Ng Han Guan/Associated Press
The shift from cash tips to automatic gratuity has hurt some cruise ship workers, the maritime lawyer Michael Guilford said.
- Cruise ship passengers used to tip workers in cash, but in recent decades, most cruise lines have begun adding gratuity charges to passengers' bills.
- Some workers, like room stewards, have seen their overall pay decrease, the maritime lawyer Michael Guilford told Business Insider.
- Some workers who began receiving tips after the shift to automatic gratuity have seen no change in their overall pay since their base salaries have decreased by the amount they now receive in gratuity.
Cruise ship passengers used to tip workers in cash, but in recent decades, most cruise lines have begun adding gratuity charges to passengers' bills. Doing so can be convenient for passengers, but the shift has been harmful for some cruise ship workers, the maritime lawyer Michael Guilford told Business Insider.
Read more: A Royal Caribbean cruise ship rescued two sailors who were stranded at sea for 20 days
Most cruise lines distribute the gratuity charges among a number of workers, including some, like laundry workers, who previously didn't receive tips, Guilford said. But some workers, like room stewards, have seen their overall pay decrease since they now earn less in tips than they used to, Guilford said, and some workers who began receiving tips after the shift to automatic gratuity have seen no change in their overall pay since their base salaries have decreased by the amount they now receive in gratuity.
Guilford said he's spoken with hundreds of cruise ship employees both before and after cruise lines moved toward automatic gratuity, and workers who received cash tips reported much higher tip-based income than those Guilford has spoken with since the shift, suggesting that the overall amount of money spent by passengers on tips has decreased.
"I had crew members come in here saying they were making 'x' when they were getting cash tips and are now making significantly less than 'x' because they've gone to this new tipping program," Guilford said.
Have you worked on a cruise ship? Do you have a story to share? Email this reporter at mmatousek@businessinsider.com.
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