Latest news with #RestaurantReliefAct
Axios
5 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Colorado's tipped wage bill punts decision to locals
The nasty fight at the Colorado Capitol over how much to pay tipped restaurant workers ended in a standoff this week. The big picture: Gov. Jared Polis signed the Restaurant Relief Act into Colorado law on Tuesday, with backing from the Colorado Restaurant Association and other major industry organizations. Why it matters: The result is a victory for the opposition, which mounted an aggressive campaign against the legislation, though it gives cash-pinched restaurant owners another chance to make their case at the local level. Threat level: The state's restaurant industry faces a crisis, with as many as 200 closing statewide last year — a majority of which operated in Denver — partially prompting the legislative proposal. Catch up quick: The House bill pitted the restaurant industry against its own workers in a battle over whether to increase the amount deducted from the base pay of an employee who receives tips. Restaurants considered the measure a potential lifesaver at a time when many have gone out of business. But labor unions and left-leaning advocates opposed the potential reduction in workers' pay, given the high cost of living in the Denver metro. How it works: State lawmakers neutered the bill and punted the decision about adjusting the $3.02 tip credit to local governments like Denver and Boulder, where the minimum wage exceeds the state's rate of $14.81. What they're saying: Polis, in a statement, said the law will ensure "restaurants across Colorado can thrive," while calling on cities with higher minimum wages than the state to take action to address the tip credit. What's next: Don't expect local governments to rush to the issue anytime soon.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Restaurants owners who testified in support of tipped wage bill were doxxed: Democrats
DENVER (KDVR) — The restaurant owners who have testified in favor of a tipped wage bill at the Colorado Capitol have been threatened and doxxed, according to the bill's sponsors. Rep. Alex Valdez, a Democrat representing downtown Denver, said he's been working to contact opposition to the bill, but so far has not been able to sit down with anyone. He called the statements made against restaurant owners who testified in support of the bill 'vile.' 'I have never seen it this bad': Colfax restaurant to close after rising costs The Colorado House Democrats also released information about flyers distributed in the Capitol, saying they were 'alarmed and disturbed by the distribution of a deeply disrespectful flyer targeting a member at the Capitol and by attacks on the business who testified in support of legislation in recent days.' 'We want to make it clear that these actions are unacceptable,' Speaker Julie McCluskie and House Majority Leader Monica Duran said in the release. They said the flyers and statements will have a 'chilling effect' on the public and legislative process. They did not provide details on what was said on the flyers. The bill in question is dubbed the Restaurant Relief Act and would require local governments with a minimum wage that exceeds the state minimum wage to provide a tip offset for tipped employees that is 'equal to the tip offset amount described in the state constitution, which is $3.02,' according to the bill's summary. The bill would put all tipped workers in the state at a minimum wage of $11.79. 'Once we had our first committee hearing, we obviously heard a lot of emotional testimony but what happened afterwards was that the folks that are in opposition to the bill decided to take to doxxing a lot of the restaurant owners who came and testified,' Valdez told FOX31 on Monday. 'The language was vile, the things that they said were vile,' he added. Kjersten Forseth is with the Colorado AFL-CIO, which opposes House Bill 1208. 'We haven't organized any tactics like that and we certainly don't support hateful or offensive tactics,' Forseth told FOX31 on Monday night. 'We're seeing a lot of passion around this bill because tens of thousands of Coloradans are worried about their wages being cut. That's money they count on for rent, groceries, utility bills and other every day expenses. As the cost of living skyrockets, we hope the legislature will reconsider cutting wages and instead prioritize saving people money.' Colorado AFL-CIO said it has requested time with Valdez and other sponsors of the bill. DPS: Lincoln Elementary student died of bacterial meningitis Valdez said that because of this, the House Finance Committee (which was scheduled to discuss the bill on Monday afternoon) would only hear from restaurant owners whose businesses have already closed, 'so that they don't fall victim to the progressives who are getting on their websites and their ratings for their restaurants and saying horrible things about the owners.' Valdez said that Denver has lost 22,000 jobs in the restaurant industry 'thus far,' noting data from the past three years, and said the rate of job loss has accelerated. 'What we're really trying to do right now is throw a lifeline to an industry that is so critical to my district. I represent downtown Denver, and a lot of the area where a lot of our restaurants are,' Valdez explained. 'It's evident what's going on, to me. And to not try and do anything about it is really just to throw our hands up and allow Denver's restaurant scene to completely disappear, which I'm not happy with.' Xcel is selling Denver's Zuni power plant. History advocates worry it will be demolished He said the bill has faced 'a lot' of opposition. Valdez also said that he expects amendments to the bill in committee, but worries that the bill's opposition will not make themselves known. 'We've never had a meeting with the opposition. We've asked them to come to the table — they never did,' Valdez said. 'This is kind of a new experience, I haven't been a part of a bill where we really couldn't engage the other side. I also haven't been part of a bill where you saw instances of doxxing either. I think it's indicative of just how ugly politics can be.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New measure looks to cut pay for some restaurant workers
