As you know, the Chamber did not support the Amendment that would increase the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. Our strongest opposition was that as an amendment, it would be part of our State Constitution rather than under the influence of elected officials. The passing of the Amendment will affect many industries, but in particular the hospitality industry in our area.
A local restaurant shared these numbers with me, related to their business: in the first year, the additional expense will be $85,000 and will then escalate to $354,000 by year five. Here is a link to a Tipped Wage Calculator for those that work with tipped employees.
We will share details as they are confirmed on how this will roll out. In the interim, here is a chart that we created to show the progression of wage increases.