Restaurants respond to minimum wage ordinance

The Seattle Restaurant Alliance (SRA), a diverse group of local restaurant owners, released a statement in response to the Seattle City Council’s vote today to adopt a new minimum age ordinance:

“As an industry we have been committed to discussions about changes to minimum wage in Seattle. We have been involved with the Mayor’s Income Inequality Advisory Committee (IIAC) process and negotiations with the City Council. However, this ordinance will cause undue hardship on local restaurants.

“The SRA asked the Council for cooperation on solutions. The SRA would have been able to support the ordinance if these elements had been incorporated, and there would have been less damage to our industry. The requests were:

• Ensure that all local Seattle restaurants are treated fairly;
• Permanently recognize all real income, including tips, that restaurant employees receive in the compensation calculations;
• Put in place a six month training wage so we can continue to hire youth, the disadvantaged and others in our community that simply need a second chance;
• Have the implementation date for the ordinance on July 1, 2015, which was the date agreed to by the IIAC.

“Unfortunately our requests were denied. As progressive business owners in the Emerald City, we believe the entrepreneurial spirit and the very culture of Seattle will be impacted by this change.

“The SRA will continue to ensure the voice of our members is heard and we are committed to working to find a solutions that is right for local restaurants, customers and our employees. We look forward to participating in further dialogue that may take place with the voters directly via the Initiative process.

“It is disappointing that we could not find a compromise, and we believe there is a plan that works for small businesses and large labor unions. Seattle had a chance to make history and set an example for the rest of the country if we could’ve come together on negotiations.”