DENVER (KDVR) — State lawmakers are considering an idea to lower the pay for thousands of restaurant workers in an effort to save establishments from closing. The piece of legislation has been dubbed the 'Restaurant Relief Act' because it aims to cut costs for restaurants across Denver, Edgewater and Boulder County. Parker the Snow Dog, Georgetown's honorary mayor, dies in crash In those three areas, the minimum wage is higher than it is in the rest of the state. Those are the areas where about 21,000 bartenders and servers stand to see a decrease in their base wage. 'Currently when someone is a tipped employee we can pay them $3.02 below minimum wage,' said Chrissy Strowmatt, general manager of the Blue Bonnet restaurant in Denver. In Denver, the minimum wage is $18.81. Tipped workers are guaranteed $15.79 per hour plus tips. If they do not make enough tips to bring their earnings up to the city's $18.81 rate, employers must pay the difference. However, Strowmatt said those instances are rare. 'They're making anywhere between 35 dollars an hour up to 45 dollars an hour with their tips,' she said. 'They make more than the managers do.' The new proposal would flatten the minimum hourly wage for all tipped restaurant workers across the state to $11.79, which is the current minimum rate for tipped restaurant workers outside of Denver, Edgewater and Boulder County. Employers could still choose to pay their staff above the minimum rate. 'Four dollars an hour is a substantial pay cut in a city that costs continue to way surpass inflation. The unpredictability in tips can not account for this loss, has not and thousands will suffer for it,' restaurant server Laurie Brown said. Brown is one of dozens of people who spoke in opposition of the measure during Thursday's lengthy hearing on the bill. 'This bill isn't about supporting restaurants. It's about keeping wages low and making it harder for tipped workers to thrive,' Alejandro Flores Munoz, owner of Combi Taco & Stokes Poke said during the hearing. Meanwhile, Strowmatt said Blue Bonnet is one of many local businesses struggling to keep its doors open. 'We're at a breaking point. We're dying,' she said. The restaurant has laid off staff, cut all service on Mondays and raised prices to try and stay afloat. 'I can't charge $25 for two tacos and rice and beans. Like, I can't do that. So something's got to give,' she said. Look inside this $6M modern castle for sale in Douglas County Strowmatt said the Restaurant Relief Act feels like it's their only hope. 'The last thing we want to do is take money from the servers. That is the last thing we want to do,' she said. 'When the restaurant's closed, nobody's got a job and everybody's in trouble so we really don't have any other options.' After a five-hour committee hearing at the state capitol on Thursday, lawmakers voted 11-2 to advance the measure for further consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Colorado Restaurant Association supports tip offset bill as Denver restaurants struggle
DENVER (KDVR) — The Colorado Restaurant Association and Foundation is supporting a group promoting independent restaurants in the state, in addition to the Restaurant Relief Act, to help keep Colorado's restaurants and eateries open. 'We want our restaurants and teams to thrive, but we have to stay open for that to happen,' the association wrote in a Facebook post. 'Independent restaurants are closing every single day in Colorado. In just three years, Denver has lost 22% of its restaurants.' Poll: These shuttered restaurants are missed the most in Denver metro That's according to data provided by Denver's Department of Excise and Licenses. The department shared that at the end of 2021, there were 2,166 restaurants licensed in the city, and only 1,693 licensed restaurants in the city by the end of 2024. The group provided a photo that listed dozens of restaurants that have closed between January 2024 and February 2025 throughout the Denver metro area — from Aurora to Golden and everywhere in between. The advocacy group says eight out of 10 Colorado restaurants are struggling to hire enough staff, although industry wages in Colorado have risen on average 30%. Because of these losses, the Colorado Restaurant Association is supporting a bipartisan coalition called the Independent Restaurants for A Better Colorado, that's supporting the Restaurant Relief Act. The act, which is officially called 'Local Governments Tip Offsets for Tipped Employees.' The measure would require local governments with a minimum wage that exceeds the state minimum wage to provide a tip offset for tipped employees that is 'equal to the tip offset amount described in the state constitution, which is $3.02,' according to the bill's summary. Bill addressing semiautomatic gun purchases in Colorado clears Senate Some provisions stipulate timing on the tip offsets (requiring local governments to enact code or ordinances before Sept. 1 that would take effect by Oct. 1 imposing the tip offset for food and beverage employees), but the goal is to increase the amount paid to restaurant workers, not lower it. The bill is scheduled to be discussed at the Colorado House Business Affairs and Labor Committee on Thursday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
