Amendment 70 is a step in the wrong direction for Colorado. Yes, we want people to earn a livable wage. Yes, we believe that a higher minimum wage is a step in the right direction for Colorado. But for restaurateurs, Amendment 70 is a nail in the coffin.

It all comes down to the tip credit. The tip credit in the amendment would force restaurants to pay all tipped employees (servers, food runners, expos, busers, etc.) $8.98 per hour. For servers, this is a dramatic pay increase for a person already making $16 to $22 per hour as a national average.

This increase in wages would mean that restaurateurs would have to increase prices, reduce employee hours, lay off staff members, close the doors, etc.

With Durango being a vibrant community with an amazing restaurant scene, this would deter restaurant growth, customer service would suffer and the overall customer experience would be diminished greatly.

With this being an amendment to the Colorado Constitution, it is not something that can be repealed easily or altered later. Only one time in the last 100 years has a constitutional amendment been removed from Colorado’s constitution after it was voted in.

Colorado restaurants employ 270,000 people all over the state and contribute 10 percent to the total Colorado workforce. If this amendment passes, we will see those job numbers fall dramatically. We all want to pay people a living wage, however, this amendment is not the right path to get there.

Let’s vote “no” today with the anticipation of voting “yes” down the road with a more common sense approach to a minimum wage increase.

Dave Woodruff, president Durango Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association

Durango