Liberal Colorado Lawmakers Trade Jobs for a Day, Ignoring Impact on Small Restaurant Business Owners
In a move that has raised concerns among small restaurant business owners, liberal lawmakers in Colorado recently chose to temporarily abandon their cushy positions in the state legislature and work as servers for a day to advocate for another raise in the minimum wage.
The event, titled "Server for an Hour," was organized in partnership with One Fair Wage, an advocacy group seeking to end sub-minimum wages for tipped workers.
During this event, lawmakers donned aprons and picked up notepads to experience the lives of restaurant servers firsthand. The purpose was to demonstrate solidarity with Colorado's restaurant workers and encourage municipalities to raise the wages of tipped workers. It also aimed to draw attention to the staffing crisis currently faced by the service industry.
An event was held Monday that had legislators donning aprons and serving food. FOX31's Gabrielle Franklin was there to learn why a bill's sponsors are aiming to allow cities to do away with a sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. (KDVR)
Colorado's minimum wage stands at $13.65 per hour, but for tipped workers who rely on gratuities, the minimum wage is $10.63 per hour. The state law dictates that the wages of tipped workers should be $3 less than those of other workers. While the minimum wage for non-tipped workers recently increased from $17.29 to $18.29 per hour in Denver, tipped workers did not see a significant raise.
According to Democratic Rep. Javier Mabrey of Denver, tipped workers in Colorado are not earning a livable wage. He argued that if local municipalities have the political will to do so, they should be able to eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers, without eliminating tips altogether. Mabrey emphasized that the goal is to elevate the baseline wage to the minimum wage, ensuring fair compensation for restaurant workers.
However, this initiative has faced opposition from organizations like the Colorado Restaurant Association.
Colin Larson, the association's director of government affairs and a former state representative, expressed strong disagreement with the lawmakers' approach. Larson criticized the lack of communication between lawmakers and the restaurant industry, stating, "This is about the worst thing you can do to the industry, and they would have learned that if they would have talked to us or if they talked to any restaurant owners or people that worked in restaurants."
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The Colorado Restaurant Association has not had the opportunity to review the proposed bill, as lawmakers did not engage in discussions with them beforehand. The association, along with numerous other voices in the restaurant industry, opposes the lawmakers' actions, concerned about the potential adverse impact on small business owners.
Critics argue that the lawmakers' advocacy to pump up the minimum wage fails to consider the complexities and challenges faced by small restaurant owners. They contend that such an initiative, without proper consultation with industry professionals, may have unintended consequences, jeopardizing the viability of these businesses.
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