Restaurant workers’ pay and working conditions has been an important national issue and I’m pleased to read local coverage in the Gazette. I’m downtown every day, and I have eaten in almost every restaurant. Some of my favorite places to eat, like Haymarket, Northampton Brewery and Hungry Ghost, have taken a positive approach and shared what they do to balance employee compensation with staying in business.
I also sit on community boards with people like Mo McGuinness, of Roberto’s and Sylvester’s, who is a big supporter of the cot shelter. These business owners and many others are a credit to our community and will continue to get my dollars.
But that is not the whole story. I have talked to several restaurant workers whose pay leaves them in poverty. Some have terrible working conditions and no benefits or time off. Their stories need to be told and researched, to determine whether there is more than anecdotal evidence.
If Northampton follows the national trends, then 40 percent of restaurant workers live near poverty and their wages have stagnated more than any other sector of the economy, while the restaurant business has been growing. (See the Economic Policy Institute website for more data.)
We are a community that celebrates local heroes and encourages buying from local businesses. Every downtown house of worship supports the Northampton living wage. We are not immune from economic pressure, just look at the closed church buildings. However, we know our security will not come from paying the lowest possible wages and benefits to our employees, but by doing our best and working together to improve the lives of everyone in the city.
Cooks, waiters, waitresses and dishwashers are part of our community too, and deserve fairness. This is not a simple issue to solve, and a whole business sector should not be painted with one big brush, yet it is a conversation that needs to happen. I encourage the Gazette to press forward to get the full picture.
The Rev. Todd Weir is pastor of the First Churches of Northampton.