David Bonior gets a lesson in reality

[whell]

David Bonior used to be a huge local dyed-in-the-wool lefty congressman, labor advocate, and a "raise the minimum wage" guy. Now that he has actually gone out an worked for a living, he's gotten a taste of how tough if really is to make a buck running a business.

“The biggest surprise is how you have to hustle,” he said. “It was an eye-opener. I always heard this when I was in Congress. ‘You should try and own a business someday, Bonior.’ So I own two small businesses with my stepson and daughter-in-law. It’s tough to make it, in terms of profit margins. But somehow you get by and you figure it out.”

Now that he's in business for himself, his employees not only earn the minimum wage, but most don't get health care from their employer and they don't currently have a retirement plan.

Zest is profitable. Agua 301, which is modern Mexican cuisine, doesn’t lose money, he said.

To make the numbers work, he pays his 50 or so employees — who are not union members — what he calls “the tip wage,” which is $2.36 an hour. He said that when he was in Congress, he worked hard to increase the “tip wage,” but it was a casualty from the successful effort to increase the minimum wage.

His employees get paid vacations of at least two weeks a year. Most employees who were on the restaurants’ health plans have signed up for coverage via the Affordable Care Act. Bonior’s restaurants do not have retirement plans, although he says he plans to institute them in the future.

Your mileage may vary, but based on what I've seen, the exchange plans do not compare favorably to the value provided by an employer group health plan even when the employer pays not more than 1/2 the employee-only premium.

I'm glad that reality as - at least in part - reformed at least on liberal. Now if we could just find a way to spread it around....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...2ea_story.html

[donquixote99]

Reformed? Acts in his own interest in the circumstances, you mean. Most everyone does that.

The progressive thing to do is improve the circumstances.

[BlueStreak]

Life is so hard! it's so unfaaaaaiiiirrrrr!

[BlueStreak]

He chose his path, he deals with the choice. That's life. Get over it.

[BlueStreak]

"His employees get paid vacations of at least two weeks a year. Most employees who were on the restaurants’ health plans have signed up for coverage via the Affordable Care Act. Bonior’s restaurants do not have retirement plans, although he says he plans to institute them in the future."

Sounds like he's a fairly generous guy. And, if he can afford that, then it must not be all that tight. I'm just sayin'.

I wonder how many conservative restaurant owners encourage employees to sign up for Obamacare and have any intention at all of ever instituting retirement plans?

My guess, (I could be wrong.) is that you stand a better chance of spotting a Chupacabra riding down the freeway on a tricycle while playing a piano.

Dave

[donquixote99]

Paid vacations are a bit less impressive, though, when you consider they're at $2.67 an hour....

[barbara]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

Paid vacations are a bit less impressive, though, when you consider they're at $2.67 an hour....

Even so, it's very rare to get a paid vacation in the food service industry.

[whell]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

"His employees get paid vacations of at least two weeks a year. Most employees who were on the restaurants’ health plans have signed up for coverage via the Affordable Care Act. Bonior’s restaurants do not have retirement plans, although he says he plans to institute them in the future."

Sounds like he's a fairly generous guy. And, if he can afford that, then it must not be all that tight. I'm just sayin'.

I wonder how many conservative restaurant owners encourage employees to sign up for Obamacare and have any intention at all of ever instituting retirement plans?

My guess, (I could be wrong.) is that you stand a better chance of spotting a Chupacabra riding down the freeway on a tricycle while playing a piano.

Dave

Many restaurant chains offer some type of health coverage. For others, they can institute an ACA surcharge.

[barbara]

Originally Posted by whell

Many restaurant chains offer some type of health coverage. For others, they can institute an ACA surcharge.

Wrong.
Food service jobs are notorious for not providing health care benefits.

Generally, if benefits are offered at all, it is to management

[merrylander]

What a difference, before I retired from Bell I was getting six weeks paid vacation and there was no such silliness as a given number of sick days per year. Difference between civilization and here.