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The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has advanced a measure to increase the wage floor in the City of St. Louis to $11 an hour by January 1, 2018. Final vote on the bill will be taken on Friday, August 28 at City Hall. If passed, the minimum wage in the City will increase according to the following schedule.
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10/15/15
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$8.25 |
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01/01/16
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$9.00 |
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01/01/17
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$10.00 |
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01/01/18
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$11.00 |
Beginning January 1, 2019, the wage will increase each year based on changes in the consumer price index. The minimum cash wage paid to employees receiving tips is one-half of the prevailing minimum wage.
Missouri Restaurant Association encourages members doing business in the City of St. Louis to contact their Alderman or Alderwoman and request they support businesses in the City by voting "no" on Board Bill # 83. Explain the consequences the wage mandate will have on your business. To guard against unintended consequences of raising the minimum wage, such decisions should be made at the state or federal level.
Follow this link to access contact information for your representative on the Board of Aldermen:
MRA further encourages your attendance at the Friday, August 28 meeting that begins at 3:00 PM.
St. Louis City Hall
Room 230
1200 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
Seating is limited. Please arrive early.
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The Affordable Care Act's employer mandate is here - and it's not too late for covered businesses to comply and avoid monthly accrued penalties.
What's the employer mandate?
Effective Jan. 1, 2015, the ACA imposed a mandate that requires certain businesses to either provide medical coverage or face possible penalties.
The mandate will eventually apply to employers with 50 or more full-time or full-time-equivalent (FTE) employees. The penalties generally went into effect in 2015 for employers with 100 or more full-time employees or FTEs, and will take effect in 2016 for employers with 50 to 99 full-time employees or FTEs. The employer mandate does not apply to small groups with 2 to 49 employees.
Health benefits requirements
To avoid monthly penalties, covered employers must offer full-time employees health benefits that meet these requirements:
Provide minimum essential coverage (MEC).
MEC must be offered in the small or large group health insurance market and be a group health plan under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). The following plan types alone will not constitute MEC: disability, accident, critical illness and indemnity.
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National Food Safety Month 2015 
This year's theme: Best practices
To spotlight the restaurant industry's ongoing commitment to food safety, the National Restaurant Association has announced this year's National Food Safety Month (NFSM) theme will be "Let it Flow," focusing on the flow of food through a restaurant.
NFSM, held annually in September, was created in 1994 by the NRA to heighten awareness about the importance of food safety education. The NRA offers free resources for foodservice industry professionals and this year will highlight tips for a number of food safety topics including receiving, storage, thawing and holding, preparation and service.
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In a continuing effort to equip high school students with the tools and knowledge they'll need to become the future leaders of the restaurant industry, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's career technical education program,
ProStart, is now available throughout the United States.
North Dakota is the 50th state to offer the two-year program, which teaches high school students basic culinary techniques and hospitality management skills as they begin their educations and industry careers. Today it is available in 1,700 high schools and career technical centers and reaches more than 118,000 students.
In addition to the curriculum, ProStart also offers students the opportunity to apply for scholarships as well as compete in state and national team competitions.
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Recent moves by the National Labor Relations Board are threatening franchise independence, and that has franchise owners like Tom Saia worried.
Saia, a Burger King Franchisee and 37-year veteran of the restaurant business, thinks the NLRB's efforts to redefine its decades-old "joint employer" standard could damage the growth potential for franchises and the ability of current owners to create opportunities.
"Joint-employer," explained: The "joint employer" standard is how the NLRB determines whether an individual is employed by two independent companies when it investigates complaints about unfair labor practices. Historically, the standard has recognized franchise independence. However, the NLRB abruptly changed course last year and announced it would consider a prominent restaurant franchisor as a joint employer in a handful of unfair labor practice cases against franchisees. This shift in direction means franchisors could be held responsible for decisions that were solely made by franchisees. The increased liability could lead franchisors to take a hands-on approach in matters like hiring, firing and promoting, that are normally handled by franchisees.
"I've worked hard to become a franchise owner," said Saia, who got his start in restaurants as a busboy and dishwasher. "I feel like I'd be working for a large company, and not be my own boss anymore. My life savings is in my business. I don't want someone else on a larger scale telling me what to do."
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Joplin/Southwest Missouri
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St. Joseph/Northwest Missouri
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| Only with ServSafe |
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| Reasons to Join the MRA |
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| How does the ACA effect Missouri Restaurants? |
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