Carbondale city council members discuss whether to raise minimum wage for tipped workers

CARBONDALE, Ill. (KFVS) - City council members did not make a decision at Tuesday night’s meeting on whether the minimum wage for tipped workers should be raised in Carbondale.

The meeting was held Tuesday evening, November 14.

A bill was introduced that would require employers to pay tipped workers a full minimum wage with tips on top of that.

“One Fair Wage” would also phase out sub-minimum wage throughout the city.

We talked with Nataki Rhodes, the national lead organizer for One Fair Wage, who explained the need for higher wages.

“...workers [are] not making inflation go up, but it is the time to be able to pay workers so they can pay for their own inflations that’s going up, that’s hitting their pockets as well,” she said.

Following a passionate discussion, the mayor decided to end the conversation all together.

However, we spoke with Victor Ludwig, a student at SIU Carbondale, who is familiar with working in the food industry. He talked about the importance of high minimum wage.

“I would like to see a scenario where local businesses can be supported by the removal of sales tax that negatively impact their business, while also passing ‘One Fair Wage’ laws which are proven to work in many of the metropolitan centers that they operate in,” Ludwig said. “I’d like to see a local model that fits Carbondale implemented as soon as possible, while still respecting the fact that businesses need to operate, especially out local businesses.”

The current minimum wage in Illinois is $13 an hour, with the minimum wage for tipped employees sitting at $7.80.

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