cash towards college or a new phone or some other similar incentive, said Kevin.
Kim was asked if she thinks that private businesses are no longer capable of handling the wage issue themselves.
"I just think the days of paying people as little as possible are gone," she replied. "I think people have looked at their lives, they've lost loved ones, they're home with their children, they realize how much quality time is good and so they may be looking elsewhere - maybe getting a degree to have a better job. I think business owners are really goign to have to entice and engage with these workers.
"If the workers up their game and the businesses bring in a livable wage, our society would just be so much better," says Kim.
Kim says her bill currently has only has the support of Democrats, but she is hopeful that some Republicans will come on board.