Frustration Boils Up at Minimum Wage Workshop

Frustration, or perhaps desperation, broke into the open Tuesday afternoon when city and county officials tried to explain new minimum wage ordinances to Valley-area business operators who said they were exasperated with the suddenness, complications and expense of the new rules. One business woman who attended the lunch meeting at the headquarters of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association in Van Nuys said she would have to create a grid and matrix to help her immigrant uncle understand the various phased-in provisions. Another pointed out that it’s not just that the minimum wages are going up, but the city’s new time-off rules add complexity; one provision, for example, calls for a former employee’s accrued time off to be reinstated if that employee returns within a certain time. At times, voices were raised as some of the 30 or so employers in attendance vented that not only did the city and county of Los Angeles pass new minimum wage rules, but so did the state. That makes compliance tricky, especially when the various mandates conflict. And since most businesses operate on a calendar year basis, the new rules that went into effect on July 1 complicate their implementation. Not only is it time-consuming to figure all that out, but one business owner, Richard LoGuerico of Town and Country Event Rentals, said he feared the new provisions will only open the door to costly lawsuits as businesses will surely fail to comply with some aspect or another. The meeting was billed by VICA as a workshop with City Attorney Mike Feuer. After introductory remarks, Feuer left, but more than half a dozen city and county officials stayed behind. They went through provisions of the laws and provided a table filled with close to 20 documents and brochures that explained aspects of the rules. As the question-and-answer session progressed, the crowd grew more restive and at times voices were raised with one businessman saying the bureaucrats have probably never run a business and don’t understand how difficult local governments make it. Moderators a couple of times asked the crowd for calm. “We understand the frustration,” one of the city officials said. “More like desperation,” a business owner shot back. LoGuerico, after the meeting, said he was frustrated because city officials don’t seem to hear – or even want to hear – the exasperation of business operators. “It’d be nice to talk to someone,” he said. He said he’s sent several notes to his councilwoman, Nury Martinez, but has never gotten a response.