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While some are advocating for tipped workers to get the minimum
wage with tips on top, a legislator who also owns restaurants
says such a move would be devastating to the economy.
Advocates from the group One Fair Wage organized a rally outside
of the Illinois statehouse Tuesday as legislators were
returning.
State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, explained why she
supports the effort.
“Eliminating the sub-minimum wage is the right thing to do for
workers, it’s the right thing to do for businesses and it’s the
right thing to do for the state economy,” Hernandez said.
State Rep. Mike Coffey, R-Springfield, who owns several
restaurants, said while there may be good intentions for such a
move, if passed into law, it would hurt consumers, employers and
employees across the board.
“It’ll create unemployment. It will be hazardous to the business
community, especially the restaurant community where you’ll see
many of them go out of business, so it’s just not good,” Coffey
told The Center Square.
State Sen. Lakesia Collins, D-Chicago, advocated for getting rid
of tipped wages. She said they did that in Chicago and such
workers get tips on top of a minimum wage.
“And it’s time for Springfield to bring the economic security to
workers across the state of Illinois and to send a message that
to do business in Illinois, you have to be able to pay your
employees a living wage, period,” Collins said.
Coffey said removing the tipped wage would disincentivize
quality service and could lead to such employees making less
money than when they were tipped workers. He said while Chicago
may have done just that, the idea is “catastrophic” for his and
other communities across the state.
“All we do is between energy prices that are going up at a rapid
rate, between food costs and everything going up, between the
minimum wage, all they’re doing is ensuring that more and more
businesses in the state of Illinois go out of business,” Coffey
said.
Fewer businesses would mean a shrinking tax base, Coffey said,
and he vowed to fight against the bill.
Legislators continue spring session Wednesday.
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