From: Suzette Frith To: MinWage Subject: Proposed Minimum Date: Friday, June 23, 2017 10:44:57 AM

We provide and supports for adults with developmental disabilities, some of whom work in with the City of Minneapolis. Increasing the is unsustainable in our as we are funded primarily through state and county levels, and are unable to increase our funding to cover increased costs such as this proposed $15 minimum wage.

We would love to pay everyone more money, but we have to receive increased funding from the state in order to fund it. To pay the people we serve more money, employers are going to have to be supportive and agree to pay people with disabilities more per hour, and not move on to higher skilled individuals who will be available at the higher minimum wage.

This would also be complicated to administer as we would not be able to increase our staff's hours for all hours worked (again, no funding), so would have to instill a wage differential for hours worked within Minneapolis city limits. This will cause an unfair disparity for all other staff who will not receive this.

We would love to just raise the price of our hamburgers to cover increased minimum wage fees. However, we don't sell hamburgers, or any other product; we support individuals who love to work, but need additional supports to be successful, and whose funding for those supports comes from the state/county. We cannot simply ask for a higher per diem. This is regulated and must come out of the state budget through legislation. This means we would have to take money away from somewhere inside a very tight budget.

Thank you for your time.

Suzette Frith, SHRM-CP, PHR Chief Operating Officer TSE, Inc. 2027 Rice Street Roseville, MN 55113 Web: www.tse-inc.org Email: [email protected] Phone: (651) 489-2595 x215

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"This message and any attachments are solely for the intended recipient and may contain confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, use, or distribution of the information included in this message and any attachments is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us by reply e-mail and immediately and permanently delete this message and any attachments. Thank you." From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Lina Goh Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Minneapolis Minimum Wage Draft Ordinance Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 11:51:19 AM

Hi Lina-

Thank you for the email. I am working on an amendment that will make the phase-in period longer. I am also working on a separate definition for restaurants so that some of our smaller restaurants with multiple locations are counted as small instead of large. As for the youth wage, I believe there is a training wage that is included in the ordinance. I appreciate your feedback and will make sure that your comments are included in the public record.

From: Lina Goh [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 9:13 AM To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Frey, Jacob; Johnson, Barbara A. - City Council; Yang, Blong; Warsame, Abdi; Goodman, Lisa R.; Glidden, Elizabeth A.; Cano, Alondra; Bender, Lisa; Quincy, John; Johnson, Andrew; Palmisano, Linea; Hodges, Betsy A. Cc: John Ng Subject: Minneapolis Minimum Wage Draft Ordinance

Dear Mayor Hodges and Council Members,

As immigrants, we're living our dream of being able to own a restaurant with a unique cultural appeal. We're proud to be a part of the vibrant dining scene in Minneapolis. We chose to open a in this city because it represents the values and opportunities unlike anywhere else in this country.

Small Business owners are great contributors to this community by creating and providing , paying , and participating in many charitable activities.

We have 3 main objections to the current draft ordinance:

1. If the goal is for Minneapolis to have a $15 minimum wage, that wage with recognition to reported tips still achieves this.

The practice of tipping in full-service restaurants has become the basis of the American service model and is not something servers want to see dismantled. I encourage City Council and Mayor to take the time to listen to the multitude of servers and bartenders in this room to hear their voices firsthand.

2. Small work within small margins, especially restaurants. It is crucial that a longer phase-in period of at least 7 years be included.

The current draft ordinance calls for $0.75 increase (from $9.50 to $10.25) on July 1st of 2018 (approx 8%), and then, incrementally $1.00 increases from year 2019 to 2021, but the biggest jump is $1.75 increase in year 2022 (from $13.25 to $15, that is 13% increase). How would any small business be able to survive such a spike in labor costs? Would consumers be able to keep up with these kind of price increases in goods and services?

Seattle’s phase-in period is 7 years for small employers with tip recognition, and our City’s draft ordinance is only 5 years? Why is it that Minneapolis needs a shorter phase-in period? Please, take that into consideration.

3. To protect our young, new, and future workers, a youth wage must exist so that all have equal access to developmental work experiences. A young worker with few or no skills or experience is likely to be seen as too expensive to employ at $15 an hour.

I PLEA for you to carefully consider these nuances before you vote on Friday June 30th.

A middle ground is needed as the city council debates a minimum wage increase. By refusing to acknowledge the reality of our industry, we could be looking at raising drastic prices for consumers, reducing hours for employees, eliminating positions, and replacing hospitality with automation.

Minneapolis is not San Francisco. Minneapolis is not Seattle. Minneapolis is not New York City. Minneapolis is Minneapolis. We can all agree that we want our city to grow, so let’s find a way to do it that will keep Minneapolis a progressive, diverse, thriving, and accessible city for all.

Thank you for your time.

Best, Lina Goh & John Ng Co-Owners Zen Box Izakaya Tel: 612-332-3936

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From: Wallace, Lindsey A To: MinWage Subject: Minimum Wage Comment Date: Monday, June 26, 2017 11:02:30 AM

Please include this comment in the public record for minimum wage. Thanks!

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sunday, June 25, 2017 11:41 PM To: Wallace, Lindsey A Subject: Ward 10 Contact Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * Andy Goke Email * [email protected] Phone Phone Type Address City Minneapolis State MN Zip Question/Comment * Hello Lisa, As a former resident, current landlord, and frequent visitor and lover of Minneapolis, I greatly urge you to VOTE NO on the . Some of the great things in Minneapolis are the independent restaurants, bars and shops; for the future of Minneapolis, as new businesses look at where to open, the $15 an hour will factor in. Companies considering starting up in Mpls WILL decide to go to St Paul, Richfield/ elsewhere. If this was state wide, I would be all for this, but having it be just in one city (a GREAT city), is not ideal since businesses can and will chose to open 1/2 mile out of Minneapolis (especially the new independent places trying to start up and make ends meet. Please help keep our city awesome! Thank you for your consideration! Andy Goke 651-707- 3090

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk.

From: Dahler, Ken on behalf of Council Comment To: MinWage Subject: FW: Please find in opposition to the wage imposition. Date: Thursday, June 29, 2017 8:51:54 AM

Ken Dahler l Council Committee Coordinator l City of Minneapolis – Clerk’s Office l 350 S. Fifth St. – Room 304 612-673-2607 l [email protected]

From: athanatic [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 11:11 PM To: Council Comment Subject: Please find in opposition to the wage imposition.

