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Articles by Simone Barron
Even a downturn won’t stop New York’s minimum-wage hike
The freeze may surprise New York workers hoping for another wage hike, but it exposes the pitfalls of a mandated minimum wage. Hochul has promised to dismantle this off-ramp provision, part of a broader shift in minimum-wage laws that’s seen proposals to keep wages rising no matter what the economic conditions. Over a decade ago, New York began moving down a path of wage hikes, some set legislatively and others administratively.
Texas isn't raising the minimum wage like other states. That's a good thing.
It's easy to say let's raise the minimum wage to help low-wage workers. What is harder to do is explain the negative consequences of mandated wage floors. A recent Express-News article, "Millions to see pay hike, but not in Texas," (Jan. 12, Business) skims over the larger conversation on the minimum wage. The article leaves out Bureau of Labor Statistics data but quotes the aptly described "progressive think tank" Economic Policy Institute, known as EPI.
Commentary: Nominee to head federal Department of Labor has it wrong on tipping
An extraordinary threat to America’s working families is playing out with very little fanfare: President Biden’s nomination of Julie Su as the next secretary of the Department of Labor. The appointment of Su, who formerly served as California Labor and Workforce Development Agency secretary and currently holds the position of deputy secretary of labor, is a terrifying prospect for tipped workers in Maine, who just last year organized to prevent the elimination of the tip credit in Portland.
Policy Focus: Technology's Potential Revealed in the Pandemic
What You Need To Know When the novel coronavirus pandemic turned the world upside down, it forced us apart physically and brought our bustling economy to a near halt. Lockdowns and mandated closures forced people to shelter in place for weeks. Nearly all non-emergency or non-COVID medical procedures ceased. Schools and “non-essential” businesses were shuttered.
Biden's plan for minimum wage and tips would harm waiters and kill off restaurant jobs
President Biden says he wants to help restaurants "get back on their feet” after COVID-19. But his recent proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and alter the payment model for tipped workers would do just the opposite. I would know. His preferred policy, which is already law in seven states, left me without a job. I’ve worked in full-service restaurants for three decades, first in Indianapolis and then in Seattle.
Minimum Wage Cost Me My Job
EconomicsMoneySmall Business Minimum Wage Cost Me My Job Simone Barron5-Minute VideosJul 13, 2020 What happens when politicians decide they are in a better position than business owners to know how much workers should be paid? We don't have to guess. Cities like Seattle and New York have already done so with their $15/hour minimum wage mandates. Simone Barron, a lifelong restaurant worker, recounts how "helping" her impacted her wallet, her career, and her life. Browse All Videos
Restaurant Workers Need Federal Aid to Withstand Crisis
Seattle's normally bustling restaurants are quiet this month. A number of restaurants, including my own, have reduced service hours or closed their doors as the region's reputation as a coronavirus "hotspot" dashes tourists' and residents' desire to dine out. The city's safety net —including a high minimum wage and paid sick leave — is supposed to protect restaurant workers in times of need. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) proposed expanding Seattle's sick pay policy nationwide.
Restaurant Workers Need Direct Federal Aid to Withstand Corona Crisis
By Simone Barron March 16, 2020 (AP Photo/Peter Dejong) Seattle's normally bustling restaurants are quiet this month. A number of restaurants, including my own, have reduced service hours or closed their doors as the region's reputation as a coronavirus "hotspot" dashes tourists' and residents' desire to dine out. The city's safety net —including a high minimum wage and paid sick leave — is supposed to protect restaurant workers in times of need.
Seattle’s Wage Mandate Kills Restaurants
By Simone Barron Dec. 12, 2019 6:58 pm ET Seattle This city’s minimum wage is rising to $16.39 an hour on Jan. 1. Instead of receiving a bigger paycheck, I’m left without any pay at all due to the policy change. That’s because the restaurant where I’ve worked for six years is closing as a consequence of the city’s harmful minimum-wage experiment. I work for Tom Douglas, one of the best-known restaurateurs in Seattle.
Opinion | Seattle’s Wage Mandate Kills Restaurants
By Simone Barron Dec. 12, 2019 6:58 pm ET Seattle This city’s minimum wage is rising to $16.39 an hour on Jan. 1. Instead of receiving a bigger paycheck, I’m left without any pay at all due to the policy change. That’s because the restaurant where I’ve worked for six years is closing as a consequence of the city’s harmful minimum-wage experiment. I work for Tom Douglas, one of the best-known restaurateurs in Seattle.
Save restaurant workers from restrictive scheduling practices
Originally published February 15, 2019 at 12:05 pm Restrictive scheduling removes the flexibility on which the hospitality industry is built. Share story By Special to The Times The Legislature is considering two bills concerning employer and employee scheduling that are a direct attack on my livelihood. I work in a full-service restaurant in Seattle and know the damaging and limiting effects of Seattle’s Secure Scheduling Ordinance.
I’m a restaurant employee in a city with a $15 minimum wage; here’s how it’s hurt me
Upon winning back a majority in the House of Representatives, Democratic leaders have thrown their support behind a $15 federal minimum wage. But across the country in Seattle where I work, the promised utopia of a $15 minimum wage is far from a reality. I have worked in the full-service restaurant industry for nearly 33 years in several cities across the country, including Chicago and Indianapolis. For the past 17 years, I’ve worked as a tipped employee in Seattle.
Opinion: A tipped server from Seattle says Madaleno’s $15 minimum wage bill cuts incomes
By Simone Barron Full Service Workers Alliance (Seattle) Sen. Richard Madaleno called for tipped service workers to “complain if they think they should be getting more” in MarylandReporter.com’s March 9 story. His attempt to eliminate the industry standard of tipping in favor of a flat $15 an hour minimum wage, Madaleno sited the minimum wage increase in Washington State as an example of success. I’m a tipped full-service restaurant worker in Seattle.
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