Blog Posts

Many states saw proposals in the legislature or filed as ballot measures to raise wage floors and/or eliminate the tip credit this year. While many have failed due to employee and small business opposition, there are still several that have qualified to go before voters on November 5. Learn more…

Recently, the Democratic National Committee released its party platform that included raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. Around the same time, Princeton economist Alan Blinder claimed a federal wage hike to $15 wouldn’t cost jobs, because “research has shown this isn’t the case.” EPI’s…

This week during the Democratic National Convention, the party unveiled its official platform, which included raising the minimum wage up to $15 an hour by 2026 across the country. Activists are also calling on Vice President Kamala Harris, if she wins in November, to eliminate the federal…

It’s no secret that California’s fast food industry has taken a hit due to the recent $20 minimum wage law. National news headlines reveal restaurants have had to lay off employees or reduce their hours and raise menu prices to stay in operation. An EPI survey indicates these changes are…

Last week, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the state legislature’s use of an ‘Adopt and Amend’ strategy on a 2018 wage hike ballot measure was unconstitutional. As a result, the Court reinstated the original measure with timing adjustments, which will trigger an increase in the regular minimum…

With a second meeting of the newly-formed California Fast Food Council this week, Governor Gavin Newsom yet again attempted to spin his $20 fast food industry minimum wage as a success. But the newest data show the crisis following the new law is worsening fast. Just last month,…

This week, the Employment Policies Institute (EPI) released a new survey of nearly 200 restaurant owners who collectively employ tens of thousands of California employees at hundreds of locations. The first-of-its-kind survey asked about the impacts of a $20 minimum wage. Most have already resorted to price hikes,…

A new survey found that tipped restaurant employees in states around the country overwhelmingly prefer saving the tip credit, over higher flat wage alternatives. The survey was conducted by CorCom, Inc. of nearly 4,000 tipped employees in states facing tip credit elimination threats this year. These states included Massachusetts, Ohio,…

More and more states, counties, and cities are instituting mid-year wage hikes – primarily based on adjustments for inflation. As minimum wage mandates reach new heights in some places across the country, the bulk of economic evidence shows drastic increases cost jobs, close businesses, and contribute to inflation.

With a new tipped wage hike in place as of Monday, July 1, the latest data on job trends paints a harrowing picture for the future of Chicago’s restaurant industry. Lawmakers should watch these trends closely as the city begins eliminating its tip credit over the next few years.