I live in an immigrant community in the city and they are best at making their businesses and trainees thrive without this further burden on their success.

-- Matthew Gress 612-356-2592 --- That's merely my opinion. I could be wrong. (FBI, CIA, NSA, NRO, DIA, Bomb, Muslim, Islam, Jihad.) From: Wallace, Lindsey A To: MinWage Subject: Minimum Wage Comment Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 2:11:40 PM

Please include the below comment in the public record for minimum wage, thanks!

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 12:41 PM To: Wallace, Lindsey A Subject: Ward 10 Contact Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * Tamara Haley Email * [email protected] Phone (612) 770-6864 Phone Type Cell Address 1119 W 32nd St City Minneapolis State MN Zip 55408 Question/Comment * please vote against the $15 an hour wage increase. I understand the challenges of earning minimum wage - i was a single mother earning minimum wage in 1994. However, i do not think that making the mandatory minimum wage $15/hr is the answer to the issues of poverty. Many businesses in our area are small independently owned businesses that are not supported by a large corporate bankroll and i worry that it will put these important members of our community of of business. Tamara

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk.

From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Matt Halley Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Urgent Message Regarding Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 11:56:28 AM

Thank you for the email, Matt. Your feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

From: Matt Halley [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, June 26, 2017 5:21 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Urgent Message Regarding Minimum Wage Ordinance

Dear Council Person Frey-

I write to express grave concern for the impact that the proposed minimum wage ordinance as drafted would have on Cookie Cart's ability to hire North Minneapolis teens. I urge you to carve out an exemption in the ordinance that supports nonprofit employers who hire young, inexperienced workers. Please maintain a "training wage" for part-time employees age 14-17.

For every $1 increase in , Cookie Cart would need to identify an additional $32,000 of revenue. As a small nonprofit in the current funding environment, it would be impossible to keep pace with these increased expenses and we would be forced to reduce the amount of training we provide.

In 2016, Cookie Cart employed over 227 teen employees, 90 percent of whom were eligible for free or reduced lunch. They worked 31,590 hours in our nonprofit bakery on West Broadway Avenue earning between $9.50 and $10.50 per hour. Teens are employed at Cookie Cart for an average of 12-18 months. Our after-school and summer jobs are not designed to support families financially. They are designed as a first job in a neighborhood with few opportunities for young people. We give young people a financial incentive to show up and learn, so they can be prepared to find and maintain future employment.

Alexis Flynn, an employee at Cookie Cart, told the Southwest Journal (April 4, 2017) that she feels like would go down with a $15 minimum wage. She said she hasn’t furthered her to the point where she should be getting $15 an hour, adding that she feels her current wage, $10.50, is reasonable for what she does. “If we’re getting paid right off the bat $15 an hour, what would college do for you?” she asked.

Cookie Cart's mission is to provide life, leadership and employment skills to teens ages 15-17 years old in an urban nonprofit bakery. Youth employees at Cookie Cart must be enrolled in school and maintain a satisfactory GPA. Homework help is provided if they need it. Their paychecks serve as an incentive to show up and they see their employment at Cookie Cart as rewarding, intellectually challenging, and even fun. In short, it is nothing like working at a fast food restaurant. It is safe place to build pathway to strong economic future.

A minimum wage ordinance will only succeed in lifting families out of poverty when there is a pool of adults that are prepared to succeed in the workforce.

I urge you to carve out an exemption in the ordinance that rewards employers who hire young, inexperienced workers. Please maintain a "training wage" for part-time employees age 14-17.

Thank you, in advance, for supporting a in our city while preserving opportunities for our youth.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at 612.203.1900 with any questions or need for clarification.

Matt Halley Executive Director Cookie Cart 612.843.1946

From: Dahler, Ken on behalf of Council Comment To: MinWage Subject: FW: Minimum wage comment Date: Monday, June 26, 2017 9:07:00 AM Attachments: Minneapolis minimum wage-public hearing testimony.docx

Ken Dahler l Council Committee Coordinator l City of Minneapolis – Clerk’s Office l 350 S. Fifth St. – Room 304 612-673-2607 l [email protected]

From: Hennes, Douglas E. [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, June 23, 2017 4:31 PM To: Council Comment Subject: Minimum wage comment

I testified Thursday afternoon at the Minneapolis City Council public hearing on the minimum wage increase, but as time ran short I had to condense my remarks. I was able to convey the gist of what my prepared testimony, but I thought I would pass along a copy of it for the record.

Thanks,

DOUG Doug Hennes Vice President for Government Relations and Special Projects University of St. Thomas 2115 Summit Ave. (Mail #AQU-307) St. Paul, MN 55105 [email protected] 651-962-6402 (work), (612) 327-0368 (cell)

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS Doug Hennes testimony on $15 minimum wage Minneapolis City Council June 22, 2017

Good afternoon. My name is Doug Hennes, and I am vice president for government relations at the University of St. Thomas, 1000 LaSalle Avenue.

The proposed increase in the minimum wage would not affect our regular Minneapolis employees, full-time and part-time. They now earn $15 an hour or would be at that wage by July 2022, when the minimum wage would reach $15.

The increase would affect our undergraduate student workforce in Minneapolis, and St. Thomas is seeking an exemption from the ordinance for those workers. Most of them work limited hours (8-12 per week) and earn $9.50 an hour in areas such as our dining service or in clerical positions. St. Thomas would pay an additional $127,000 a year to these students by the time the $15 minimum wage is fully implemented.

We seek an exemption for five reasons:

• First: We have a fixed pool of money, using federal and institutional funds, to pay student employees. We are reluctant to raise tuition to pay for wage increases of this nature, and we likely would hire fewer students under the new ordinance. We prefer to spread funds across a greater number of students.

• Second: Our undergraduate students, in general, do not support families as primary wage earners. They work part-time jobs on campus, and most do not depend on student wages to pay major bills such as tuition, room and board.

• Third: We need to treat student employees on our Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses the same. For example, it would not be fair to pay a Minneapolis campus student $11.25 an hour in September 2018 to bus dishes while a St. Paul campus student with the same duties made $9.50 an hour. We cannot increase St. Paul student wages at the same rate as those in Minneapolis in order to provide parity. That would cost an additional $526,000 in FY19, and the increase would climb annually to $2.6 million in FY23, necessitating tuition increases each year.

