Salazar Joins Acting Labor Secretary Sonderling to Highlight No Tax on Tips, Address Restaurant Workforce Crisis

MIAMI, FL - Today, Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) joined Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and South Florida restaurant leaders for a roundtable focused on No Tax on Tips, the pressures facing locally owned restaurants, and the industry's need for a stable, legal workforce.

"Miami gathers around its restaurants, from the morning cafecito to the last table of the night. Behind every one of those tables is someone working hard for every tip they earn," said Congresswoman Salazar."That is why I helped turn No Tax on Tips into law. It allows servers, bartenders, and other restaurant workers to keep more of their earnings for the bills waiting at home, without asking small restaurant owners, already operating on tight margins, to absorb another cost."

Under the new law, eligible workers may deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tip income from their federal taxable income. The law also provides a deduction for eligible overtime compensation. 

The roundtable then turned from immediate tax relief to a longer-term challenge raised by restaurant owners: maintaining a stable and legal workforce.

According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly one in four restaurant and food-service employees (23 percent) was born outside the United States. Restaurant operators struggled to fill nearly 900,000 open positions each month in 2025, and the industry is expected to add approximately 1.7 million jobs over the next decade.

The National Restaurant Association has endorsed Salazar's bipartisan Dignity Act (H.R. 4393), and restaurant owners participating in the roundtable expressed support for the legislation as a practical answer to the workforce uncertainty affecting their businesses.

"Restaurant owners told us directly that they have positions they cannot fill and no reliable legal workforce to fill them. At the same time, experienced workers who have lived here for years remain unable to work legally," Salazar said. "The Dignity Act brings those realities together under strict rules. That is why the National Restaurant Association and restaurant owners support it: it replaces uncertainty with a permanent workforce solution that restaurants nationwide can use and trust."

The Dignity Act would allow eligible, longtime undocumented immigrants to earn renewable legal status and work authorization after meeting strict requirements. Combined with nationwide E-Verify, it would help restaurants build a stable, verified workforce while protecting businesses that follow the rules. The Dignity Program provides no federal benefits or pathway to citizenship.

During the roundtable, local operators described how rising costs, narrow margins, and staffing shortages shape decisions about hours, service, and expansion. Salazar underscored her message: No Tax on Tips delivers immediate relief to restaurant employees, while the Dignity Act addresses the staffing instability holding their employers back.

Salazar thanked Acting Secretary Sonderling for bringing the conversation directly to Miami and hearing firsthand from the restaurant leaders affected by federal labor and workforce policies.

Participants included representatives from the National Restaurant Association, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, Rusty Pelican, Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A, Grove Bay Hospitality, VE Hospitality, SuViche, Novecento, Outback Steakhouse, Anna Management, Meat N' Bone, and Wagyu Bar.