Seven years ago, I brought the Miss Portland Diner back to life. But a $15 minimum wage would devastate it.
This minimum would affect not just employees earning below this rate. Every employee would expect a similar increase to keep the status quo. This would result in a payroll increase of 60 percent, or $180,000.
Add to this increases in workers’ comp insurance and payroll taxes, and the number jumps to $200,000. With local vendors experiencing similar increases, they would pass costs on to us.
If local Question 1 passes Nov. 3, I would be forced to rethink my business. Prices would go up, staffing would suffer and so would customer service. We may have to limit hours of operation or even relocate the diner car to another city.
I don’t want to do any of this, as it goes against the whole reason I restored the diner in the first place. Vote “no” on local Question 1.
Tom Manning
Portland
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