A wage debate turns into a history debate — and the rhetoric just went nuclear.
Brandon Johnson ignited backlash recently, after linking the restaurant industry to “slavery” while defending his push to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers.
The remarks came moments after the Chicago City Council failed to override Johnson’s veto of a measure that would have halted the city’s planned phaseout of the tipped wage.
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That vote keeps intact a policy set to gradually raise base pay for tipped workers to the full minimum wage by 2028.
Restaurant owners are sounding alarms.
They argue the shift could force menu price hikes, squeeze already thin margins, and potentially cost jobs across the city’s dining sector.
Johnson, however, framed the issue in broader historical and economic terms.
“You just watched the entire city council… try to take wages away from the very people who are part of an industry that has its ties to slavery,” he said, adding that many tipped workers are minorities.
More over at The New York Post:
Chicago mayor links restaurant industry to ‘slavery’ as tipped wage fight intensifies https://t.co/c2SVibsKWo pic.twitter.com/tk0h7v7Pry
— New York Post (@nypost) April 19, 2026