• Fourth: We also need to be sensitive about wage compression and wage parity between student employees and regular employees. For example, it would not be fair to pay a part-time student worker $15 an hour while a regular full-time employee with years of experience made comparable wages in the same job. The practical impact of this would prompt us to increase the hourly wage of full-time employees beyond what may seem to be a reasonable point.

• Fifth: Students at public institutions such as the University of Minnesota and Minneapolis Community and Technical College would be exempt because the state would be not covered by the ordinance. But private non-profit institutions such as St.

1 Thomas would be covered. Is that fair? We don’t believe so. Please put us on a level playing field with these public institutions.

Thank you for your consideration of our request.

2 From: Dahler, Ken To: MinWage Subject: FW: Main Street Alliance MN position on raising the wage Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 4:53:38 PM Attachments: MSA-MN Statement On 15 in Minneapolis.docx

Ken Dahler l Council Committee Coordinator l City of Minneapolis – Clerk’s Office l 350 S. Fifth St. – Room 304 612-673-2607 l [email protected]

From: Corinne Horowitz [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 4:52 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Kate Davenport; Kylene Guse; Danny Schwartzman; Butter Bakery; Frank Brown; Jason Rathe; Julie Kearns; Davis Senseman; Lonnie McQuirter; Kurt Schreck; Andy Papacosta Subject: Main Street Alliance MN position on raising the wage

Minneapolis City Council Members,

Please see the attached statement by Main Street Alliance MN. Our Minneapolis advisory board members and a few additional small businesses are also cc'd. We believe that raising the minimum wage is the right thing to do, and we support an increase of the minimum wage that has a reasonable phase-in timeline, is simple to understand, has a strong enforcement mechanism, and has significant resources for the transition for small businesses.

We hope council will not "support" these small businesses with unnecessary carve outs or extended phase in timelines that unnecessarily delay increases in employee wages, but instead look at big picture policies that can support small business.

We believe that the extra costs of wage increases will be outweighed by the associated benefits to our community, but we ask for an all-out community effort from the City and our community to support locally owned small businesses in Minneapolis as we raise wages citywide.

We are encouraged that staff is already working on some of these ideas, and we would like to see a strong commitment by City Council to support them.

-- Corinne Horowitz State Director, Main Street Alliance of Minnesota [email protected] 612-232-1655 Take Our Small Business Survey Become a Contributing Member mainstreetalliance.org | Facebook | @mainstreetweets

Small business owners in Minneapolis are your neighbors. We send our kids to the same schools, shop in the same grocery stores, and we work hard to create good jobs in the community while making ends meet for our families as well. We want to create a great, vibrant city for all of us- workers and small businesses to thrive and we believe living wages are part that.

We believe that rising income inequality and the increasing wealth gap is the moral and economic challenge of our time, and we are grateful to the Minneapolis City Council for being a beacon of progressive public policy in our state and country by boldly confronting economic inequality. One way to address the wealth gap is by raising the minimum wage so that all who work full time are earning a basic living.

When our city has one fair wage of $15 per hour, our city will be stronger and more equitable. We believe strongly in the concept of a universal fair wage that all people receive, regardless of industry.

We support an increase of the minimum wage that has a reasonable phase-in timeline, is simple to understand, has a strong enforcement mechanism, and has significant resources for the transition for small businesses.

Raising wages for the lowest paid workers in our community is right thing to do for our city and will actually be good for businesses - when people have more economic security, they spend more money at the small businesses on Main Street.

As small business owners, we certainly understand where many business owners are coming from when they express concern about increasing the minimum wage. Many, if not most, small businesses are working with razor-thin profit margins and endless threats to their business, which compromises their own livelihoods. And for a long time, it hasn’t felt like the city or government is supporting the small business community.

We hope council will not "support" these small businesses with unnecessary carve-outs or extended timelines for phasing in a new policy. These measures would put small businesses at a competitive disadvantage when hiring employees from a labor pool that is already limited and competitive. Instead, the council should look at big-picture policies that can truly support small business.

We believe, and research shows, that the immediate cost of wage increases will be outweighed by the associated benefits to our community. In addition, however, we ask for an all-out community effort from the City and our community to support locally- owned small businesses in Minneapolis as we raise wages citywide. The following are some of the numerous ways the City and community can support small businesses.

Ways to Invest in Minneapolis Small Businesses

Support and continue to expand the purview of the Small Business Team We applaud the city for creating a Small Business Team, and want to see continued commitment to keep this effort – and any resulting recommendations that come from the Team - fully supported and resourced. We know the Team is looking to see what its needs are in the future, and we want to continue to see policymaker support as initiatives and requests for funding or ordinance changes come forward.

One of the immediate resources the Team is considering as a way to expand its outreach capacity is to hire an external resource to assist in creating a robust communications and marketing plan focused on small business outreach. This plan

should include not just outreach regarding policy changes such as minimum wage, but provide additional assistance in marketing the city’s business and technical assistance programs as well as new efforts that are being worked on by the small business workgroup and/or the Innovation team. Particular emphasis should be placed on informing our underserved communities about opportunities for investment or public support. Staff at the city should be actively exploring new ideas to help small businesses reduce costs and make it easier for businesses operating in Minneapolis.

Increasing the availability of viable physical spaces in which small businesses may flourish. Help connect small businesses with affordable commercial property, which is increasingly difficult to find, by: ● Connecting landlords with local small businesses. ● Requiring development projects to include affordable retail, office, and industrial spaces. ● Helping tenants buy their own buildings by providing financial planning assistance and financing.

Providing a leg up for small businesses in the world of . Large, self-insured employers enjoy a significant advantage over small businesses that face the turbulence of the small group market. While macro-level changes are out of the City Council’s hands, Minneapolis could help small business owners support their employees’ health by investigating opportunities for small businesses to collectively negotiate as a larger group.

Buy Local campaign Keep money circulating in the local economy by encouraging businesses to buy from local vendors, and market Minneapolis businesses to consumers. Partner with business associations and even neighboring cities to promote our local independent businesses.

Local Procurement The city should be the lead example of buying from local small businesses. Expand on existing efforts to direct city procurement to local businesses and work with other large entities (e.g., other levels of government, educational and medical institutions) to help increase local procurement efforts.

Tourism promotion Prioritize small local businesses in all tourism promotion efforts. From conventions to weddings, the city and Meet Minneapolis can do much more to make small businesses a central part of Minneapolis promotions. Our small business stories are a big part of what makes our city great.

