Winkler Rejects Proposal To Exempt Tipped Employees from Minimum Wage Hike

Despite pushback from restaurants, District 46A Rep. Ryan Winkler isn’t backing down from his efforts to boost the state’s minimum wage, including for tipped employees.

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Restaurant Association released results of a survey that it said predicted the consequences of Winkler’s proposal nearly $10 over the next two years. The survey found:

• 90 percent of the associations members would increase menu prices,
• 77 percent would reduce staff hours and
• 69 percent would postpone making investments.

J.J. Haywood, CEO of Pizza Lucé and president of the association, argued that tipped employees should remain at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 since the industry’s tipped employees average $18 an hour statewide and $22 an hour in the metro, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

Winkler, who represents Golden Valley and St. Louis Park, dismissed the association’s proposal as a “tip penalty” and said the extra money going into the pockets of tipped employees would off the increased business costs.

Click here to read Minnesota Public Radio’s full story