Based on the Portland Press Herald’s recommendation to increase the tipped credit wage (“Our View: Portland should leave tipped-wage hike as is,” July 11) – as well as several letters to the editor – there seems to be a misunderstanding of the tipped-wage credit and its effect on Portland’s recently approved minimum wage of $10.10 per hour.

Provided the City Council corrects the tipped credit that it inadvertently voted for at its last meeting and keeps the hourly rate that tipped employees may be paid at $3.75 per hour, those employees have received an increase in their minimum pay – from the state minimum wage of $7.50 per hour to the new city minimum wage of $10.10 per hour.

The employer has always needed to make up the difference between the tipped-credit minimum wage and the mandated minimum wage and will continue to ensure that the employee earns a total of the new minimum wage of $10.10 per hour after tips.

Increasing the employer’s base contribution will make an already difficult business that much harder.

Since this is a city initiative and will put Portland’s restaurants and bars at a competitive disadvantage against the nearby establishments in South Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth and beyond, we do not need to add nearly $3 to every labor hour for servers and bartenders to get them to the new mandated minimum wage of $10.10 – they will already make it.

Mark Heisler

Portland

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