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Restaurants should be wary of latest food safety training program
January 2024 · Rebekah Paxton · Orange County Register
A new law in California now requires restaurants to compensate employees for state-mandated food handler certifications. But the law has been weaponized by advocacy groups looking to push their own training programs. One Fair Wage (OFW) – a union-backed activist group that wants to end the tipping system around the country – launched a course aimed at advancing its own political goals. However, a draft we reviewed… -
Why No One Goes Out to Eat in D.C. Anymore
January 2024 · Michael Saltsman and Rebekah Paxton · The Wall Street Journal
The restaurant scene in the District of Columbia is dying, and public policy is to blame. As recently as 2016, the nation’s capital received its first Michelin Guide and accolades from the country’s top food magazines. In 2018 the editor of Bon Appétit declared that Washington was “having a moment,” with some restaurants so popular that patrons would wait an hour to get a bite. But that… -
Tip credit elimination in Connecticut would do more harm than good
December 2023 · Annie Nguyen · The Hartford Courant
Earlier this year, SB 1177, which would have eliminated the tipped minimum wage, was tabled by the state Senate after hearing concerns from local businesses and employees. Now, labor committee co-chair Sen. Julie Kushner has announced plans to reintroduce the plan again in January – despite its proven track record of consequences elsewhere across the country. As a former Windsor, Connecticut resident, my family still operates two restaurants in the… -
Bid to end tip credit puts jobs at risk
November 2023 · Rebekah Paxton · Boston Herald
In the eleventh hour, Massachusetts lawmakers are considering bills to eliminate the state’s tip credit and add on a minimum wage increase up to $20 per hour. Such an unprecedented move will worsen economic hurdles facing restaurants and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of employees. As part of a so-called “grand bargain” signed by Governor Charlie Baker in 2018, Massachusetts has already seen a hike in the… -
Letter: Evanston got it right with tipped minimum wage decision
October 2023 · Rebekah Paxton · Daily Herald
Last week, Chicago and neighboring Evanston made newsworthy decisions on the tipped minimum wage. Only one city got it right on behalf of tipped workers: Evanston city council decided to maintain the city’s tip credit in their consideration of future minimum wage hikes. The tip credit system allows restaurants with razor-thin profit margins to stay in business while providing tipped job opportunities. Workers are guaranteed to make… -
Shapiro’s misguided push for $15 minimum wage won’t work for Pennsylvania
October 2023 · Rebekah Paxton · The Center Square - Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s small businesses employ over 2.5 million people throughout the Commonwealth. But if Governor Shapiro has his way, thousands of these jobs could soon be under threat. Earlier this year, the state legislature attempted to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and the wage for tipped employees to $9 per hour. Now, Gov. Josh Shapiro and state legislators are reigniting the conversation, pushing for an unprecedented 107 percent minimum wage…