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* Last week, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa suggested that the restaurants take a five-year phase-in of the elimination of the subminimum wage…
Like a diner who sends back a bad meal, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s City Council floor leader on Friday turned up his nose at the Illinois Restaurant Association’s latest attempt to stop the elimination of the subminimum wage for tipped workers.
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) said the restaurant industry’s latest proposal to raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to $20.54 an hour at Chicago restaurants with more than $3 million in annual revenues is “dead on arrival.” […]
At Thursday’s City Council meeting, the ordinance that gives Chicago restaurants two years to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers was referred again to the Committee on Workforce Development.
“We have the votes to pass the ordinance as is. If changes are gonna be made, they need to happen soon, because the committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, and aldermanic briefings are scheduled for Tuesday,” Ramirez-Rosa said.
“It’s one thing to introduce an ordinance that’s a completely different structure to provide restaurant workers with higher wages. It’s another thing to say, ‘We want more years.’ If anyone is interested in five years, that’s the ask they should be making at this moment — not pushing this ordinance that is not gonna get anywhere,” he said.
Told that time was running out, [Sam Toia, president of the restaurant association] sent a text message that read, “I will definitely be communicating with folks over the next 24 hours! … We definitely need a five-year phase-in.”
Guess what happened. A five-year phase-in…
Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday signed off on a compromise that would deliver on his campaign promise to eliminate the “subminimum wage” for tipped workers while appeasing Chicago restaurants by giving them five years to swallow the 66% increase in labor costs.
It calls for tipped workers — currently paid 60% of Chicago’s minimum wage — to receive 8% annual increases beginning on July 1, 2024, until they reach 100% parity on July 1, 2028. […]
“The train was leaving the station. I know how to count votes. I counted the votes,” Toia told the Sun-Times. “I definitely think it could lead to some job loss. But it’s much easier for restaurant owners/operators to bake this into their budget over five years than over two years.”
Toia commended the mayor for his willingness to compromise, even though he clearly had the votes.
“I will say this about Mayor Johnson and his team: They communicated. They listened. They will communicate all day long, all night long. There was a lot of communication going on over the last 48 or 72 hours all the way into the late night. … They did start at two years. Less than 24 hours ago, I’m still hearing, ‘You’re lucky to get three,’” Toia said.
Just because you have the votes for something, doesn’t mean you should pass it as-is. Get some buy-in from the other side.
It’s a lesson more people could learn.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:02 pm
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===It’s a lesson more people could learn.===
When learning and growth is part of cobbling support in a legislative process, that’s doing the business of the people.
In an overall to all angles here, it’s a welcomed sight.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:09 pm
Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is a lightweight- BJ would be wise to dump him as Floor Leader.
Comment by PP Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:22 pm
===is a lightweight===
Not at all evident in that story.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:29 pm
==Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is a lightweight==
While CRR’s introduction on the statewide stage wasn’t great, he’s grown in the last 7 years.
Comment by Arsenal Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:31 pm
===he’s grown===
Blinders to this, macro and in this micro example, is on the person refusing to see where legislators (in this case city council member, “legislating” an ordinance) show distance from they’d beginning.
What’s fascinating, for me, is how it can’t be recognized where you can disagree politically but see good political instincts and growth occurring.
I can dislike the Cardinals but I can appreciate when I see good baseball.
Normally that Cards analogy would work but this year… yes, I digressed sorry.
Appreciate things done well to their tasks.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:38 pm
Knowing and relaying the ask through the press isn’t the usual norm but it worked.
Gotta give it to the mayor and his team. Their progressive agenda is being moved. They said it during the campaign and they’re moving it.
Negotiations tend to happen behind the door but that can take a while, with people hemming and hawing about not being able to get the information and approval of their people that quickly.
Decent strategy as it put Toia on notice he needed to get his people to agree quickly or there would be no ramp whatsoever.
Comment by Frida's boss Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 1:52 pm
===They did start at two years. Less than 24 hours ago, I’m still hearing, ‘You’re lucky to get three,===
That’s magnanimous, but giving an opponent a sliver when you have the votes isn’t really a compromise.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 2:03 pm
===isn’t really a compromise.===
Meh. Toia was happy with it.
Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 2:09 pm
===Toia was happy with it.===
It doesn’t sound like he has any options.
Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 2:12 pm
If you have the votes to do a thing in 2 years (the Mayor did), and opponents object, and your response is to listen to their objection and agree to do the thing in 5 years, giving the opponents more time to acclimate while not being as good for supporters than doing it in two years, then yes you compromised. This wasn’t an issue where there were other things to negotiate - there was a thing to be done and the question was between not doing it, doing it in 2 years, and doing it in more than 2 years. When the Mayor had the votes, not doing it was off the table, so doing it in more than he could have forced through with 26 votes is a compromise. Watch - this will now get around 40 votes.
Comment by Negotiations Tuesday, Sep 19, 23 @ 3:25 pm
“Get some buy-in from the other side.”
Bipartisanship is only valuable if both sides actually have good ideas to contribute.
As we saw with PPACA, it’s easy to spend a year chasing mirage votes and simply wind up with worse policy than if it had been passed as is day one.
Comment by Odysseus Wednesday, Sep 20, 23 @ 2:39 am