Enforcement and Outreach When rolling out new workplace regulations, Minneapolis should engage in a robust community education effort to help businesses and employees understand the new policies. Enforcement should be proactive and aggressive to ensure a fair, equitable workplace.

We are all in this together. Let's make this a stronger more equitable city for workers AND for small business. From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: MinWage Subject: FW: Washington Post Article Says Seattle $15 Minimum has Bad News Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 11:53:39 AM

Heidi Ritchie Aide to Council Member Jacob Frey, Ward 3

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 South Fifth Street – Room #307 Minneapolis, MN 55415 TEL: 612-673-2203 [email protected]

From: Rod Johnson [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, June 26, 2017 9:30 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Washington Post Article Says Seattle $15 Minimum has Bad News new-study-casts-doubt-on-whether-a-15-minimum-wage-really-helps-workers

-- Rod Johnson Midwest Mountaineering, Owner and Founder 309 Cedar Ave. S Minneapolis, MN 55454 (612) 481-6947 From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Jeff Julkowski Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Min Wage increase is BAD idea, look at Seattle"s TRUE impact - Lost jobs! Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 3:26:14 PM

Thank you for the email, Jeff. Your feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

From: Jeff Julkowski [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 3:25 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Min Wage increase is BAD idea, look at Seattle's TRUE impact - Lost jobs!

Dear Jacob

I do not write on issues much, if ever, but the proposal for a $15 per hour wage is just bad (like all the bike lanes in this town). If passed, it will not only hurt small business, it will truly hurt the people its “trying” to help and the cities rate.

People will lose jobs, and the current min wage of $9ish is MORE than ZERO, which is what will happen, just look at Seattle’s failures, https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/26/new-study-casts- doubt-on-whether-a-15-minimum-wage-really-helps-workers/

Thank you for listen, and please look closely at the true results of this bad idea.

Thank you Jeff

From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: kendell lindsay Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: a truly progressive Minneapolis Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 1:54:56 PM

Thank you for the email and information, Kendell. Your feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

From: kendell lindsay [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 4:24 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: a truly progressive Minneapolis

Mr. Frey,

I keep hearing about how Minneapolis needs to be progressive like Seattle and San Francisco with regards to a minimum wage increase but there are conflicting reports on how the minimum wage increase has affected business and workers (particularly in the restaurant industry) in other cities that I don’t think we should risk following in their footsteps.

I would like to see Minneapolis be truly progressive and make amendments to the $15 an hour proposal that would carve out a tip credit so that low margin restaurants continue to thrive and tipped workers do not see a decrease in income. I think this is worth considering and I implore you to take another look at the a tip credit.

This article provides a comprehensive outline for how to work with the restaurant industry to implement a tip credit that would really work. http://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/dear-honorable-city-council/

In case you do not feel like clicking through and reading the whole article, I have copied and pasted the proposal below.

Please read and do the right thing this week.

Thank you for your time, Kendell Lindsay a small biz owner and part-time restaurant server

1: Redefine What a Tipped Worker Can Be.

It took me a long time understood that you are counting baristas and counter service workers as tipped-employees and lumping them in with full-service workers. That makes no sense. No one who gathers coins from coffee should be lumped in with a Manny’s server, none of us advocating for tip credit think that. Why not update the definition so that workers in the lower tiers of tipped positions receive the standard minimum wage. From Schellenberg, “We could redefine a tipped worker on an hourly-tips-received basis, as many tipped employees work part time and should not be exempt from this wage tier based on hours/days worked, but on income received. We recommend no less than 50% of the standard minimum wage as earned in tips (so if the minimum wage is $15, one must make $7.50/hr or more in tips to qualify as a tipped worker) as a standard for who constitutes as a ‘tipped worker’, with an average based on a sample period of no more than one month.” 2: Apply the Tip Credit to the Upper Tiers

Stop seeing this as a step backwards, it’s just not. I know you guys are sticking on this We’ve-Always-Been-A-One-Fair-Wage state, but since the explosion of the restaurant and service industry has really only happened in the last 10 to 20 years, can you really say grasping to that is something … progressive? Just a reminder that until a few years ago, we could also say We’ve-Always-Been-A-No-Gay-Marriage-State. You still want to play that card? “A tip credit is wanted and should be put in place to protect the dining culture of the city, the income of the employees, and the profits of the businesses that rely on already small margins to get by. This tiered wage must never drop below 60% of the standard minimum wage, and be required to keep pace with future raises and assessments.” 3: Make It an Earned Privilege

One of the biggest arguments against a tip credit is the fear of . Answer that with accountability. “All businesses that intend to utilize the tip credit should have to apply to do so through the city, as well as agree to and comply with strict wage and hourly reporting standards. All businesses will report this information no less than once per month. Owners will be subject to large fines and loss of the privilege to utilize this exemption per any abuse of or inability to report required data within whatever grace period city council decides.”

“This would be the only model of its kind and offer the city the STRONGEST regulations seen across the country to address wage theft, the HIGHEST tipped/tiered wage in the country, and the ONLY tipped/tiered wage that doesn't harm lower-tipped workers with stagnant wages.”

What’s the alternative? Well, I’m sad to say that you will see a lot of restaurants who will not be able to support that cost of labor. Most will have to raise prices already with the $15/hr increase, because suppliers will have also raised prices to cover their labor. To manage those already tight margins, without driving down guest counts in a competitive market, most restaurants tell me they’ll either have to remove the tipping option and move to a service charge (which redistributes the money throughout the restaurant causing servers who earn $30/hr now to cut down to $15/hr) or have to cut labor. Plenty say they’re going to have to go to a counter service model and eliminate full service. So, I wonder about people like the young server who spoke at the hearing, who said she didn’t really know which way she felt, as long as she got more money in her pocket. I wonder what will happen to her, will she be earning more money to help pay her student loans? Or less money? Will she still have a job?

From: Dahler, Ken To: MinWage Subject: FW: Why a $15 Minimum Wage would harm the most vulnerable Date: Monday, June 26, 2017 9:06:36 AM Attachments: Why a $15 Minimum Wage will harm the most vulnerable.doc

Ken Dahler l Council Committee Coordinator l City of Minneapolis – Clerk’s Office l 350 S. Fifth St. – Room 304 612-673-2607 l [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2017 5:05 AM To: Council Comment Subject: Why a $15 Minimum Wage would harm the most vulnerable

To City Councilors,

I spoke at Thursday's public hearing on the proposed $15 minimum wage. I thank you for being willing to hear out every person who wanted to speak. Sitting there for a nearly straight 5½ hours must've been grueling, so thank you for being patient.

