Michael Saltsman

Nov 20, 2024 | wsj.com | Michael Saltsman |Rebekah Paxton

Donald Trump’s improved performance in states like New York and Illinois wasn’t the only blue-state Election Day surprise. The Associated Press reported this week that a California initiative to raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour failed narrowly. In Massachusetts, 64% of voters rejected a measure to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers ($6.75) to match that of nontipped workers ($15) by 2029. What went wrong?

Aug 8, 2024 | detroitnews.com | Michael Saltsman |Rebekah Paxton

Michael Saltsman and Rebekah Paxton |  The Detroit NewsMichigan tipped workers may kiss their tips or their jobs goodbye, thanks to the state Supreme Court and anti-tip credit group One Fair Wage (OFW). The legislature urgently needs to intervene. In 2018, OFW put forth a ballot measure to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 by 2022 with annual inflation adjustments. It would have also eliminated the separate wage for tipped workers.

Jan 12, 2024 | wsj.com | Michael Saltsman |Rebekah Paxton

WashingtonThe restaurant scene in the District of Columbia is dying, and public policy is to blame. As recently as 2016, the nation’s capital received its first Michelin Guide and accolades from the country’s top food magazines. In 2018 the editor of Bon Appétit declared that Washington was “having a moment,” with some restaurants so popular that patrons would wait an hour to get a bite. But that was then.