Now that people know what the law will be, this is a perfect moment to solicit input from businesses who have concerns but who would prefer not to litigate. There are other deficiencies, as well. By simply raising the threshold, the council did not adequately deal with the issue of tipped workers. Tipped workers have never been the target of the ordinance. This is not because of a soft spot for restaurants, but simply because, with the notable exception of fast food restaurants where workers are not tipped, most restaurant workers make more than the living wage.
Hotels also have restaurants.
Rather than including all lessees at a hotel, the council should try to figure out how to exempt hotel restaurants to protect the law as a whole. While state minimum wage law prohibits giving a credit for tips, theCity Council should look into a blanket exemption for the food-service business based on the unique aspects of that business. There is nothing unusual about government regulating business on an industry by industry basis. City Council is prepared to give a hardship exemption to McDonalds based in part on its employing youth, but the fact that fast food restaurants pay peanuts to high school students who should be doing their homework, instead of real wages to grown-ups, is just as much an externalization of their costs as the styrofoam cups that litter our streets and parks. Another issue the City Council should take a second look at is the criminal penalties included in the ordinance.