Regarding the new wage for tipped workers in Chicago, of course, now knowing that I am going to be paying more because of that, my tipping will go from 20% to 25% of the check to 5% or maybe 10% of the check at most.
If we're going this route, similar to what is done in Europe, then really there is no reason to tip at all anymore, especially when the full impact of the Chicago ordinance goes into effect, and that would be more than fair, according to the mayor's rhetoric.
The real solution was given by Sam Toia, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association. Rather than requiring Chicago restaurants to hike the minimum wage, he urged hefty fines and crackdowns on employers who don’t pay the legally guaranteed minimum wage.
Chicago should "add more inspectors and go after bad actors," he said.
Someone needs to ask Mayor Brandon Johnson, why didn't you just follow the law and enforce it instead of punishing the industry? This is just another example of the great city of Chicago fixing what is not broken. It will keep doing that until more people and businesses leave.
Ray Gwiaz, Bucktown
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The Chicago Teachers Union is calling Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez a "Lightfoot leftover," referring to the former mayor, because of how contract negotiations are going.
The CTU has already mentioned taking a strike vote if they don’t see progress in bargaining by the end of summer. Every time the CTU contract is up we hear about a potential strike. Yet the school district has a budget deficit of over $400 million, and lobbying Springfield yielded no results.
It sounds like CTU would like to replace Martinez. Are they looking for a "yes" man? Do they think they have a "yes" man in City Hall? The CTU did spend big money helping Mayor Brandon Johnson get elected. We will see.
Richard Barber, Mount Greenwood
Nice to see that a Chicago kid won Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Way to go, Patrick Bertoletti! As lousy as our pro sports teams might be, there's one competition in which we Chicagoans excel. We know how to eat hot dogs better than New Yorkers.
Jim Bruton, Avondale
It seems that many opinion polls have been done regarding whether President Joe Biden should drop out of the race. I suggest polling the people who matter — the delegates. Biden has 3,896 delegates, and an estimated 1,968 are needed for nomination. They could be asked to respond anonymously to this question: If you are "released," will you still vote for President Biden? If not, whom would you support?
John McDonald, Oak Park
Our Congress needs an overhaul. "We the People" should step up and vote all of them out. We need younger, open-minded and independent public servants who are willing to limit themselves to a 10-year tenure.
Warren Rodgers Jr., Orland Park
