Supporters of Colorado tipped minimum wage bill say their businesses are being “harassed” with angry calls, hostile reviews
Some restaurant owners who had previously signed up to speak out at the Capitol in support of the bill are now having second thoughts
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Ahead of a second hearing Monday for the controversial bill that could change the tipped minimum wage in Denver, Edgewater and Boulder County, some opponents circulated flyers targeting a lawmaker who is backing the measure.
This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
Democratic leaders in the Colorado House blasted the missives.
“We were alarmed and disturbed by the distribution of a deeply disrespectful flyer targeting a member at the Capitol and by attacks on businesses who testified in support of legislation in recent days,” House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and House Majority Leader Monica Duran, D-Wheat Ridge, said in a joint statement. “We want to make it clear that these actions are unacceptable.”
Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, said the “harassment” is also affecting restaurant owners and employees who have come out in support of the bill.
“[Restaurants have] been bullied not only on social media, or given bad Yelp and Google reviews, they’ve also been receiving calls where people are yelling at their employees. It’s been really horrible,” said Riggs.
Dolores Tronco, owner of The Greenwich restaurant in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood, testified in favor of House Bill 1208 at its first hearing last week, saying she believes it would allow her to pay her employees more equitably.
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Google reviews show her restaurant is one that’s been targeted by the bill’s opponents.
“No one in Denver asked for ‘NYC cuisine,’ let alone out-of-state lobbyists who seek wage cuts to meet investors’ bottom line,” said a one-star review on Google from last week. “Either way, read the room and become a part of the community or leave.”
Riggs said some restaurant owners who had previously signed up to speak out at the Capitol in support of the bill are now having second thoughts.
“Some have decided to stand strong and say, ‘This is really important to our livelihoods and those of our staff, and so we’re going to continue to fight.’ And others have said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable anymore speaking in public because of all the harassment I’m receiving,’” Riggs said.
State lawmakers are hopeful the contentious response to the bill will not deter people from voicing their opinions.
“We encourage Coloradans to testify on legislation to share their perspectives and expertise,” McCluskie and Duran said in their statement. “Targeting businesses or members of the public who participate in the legislative process threatens the very principles of democracy we all swore to uphold. These actions have a chilling effect on the public and on our legislative process.”
The bill has divided officials in Denver, with Mayor Mike Johnston and Denver City Council members on opposite sides. Johnston supports the measure, while several council members are ardent opponents.
The mayor’s office wants the bill amended so that municipalities may choose their own tip offset rates, just like they chose their minimum wage. As is, the bill would set an equalizing offset rate for all cities where the local minimum wage is higher than the state’s.
The mayor’s idea of giving cities the option to change their tip offset rate is something the Colorado Restaurant Association supports.
“We are supportive and have been working with a group of restaurateurs and partners and allies on this bill to create some amendments that we feel will hopefully address the concerns of some of the local city councils and some of the legislators,” said Riggs.
Regardless of what version of the bill advances through the legislature, relying on the tip offset rate is ultimately up to individual restaurant owners. It is not mandatory for owners to take the full offset rate, nor is the money saved by enacting the offset required to be used in any specific way.
If restaurant owners in Denver choose to use the tip offset rate now, they can pay their tipped employees $15.79 an hour instead of the city’s standard minimum wage of $18.81.
Under the current version of House Bill 1208, Denver restaurant owners would only have to pay their tipped workers $11.79 an hour, which is the statewide tipped minimum wage. The bill would also apply to Boulder, Boulder County and Edgewater, where the minimum wage is higher than the state’s.
Riggs said the money previously being spent on wages could then be used to pay back-of-house staff more equitably or help cover the fluctuating cost of ingredients. However, the bill does not specify what the savings must go toward.
Proponents say people like bartenders and servers are earning well above the minimum wage with their tips and that the bill will help employers continue to recover from the pandemic.
Meanwhile, opponents say that because there’s no guarantee the money will go back to non-tipped workers, the bill ultimately cuts worker wages and lines owners’ pockets.
The measure went before the House Finance Committee on Monday evening. After five hours of testimony, it was laid over Tuesday at about 1 a.m. to a date uncertain so that amendments could be worked on.
No votes were taken.
State Rep. Alex Valdez, a Denver Democrat and lead sponsor of the measure, at the beginning of the hearing, said he planned to change the bill so tipped workers in Boulder wouldn’t see a reduction in their base pay and to halve the reduction in base pay for tipped workers in Denver. The amendment was never voted on, however, amid confusion about the amendment among members of the House Finance Committee.
Colorado Sun staff writer Jesse Paul contributed to this report.
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
