The Albuquerque City Council voted down a controversial wage bill Monday night even though an amendment to reduce tipped wages had been removed. Its opponents say the bill should be brought back in a different form.
Nichole Rogers, who sponsored the bill, Tammy Feibelkorn and Joacquín Baca voted for the bill, which would have raised Albuquerque’s minimum wage to match the state standard of $12 an hour. All six other councilors voted against it.
The bill garnered negative attention earlier this month when Councillor Renée Grout introduced an amendment that would have dropped tipped workers' minimum wage from $7.20 down to only $3 an hour. She said it was aimed at helping restaurant owners.
Grout and Councilor Brook Bassan sent out a press release before this week’s meeting making it clear they would not continue to push for the change.
“I am not moving that amendment. I don’t want to. I’m not planning on it,” Bassan said at Monday’s meeting. “It’s not around the corner for any of you to see in another 10 minutes, 20 minutes or whatever.”
Supporters said the bill would have updated the city’s laws to allow for more enforcement of proper wages. Councillor Fiebelkorn said the city would work with the state’s Department of Workforce Solutions to ensure fair pay.
“I think this is one of the most important things the city of Albuquerque can be doing,” she said. “Which is protecting the lowest paid workers in our city from theft of their hard-earned money.”
But opponents said the city would just be double dipping coverage that the state is already handling without providing a quicker resolution.
“I’m not getting the answers that I need to help these folks that need more help or quicker help than workforce solutions,” Councillor Louie Sanchez said. “And that’s my dilemma.”
Councilors Grout and Klarissa Peña both said they hope Rogers brings forth another version of the bill with more research and input from both employees and employers.
Support for this coverage comes from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
