Question 5 on
the Massachusetts ballot contains two provisions.
The first provision
would gradually increase the minimum hourly wage that an employer must pay a
tipped worker over five years, reaching 100% of the state minimum wage in 2029.
The second provision
would permit an employer to pool tips for distribution among all workers,
including kitchen staff.
For any of
you who have not listened to the debates and commentary or have read the pros
and cons of this ballot question, it is designed to radically change the traditional
tip-based compensation system for waitstaff and bartenders.
This ballot
question is the brainchild of a national organization called One Fair Wage.
Their mission statement is summarized in this blurb for a book written by their
president:
“These
stories, paired with facts from years of research, advance the narrative of
racial capitalism and the idea that all of the subminimum wages in different
sectors are a reflection of America’s devaluation of people of color, workers
with disabilities, youth, and immigrants as subhuman. The book also reveals the
solution to addressing racial capitalism which is paying everyone a full
minimum wage.”
I know of no
restaurant in Watertown where employees are treated as “subhuman.” There was a recent case where the owner of a
pizzeria chain, with locations in Boston and a few other towns, was
arrested, tried, and convicted for enslaving and brutalizing his immigrant
employees. He’s now in prison where he belongs because we have federal laws,
state laws, and enforcement agencies to address employment abuse, including
racial discrimination.
And, because
we are now living in the new Watertown, with a new Human Rights Commission, any
sub-humanized server working within our city limits can simply grab their phone,
dial 311, and send the HRC into action. I think the commissioners will
appreciate the call. Currently, it doesn’t look like they have enough to do to
justify their existence.
According to
the National Restaurant Association, women make up a majority of tipped
positions in the restaurant industry. 69% of waitstaff and 56% of bartenders
are women.
And, it is
the comments predominately from waitresses, former and present, that best
make the case for not tampering with the status quo. I’ve plucked a few typical comments from callers to radio shows and from social media.
“As a single
mother, it was my tips from waitressing that enabled me to put two kids through
college. They weren’t tipping the restaurant. They were tipping me.”
“I always
made the most tips because I had the most repeat customers and I worked hard to
get them.”
“During my
career, I dealt with more problem customers than my managers did. Making me
share my tips with people who did less would be unfair.”
“Go into any
restaurant during peak times and you’ll spot the ones [servers] who hustle and
the ones who don’t.”
Among the many comments, the word hustle was prominent. It was even used in a comment from the state’s most prominent ex-waitress.
The
ex-waitress/governor makes some awfully good points, which are hard for any
longtime restaurant goer, including me, to disagree with. I would only take issue with her statement that
the ballot question is “a well-intentioned effort…”
Grace
McGovern, of One Fair Wage’s local chapter, who participated in some of the debates, has a message for restaurant owners:
"If you can't afford to pay your
employees the minimum wage, you can't afford to run your business. It's as
simple as that."
That’s a
pretty tough statement which doesn’t sound well-intentioned to me. But Grace
McGovern certainly sounds like she knows what she is talking about. In fact, she
must have owned a restaurant at some point in her life, although she neglected
to mention it.
As an owner (?),
she must have succeeded in keeping her restaurant in business through the
pandemic, while so many longtime restaurant owners were forced to close their
doors forever.
As an owner
(?), She must have excelled at attracting waitstaff and bartenders, post-covid,
when many industries, including the hospitality industry, were facing crippling
labor shortages.
She must
have dealt nimbly with supply chain disruptions and the constantly fluctuating costs
of ingredients.
She must
have figured out how to keep prices under control, while not sacrificing
quality, during steadily rising inflation.
Come to
think of it, she probably would have mentioned surviving those personal trials if
she actually had to walk that walk before making such an arrogant and insulting
statement, which bears repeating.
"If
you can't afford to pay your employees the minimum wage, you can't afford to
run your business. It's as simple as that."
Here are some "simple" arguments used by proponents of Question 5 that they can't possibly substantiate:
Restaurant
owners will not have to raise menu prices.
If they
do raise menu prices, the increase will not reduce customer visits.
When
customers become aware that their waitress is making a higher minimum wage, they
will not decrease the amount of their tips.
The
hardest-working and most engaging servers (like the ex-waitress/governor) will not
make less money than they currently do.
Owners
will not have to reduce their staff if the ballot question passes.
Some
restaurants will not have to close if the ballot question passes.
Waiters,
waitresses, and bartenders will not end up with fewer places to work if
the ballot question passes.
Does common
sense tell you otherwise?
I will be taking
Maura Healy’s advice, rather than Grace McGovern’s. What about you?
Just to make
the message sticky, I’ll end this post with this little ditty:
If you want your favorite restaurants to survive
And your favorite servers to thrive
Ignore all the jive and
Vote HELL NO on Question Five
Thank you
for stopping by. Please feel free to hit my tip jar on the way out.
Bruce
Coltin, The Battle For Watertown