As I was one of the few speakers to oppose this minimum wage proposal on the grounds that it hurts those it's intended to help, I hope my comments will be given serious consideration. Two minutes wasn't much time, so here are my comments in writing along with a bit of further elaboration. See the attached Word document.

Regards,

S.L. Malleck 1935 Bryant Ave S, Mpls From: Rosedahl, Leslie W. To: MinWage; Hodges, Betsy A. Subject: Letter from the Minnesota Chauffeured Transportation Association re: minimum wage Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 4:58:59 PM Attachments: MCTA Letter to the Mpls Minimum Wage 6.27.17.pdf

Dear Mayor Hodges and Members of the Minneapolis City Council: Attached please find formal comments from the Minnesota Chauffeured Transportation Association regarding the proposed minimum wage ordinance. Thank you, Leslie Rosedahl (On behalf of the MCTA)

This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received this message in error, you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or disseminate this message or any part of it. If you are not the intended recipient or otherwise have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, discard any paper copies and delete all electronic files of the message. MINNESOTA CHAUFFEURED TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION The Minnesota Chauffeured Transportation Association serves as the voice of small business owners who are dedicated to the success of chauffeured transportation and improving industry laws. June 27, 2017

Dear Mayor Hodges and members of the Minneapolis City Council:

The Minnesota Chauffeured Transportation Association (MCTA) serves as the voice of small business owners who are dedicated to the success of chauffeured transportation in Minnesota. Chauffeured vehicles such as limousines, town cars, and chauffeured SUVs are part of Minnesota’s public for-hire transportation industry, and are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Transportation. Our member businesses provide services statewide and service clients in Minneapolis and in the region. The MCTA strongly opposes the proposed minimum wage ordinance as written. Our organization supports, at minimum, revising the ordinance to include tip recognition and clarifying that it applies to only businesses headquartered in Minneapolis. A one-size-fits-all ordinance will hurt will hurt employees and employers. We have a number of concerns regarding the proposed minimum wage ordinance.

1. The chauffeured industry is unique. Along with the restaurant industry, employees (drivers) earn wages and tips, which added together, make their total taxable income. While their base wage is lower than $15, each driver is compensated substantially more through tips (which we are required to track to pay taxes). The MCTA supports recognizing tips (in a tip credit) which the vast majority of other states in the country have done. This is a common-sense approach to this unique model of compensation. Without a tip credit, many businesses will move to a “service fee” which goes directly to the employer, not the employee. This ultimately hurts the income of employees, as well as our customers, who would prefer to tip the chauffeur directly. 2. The proposed minimum wage ordinance is imprecise as it relates to the “Employment in Minneapolis” section pertaining to chauffeured transportation. Drivers begin their shifts at our member business locations based mostly outside the city of Minneapolis, and then occasionally “pick-up” or “drop-off” in Minneapolis, and then end their day back at headquarters. They are “driving through” as noted in the ordinance, and compensated for the entire duration. Our concern lies in enforcement and the practicality of this confusing issue for businesses not physically headquartered in Minneapolis, given that our industry has some interaction within city limits but is not clearly “working” at all times in Minneapolis. Would it apply to chauffeured transportation? 3. The MCTA is concerned about how this once again gives Transportation Network Companies a separate and reduced regulatory environment, as their drivers are “independent contractors” and exempt from this additional employer mandate (as well as exempt from the recent “Safe and Sick” ordinance). Chauffeured transportation companies pay employees wages, healthcare, unemployment insurance, taxes, maintenance, the higher insurance required on vehicles, etc. We should be allowed to compete and be regulated in a uniform way on a level playing field. This proposed ordinance goes in the exact opposite direction. 4. Our costs, in a variety of areas, will once again increase due to unnecessary, imprudent, and burdensome municipal mandates that will hurt both employees and our operators. Costs with unemployment insurance and workers compensation will increase by the thousands for companies – as it’s based on the base (non-tip) wage. Ultimately customers will be required to pay more for the same service, and employees (without a tip credit) will earn less. 5. Minimum standards should be set by state and federal law, as our industry is regulated, not by individual municipalities. There are U.S. DOT regulations for transportation and wages, and Minnesota’s minimum wage exempts “employees subject to the provision of the U.S. Department of Transportation (drivers, drivers’ helpers, mechanics and loaders).” It’s confusing enough for our industry to follow these laws, let add another element of requirements for transportation, employers, and employees.

We strongly urge your consideration to take into account the nuances of total taxable income, as a one-size-fits all doesn’t help our employees or employer members.

Len Nelson, Owner, Valley Limousine and Coach 2017 President, Minnesota Chauffeured Transportation Association MCTA Members: 1st Class Transportation, Cadillac Chauffeur, Carey Limousine- Minneapolis, Corporate Car & Coach, D' Elegance Limousine, Eclipse Global Transportation, Exceptional Transportation, Executive Transportation, Limo Express, Rath Transportation, Renee's Royal Valet, Sho-Ferd Car & Limousine, Total Luxury Limousine, Valley Limousine and Coach Connect Call © 2017 362 Toronto Street T: 651.696.9029 Minnesota Chauffeured St. Paul, MN 55102 F: 651.291.0223 Transportation Association mnlimo.org

From: Wallace, Lindsey A To: MinWage Subject: Minimum Wage Comment Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 12:58:16 PM

Please include the below comment in the public record for minimum wage, thanks!

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2017 5:18 PM To: Wallace, Lindsey A Subject: Ward 10 Contact Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * david ondch Email * [email protected] Phone Phone Type Address City Minneapolis State MN Zip Question/Comment * I support minimum wage of $15/hr

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk.

From: Ritchie, Heidi To: Allison Pauley Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: No to $15 Minimum Wage Date: Friday, June 23, 2017 11:19:47 AM

Hi Allison,

Thank you for your email. Your feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure to forward your comments on to Jacob as well as make sure they are included in the public record.

