LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Restaurant owners and employees spent part of their Tuesday urging state lawmakers to take action to protect their lower tipped minimum wage before it starts to go up February 21st.
The state House held a hearing yesterday on bills that would keep the tipped wage in place and exempt small businesses from the new paid sick leave regulations.
That is the owner of The Peppermill Cafe in Walker, Marianne Hayoz, who told lawmakers 95% of her income is through what she earns in tips from serving.
She says the $15 minimum wage that would be in effect in five years would only be enough to pay her mortgage and she would have to either raise prices or close.
The tipped minimum wage is scheduled to go away in five years when it rises to the same as regular minimum wage at just under $15 an hour unless lawmakers act.
Restaurant workers have been pushing for that action for the past several months since the Michigan Supreme Court ruled lawmakers violated the state constitution when they adopted and then amended a ballot petition to raise the minimum wage several years ago.
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