By Thomas Bailey Santa Monica
I am quite concerned over the effect that Measure JJ will have on employees such as me, if this measure is passed during the upcoming elections. I am a professional waiter (server) for an upscale restaurant within the proposed affected areas of Santa Monica.
I certainly believe that everyone who works in our industry should be compensated fairly. But I also believe that fairly should not mean equally. The way I am interpreting Measure JJ is that all employees working in the hotel/restaurant business in the defined area would be compensated at the same pay scale, i.e. a dishwasher would be at the same level as a waiter; fast food employees would be compensated the same as upscale restaurants.
I believe that this would not only affect me personally, but my employer as well. I am a professional server, and have developed my skills over a 15 year period. My employer, in fact, demands a “resume” before an employment interview can be scheduled. My job, in order to perform exceptionally, requires knowledge of food and beverage far beyond fast food fare. How I perform my job is directly related to my income, because of course, I work for “tips.” I am educated, (BA degree) but have found much job satisfaction working for an establishment that serves entertainment, political, and business leaders in the Santa Monica area. Measure JJ appears to change how I will be compensated, from a performance based method to a dictated by law method. This will have an adverse effect on my employer as well, since he will have to add an automatic service charge to patrons’ checks. This will tend to irritate patrons who believe in tipping based on service. It may also result in overall price increases to cover the compensation of the support staff. I do not see foresee anything but overall decline in the upscale restaurant business, not to mention the unfair advantage it would allow those restaurants with gross sales of less than $5 million.
I am a resident of Santa Monica, and moved there because of my job. If Measure JJ is passed and the results are negative as I predict, I will have to seek employment elsewhere; elsewhere being just a few blocks east of the proposed area to be affected. It seems that plain business sense has been overlooked when drafting this measure. It will be detrimental to an existing successful Santa Monica business, and certainly cause myself and other like employees to seek positions elsewhere.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 16, 2002. Read the original PDF.