Heidi Ritchie Aide to Council Member Jacob Frey, Ward 3

City of Minneapolis – City Council 350 South Fifth Street – Room #307 Minneapolis, MN 55415 TEL: 612-673-2203 [email protected]

From: Allison Pauley [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, June 23, 2017 11:16 AM To: Ritchie, Heidi; Farley, Zachary Subject: No to $15 Minimum Wage

Dear Jacob Frey,

I'd like to personally address my deep opposition to the proposed $15 minimum wage raise, specifically in relation to service industry professionals such as myself, who make far beyond that through tips. I'd like to ask you: Why do you want to decrease my pay by half? Why are you denying me an opportunity to make the income I've made for the past 8 years? I'm not talking about a slight, incremental difference, that will allow us to make adjustments as needed. This would be an alarming change of income for us.

I average $30 - $40 an hour between my tips and hourly rate. I rely solely on my tips to make up my income. Because I of this chosen industry, I have been able to put myself through college, have two different and two different part time jobs (in the past 8 years) that are all helping me gain skills and develop my . I would not be allowed those opportunities if I didn't have a tipped income.

I want to live in a city that allows small business to thrive. I want to live in a city that hires people because they can afford paying their wages, so we won't one day be replaced by an ipad or computer system. My employer is an Ecuadorean immigrant who employs a wide range of hard working, Minneapolis citizens. It is a restaurant that is allowed to have fair, inexpensive prices so a working-class family of four can enjoy a meal in. This would all change at the proposed $15 minimum wage.

Another concern I have on this issue is the wage increase only affecting Minneapolis. Servers will leave (or be fired) and find jobs elsewhere in the suburbs or St. Paul. Restaurant patrons will dine elsewhere as food prices will increase (specifically for the local, small business). People will dine in chains, or large corporate establishments where menu items remain the same - and those businesses will do just fine... While restaurants like the one I work at, Chimborazo, will suffer great loss. I ask you, please: support small, local businesses. Don't drive business away. Don't drive employment away. Support a healthy economy.

Thank you for listening to my voice. Please understand mine and other tipped wage employees concerns. We do not deserve to have our wages cut in half.

Please feel free to call me to continue this discussion: 763-202-5017 Allison Pauley 440 University Ave NE Unit 4 Mpls, MN 55413 From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Killian Rieder Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Enough is enough Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 11:53:28 AM

Thank you for the email, Killian. I am working to create an extended phase in for small businesses (under 100 employees) as well as some different definitions for restaurants. I appreciate your comments and will make sure they are included in the public record.

-----Original Message----- From: Killian Rieder [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, June 26, 2017 9:37 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Fwd: Enough is enough

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> Dear Jacob > > This is the first email I have ever written of this sort. But I will admit the items that could do our city in is not good. > > $15 is going to truly hurt small business. Can't you make it for businesses of a certain size or something that makes sense? > > Also wait until the ban on flavor tobacco is for the entire state. Not just our city. > > Thank you. Please re think the $15 that will hurt MSP businesses. > > Thank you > Killian > > Sent from my iPhone From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Zoilo Ruacho Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Yes to tip credit Date: Friday, June 23, 2017 10:37:40 AM

Thank you for the email, Zoilo. Your feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

From: Zoilo Ruacho [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:17 AM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Yes to tip credit

Hello my name is Zoilo Ruacho. I am writting to you as a means to get my word out and speak out about the minimum wage increase. I dont mind the increase if done right. I have always worked hard for my position everywhere i have worked. From dishwasher to prep cook, working the line. Moving on to the front of house, and working as food runner, bus boy, server, bartender, manager, and now general manager. I knew my cost of living would be higher so i worked harder to aford it. I didnt rely on a minimum wage increase, i increased my revenue by working harder, smarter, and never stopping. As you can probably tell im a believer of hard worker, not things being handed to me, like i feel the minimum wage increse is doing. Yet if people need it to live better they probably should receice it. My intention on writting this letter is to speak on why i believe a tip credit is needed, if minimum wage is going up. Personally speaking as a server and bartender i have had the fortune of making $25+ dollars an hour with tips. Like me alot of people in the service industry feel the same and dont want the increase in minimim wage as it will affect our direct income. As a manager and future restaurant owner and thinking of the future i dont see how we will be able to maintain the quality and service minneapolis is know for if the increase happens with out a tip credit. Dont try to fix something that is not broken, as a minneapolis resident i ask you to consider implimenting a tip credit. Thank you for your time Zoilo Ruacho General manager Costa blanca bistro

From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Amanda Schroder Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Minimum Wage - include tip credit Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 2:28:58 PM

Thank you for the email, Amanda. Your feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

From: Amanda Schroder [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 2:26 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Minimum Wage - include tip credit

Dear Council Member Frey,

I know the vote on the minimum wage increase is just around the corner. I am writing to express my strong support that tips be included in factoring the minimum wage for restaurant workers. I reviewed a Strib article that not only quotes strong support of this from the owners of Anchor Fish and Chips but it also quotes you as being in support of this as well. http://www.startribune.com/role-of-servers-tips-fires-up-minneapolis-debate-over-15-an- hour-minimum-wage/415405464/

I hope you're still in agreement with this important factor in raising the minimum wage. Our neighborhood is THRIVING thanks to the food and beverage businesses. As Kathryn for Anchor Fish and Chips says in the article, the financial impact on businesses will be significant. Either they figure out how to absorb the costs - which is likely impossible in the restaurant industry. Or, you and I eat that - literally. Our favorite neighborhood spots will either increase prices or transition to counter services - which means fewer full service restaurants.If the measure to increase the minimum wage to $15 (without factoring tips) passes, we will certainly see drastic changes to the businesses that have turn NE into the new hot neighborhood in the city.

Please support Pathway to $15 with tips included. Support the service industry works and restaurant and bar owners of NE Mpls.

