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Higher wage means fewer jobs in N.D.
April 2018 · Michael Saltsman · Grand Forks Herald
North Dakota’s secretary of state recently approved for signature collection a ballot initiative that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2021. To get a sense of how radical that is, that’s a 107 percent increase over the state’s current minimum wage–at a phase–in that would happen even faster than scheduled increases in California or New York. Before voters rush to endorse this ballot measure,… -
Minimum wage hike will cut worker salaries
March 2018 · Frayda Levin, Michael Saltsman · Daily Record
In his inaugural address, Gov. Phil Murphy told his colleagues in the legislature, “Send me the bills … to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour,” promising a stronger, fairer economy as a result. On January 25, Senator Troy Singleton gave Murphy what he wanted in S1142, the first step to reaching a $15 minimum wage. Unfortunately, raising New Jersey’s minimum wage will likely result in… -
Sexual Harassment Is Awful. But It Has Nothing To Do With Tipping.
March 2018 · Michael Saltsman · Forbes.com
Does the option to leave a gratuity for a waiter or waitress encourage customers to sexually harass these employees? That’s the message currently being promoted by the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), and echoed in dozens of recent news articles. It’s a popular talking point. But it’s not worth the paper it’s written on. ROC is a controversial labor advocacy organization with its own history of alleged bad behavior; it was… -
The Case Against Florida Cities Joining The ‘Fight For $15’
March 2018 · Michael Saltsman · Forbes
Should Florida’s cities join the Fight for $15? Florida’s legal statutes–not to mention its courts—prohibit localities from setting a wage floor above the state requirement of $8.25 per hour. But the labor groups behind the Fight for $15 are nothing if not determined, and this month renewed their argument for local wage ordinances in Florida with an unusual poll asking voters for their legal interpretation of this issue. Setting aside the… -
California’s cautionary tale for New York restaurants
February 2018 · Michael Saltsman · Crain's New York Business
A proposal from Gov. Andrew Cuomo to eliminate New York’s tip credit has worried restaurateurs, who are already reeling from recent wage hikes. Cuomo counsel Alphonso David recently dismissed these concerns by pointing west. “California, as an example, does not have a tipped wage, and the sky didn’t fall,” he said at a Crain’s forum. David might want to take a closer look at the data. For many California… -
No, Donald Trump Is Not Trying To Steal Servers’ Tips
February 2018 · Michael Saltsman · Forbes
Late last year, President Trump’s Labor Department published a proposed rule that would permit back-of-the-house restaurant staff (e.g. dishwashers or cooks) to participate in a workplace tip pool under certain conditions. Labor groups cried foul, claiming it would allow restaurants to “legally steal” tips. (There’s a contradiction in terms!) The truth is far less controversial. Let’s go through the claims one-by-one: CLAIM: The Trump Labor Department wants to undo “40 years” of precedent…