Best,

Amanda Schroder 709 2nd Street NE #2 Minneapolis, MN 55413 From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Ian Stanford Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Tip Credit needed Date: Friday, June 23, 2017 1:50:03 PM

Hi Ian-

Thank you very much for your email. You feedback is much appreciated and I will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

-----Original Message----- From: Ian Stanford [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, June 23, 2017 1:24 PM To: Reich, Kevin A.; Gordon, Cam A.; Frey, Jacob; Goodman, Lisa R.; Glidden, Elizabeth A.; Bender, Lisa; Johnson, Barbara A. - City Council; Cano, Alondra; Warsame, Abdi; Yang, Blong; Quincy, John; [email protected]; Palmisano, Linea Subject: Tip Credit needed

Dear Council members, I have worked in the food and beverage industry for 26 years. Bartender, server, cook, manager, trainer, HR, and family involved in ownership. I was at the hearing yesterday. I witnessed countless servers, bartenders, and owners come to the podium requesting a Tip Credit consideration. Why? Because this one specific industry is very sensitive to cost of doing business changes. Dealing with rent, leases, commodity prices, taxes, insurance, and inflationary adjustments leaves nothing but a minimal profit margin for owners. We want our tips counted as wages. This relieves serious pressures on ownership while allowing them to have more flexibility to raise the non-tipped employee to $15. We are not against $15 now. We simply want the Tip Credit included Never, in my 26 years of doing this have I ever been approached or consulted with a union leader representing my best interests. The unions speaking on behalf of "restaurant workers" are really speaking on behalf of "hospitality" workers which encompasses a larger group mainly consisting of non-tipped employees in hotels and stadiums. These unions are not serving my interests nor that or family-run semi-casual/casual dining. I work for my tip. I earn my money with skills that I bring to the table. I have never concerned myself with the wage paid in deciding to take a particular job. (And I have worked in a $2.33 State) This a fragile industry. A Tip Credit allows for a win-win approach to this issue. Otherwise, you will see labor cuts. This is a guarantee. All you will provide me is $15 an hour in which I will have to work even harder for. I already work hard enough for $9.50. At the end of the day, I make $28-30 an hour, free Medical, dental, vision, and disability. All of which I stand to lose should you not include a Tip Credit. Why? Because where does all this extra money come from? Where? We can only pass so much on to the consumer before they become disenfranchised. It always comes from the labor. It always has. Please do the right thing here. We have spoken. Our concerns are real. We want $15 for non-tipped employees, and we simply ask for that relief to protect our jobs in including a Tip Credit. Please free to reach out to me with any questions or thoughts. If meeting for coffee is in order...I am buying! Name the time and place. Have a great weekend. -Ian Stanford Server, bartender, , beer know-it-all at Surly Brewing Co

Ian Stanford C)507.313.9845

From: Wallace, Lindsey A To: MinWage Subject: Minimum Wage Comment Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 12:52:49 PM

Please include the below comment in the public record for minimum wage. Thanks!

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 11:28 AM To: Wallace, Lindsey A Subject: Ward 10 Contact Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * B Stricherz Email * [email protected] Phone (612) 377-6757 Phone Type Home Address 803 Douglas Ave #13 City Minneapolis State MN Zip 55403 Question/Comment * Dear Councilperson Bender, I am writing in regards to the minimum wage ordinance that is currently under consideration. As a long time service industry worker, I have a very real stake in this. While I feel a certain amount of sympathy for some small business owners that will struggle with this ordinance, but it doesn’t change the fact that workers who are doing work that needs to be done should be able to earn a wage that goes further toward being able to live a dignified life (i.e., having enough to pay for food and shelter and the basic needs) than what is possible now under the current minimum. The argument for a tip credit doesn’t account for the fact that in the current restaurant environment, most workers spend a fair amount of time doing things that are not tipped work (to use the industry term, we do a lot of ‘back of the house’ work). I spend a fair bit of time being the city’s cheapest dishwasher (making less than my coworkers who earn a dishwasher’s wage for the same work) as well as doing a lot of other kitchen work, all for my minimum wage. The system seems to be now built around having people do the work of multiple positions to keep low (I’ve been in the industry more on than off for thirty years so have seen how it’s changed). While I can accept that sometimes this doubling (or tripling) of work roles might be necessary, what I cannot accept is that my time under these circumstances doesn’t merit the full minimum wage. I am a middle aged man and I consider myself a professional (I have spent years working in high end restaurants including a James Beard Award winning one), but in the industry it is very hard to feel like a professional. I would love to have a European model with no tips, higher prices for the guests and a , but short of that I don’t feel like it is unreasonable to have the first meaningful raise I’ve had in fifteen years. I’ve made more than 30,000 in wages in the industry only by working two jobs. My current five night a week job as a tipped back waiter (and I work those five nights, I don’t get cut) paid me around 27,000 last year. The whole industry seems built on the backs of keeping workers low paid (in terms of the outlay form the restaurant itself). This in and of itself is a problem, but it is exacerbated by the fact that the new model restaurant is also one that has an absentee owner/investor who does no work but takes money out. In what other industry can one open a small business and put in no sweat equity while taking money out and expect to succeed? And doing so while expecting workers to happily chug along for shamefully low wages seems patently unfair. All of my coworkers received an email this week telling us to go to the council meeting today to tell the council that we don’t want the wage increase. This type of tone deaf obliviousness to the needs of the people that actually allow any business to succeed gets to the heart of the problem. The discussion about restaurants failing left and right if this passes is hardly a credible one. What will happen is that they will have to change their business model to one that better serves the people in it. There is a reason it is becoming harder and harder to find workers in the industry (and that the for-profit culinary schools were forced to close), and it is largely based on the exploitative conditions that are the norm in the industry. So in short, I would strongly encourage you to support a minimum wage hike that does not include a tip credit. Thank you for your consideration. Yours, B Stricherz

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk.

From: Wallace, Lindsey A To: MinWage Subject: Minimum Wage Comment Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 12:57:52 PM

Please include the below comment in the public record for minimum wage, thanks!

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, June 22, 2017 7:23 AM To: Wallace, Lindsey A Subject: Ward 10 Contact Form

City of Minneapolis

Name * Charles Test Email * [email protected] Phone (612) 874-8531 Phone Type Home Address 2710 2 City Minneapolis State MN Zip 55408 Question/Comment * I am against raising the minimum wage. The minimum wage should be zero. I wish you would study WASP Progressive Authoritarian history and learn that the minimum wage was invented to discriminate against Blacks, women, children and anyone who wasn’t a WASP man. It was designed to keep “undesirable” people from being allowed to work. Today it prevents the young and the unskilled from working. It is working as intended. https://www.cato.org/blog/minimum-wage- plural-anecdote? utm_content=bufferafb59&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer You have no idea of the harm you do by picking winners & losers and bullying people with your power. Freedom and choice will improve peoples’ lives, not your manipulations. Please change your ways and respect employees and employers to work things out themselves. A voluntary world is a better world.

This is an email generated from the City of Minneapolis website. * Required fields are indicated with an asterisk.

From: Ritchie, Heidi on behalf of Frey, Jacob To: Tracy Wahl Cc: MinWage Subject: RE: Please support local restaurants and bar workers! Date: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 11:55:39 AM

Thank you for the email, Tracy. I appreciate your feedback and will make sure your comments are included in the public record.

-----Original Message----- From: Tracy Wahl [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, June 26, 2017 5:38 PM To: Frey, Jacob Subject: Please support local restaurants and bar workers!

Dear Council Member Frey,

I'm pleased to see that the Minneapolis City Council is considering a $15 minimum wage for the city. As someone who works in a restaurant/bar, I support a pathway to raising the minimum wage in Minneapolis to $15 an hour. Given the uncertainty in our economy, it's important for workers to have a wage they can rely on as they try to make a living.

However, I urge you to consider adopting the $15 minimum wage policy that recognizes the total taxable income for those who are tipped employees, like me.

In other cities that have implemented a $15 minimum wage, many restaurants and bars have been forced to move away from tipping and instead instituted a service charge on customers. This puts workers at a disadvantage because tips are the property of workers, but service charge is controlled by restaurant management.

I rely on both an hourly wage and tips for my job. At the end of my shift, I appreciate the fact that tips I receive serve both as a wage and reward for good service. Implementing a policy that recognizes our total taxable income would protect tips without causing disruption to the number of working hours available.

Thank you for leading the way in Minnesota for a $15 minimum wage. It's important for our city to do this in a way that empowers all who deserve a fair wage while recognizing the value of restaurant and bar workers provide in Minneapolis.

Sincerely,

Tracy Wahl 1306 University Ave NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 [email protected] From: Schuster, Leda To: Peltier, Colleen S. Subject: FW: In regards to 15 Date: Wednesday, June 28, 2017 8:46:26 AM Attachments: One Fair Wage Server Emily White.pdf

For the record

From: Emily White [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 11:08 PM To: Schuster, Leda Subject: In regards to 15

Dear Councilmember Warsame,

Thank you for all the work you have done for working people in your ward over the last few years. Your job has not been easy, but we have passed Earned Sick and Safe Time and many other ordinances that benefit the people in Minneapolis who need it most.

Over the last few months you have have heard the echo chamber of small business and restaurant owners who are crying out for a tip penalty. It is not easy to please entrepreneurs, service workers, retail workers, and other sectors all in one fell swoop. I have attached a small piece I wrote about the voices we may not be hearing from - this ordinance does have many nuanced pieces that can be hard to navigate.

Tonight I happened to speak with a Working America member who is a small business owner in Minneapolis. He told me that the $15 minimum wage fight (and last year's sick and safe law) inspired him. He told me, "If I invest in my employees, they invest in me. If I take care of them, my business thrives." He pays almost all of his employees $20 an hour, offers a week of per year (that does not have to be accrued), and vacation time that can be accrued. He said, "I used to hear from my bosses that this kind of thing would be impossible, but I barely noticed it in my margins."

I want you to think about that, and read my article, and make sure that when you decide tomorrow what the timeline should be for small businesses, you think about more than just the small business managers and restaurant owners that are diluting what is really important in this fight: that all workers in Minneapolis can afford to live here.

Thank you.

-- Emily White Organizer, Working America 612-208-4932 June 27, 2017 By Emily White

The fight for One Fair Wage in Minneapolis – a $15-per-hour minimum wage without a tip penalty – has gotten brutal as we get closer to the finish line, with an expected vote by the City Council on Friday. Of course, that means bosses are resorting to classic tactics like misinformation campaigns, bullying and intimidation to discourage servers from calling for one fair wage.

Let’s talk about the effort to erode support through misinformation. We’re hearing a lot from people who are on either side of this issue, but what about those who haven’t formed their opinion? They deserve the truth about what the proposed measure would and wouldn’t do. They deserve the space to weigh the facts and make their own decision free from coercion. Instead, too many servers in Minneapolis are receiving false information about the so-called “dangers” of paying a living wage. The truth is clear. One Fair Wage allows workers to increase their overall income because tipping will still be allowed.

I recently testified at the Minneapolis City Council public hearing on a $15-per-hour minimum wage. I shared my experience working as a server in neighboring North Dakota, which does have a tip penalty for service workers. I shared that when I told my boss about the constant I faced on the job, he told me I would have to please customers who treated me like an object to get good tips. I felt like I could not speak out about what I was experiencing because my paycheck didn’t cover my basic costs and I primarily relied on tips to cover my living expenses. Restaurant servers should be able to trust that if they encounter a hostile or abusive customer, their employers will have their backs and encourage them to speak up.

The tip penalty being debated as part of the citywide $15-per-hour minimum wage increase would ensure employers would put profits first. Why? Because the tip penalty creates a financial incentive for the employer to encourage tipping so they don't have to pay the full $15- per-hour wage. If the customer tips above the state minimum of $9.50 per hour, that's money in the employer's pocket.

What’s been happening to the working people pushing for one fair wage should concern us all. Servers who have spoken out publicly against a tip penalty have been skewered by the mob voices of Facebook. In a few cases, it’s looked like this: They find you on social media, comb through your work history, call your old employers, and investigate you to find any shred of evidence to discredit you. Several pro-$15-per-hour servers have quit their jobs during the campaign because they were scared away from them.

We should be able to express our First Amendment right to assemble for better conditions at work without fear of employer retribution or manipulation. I want servers – and all working people – to feel safe while speaking up together about their real experiences, struggles and desires to have a seat at the table. They shouldn’t feel the need to be mouthpieces, sharing their employers’ talking points in order to keep their jobs.

Another example? One of my closest friends works for a local restaurant that already pays tipped servers well above the minimum wage, and pays most of the cooks above $15 per hour. She is close to the owners, who have been promoting the industry-backed Pathway to $15’s pro-tip penalty message. She doesn’t understand why her employer would be against raising wages if that employer is already opting to pay close to the new minimum wage. She has not been engaged in this fight, but the hostile campaign tactics deployed during this campaign have unfortunately had the intended chilling effect, quieting proponents and shutting down the democratic debate of policies based on their merits.

We should be working together to make sure all Minneapolis workers can live full lives, pay their bills, spend time with their families, and have the ability to speak out for better conditions on the job and in their communities without fear of bullying or intimidation. City Council support for one fair wage would send a strong signal that intimidation tactics have no place in the Twin Cities.

Emily White is a former restaurant server and organizer for Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO.