As we’ve anticipated, the Florida Minimum Wage petition has met the signature threshold and is headed for the ballot in November 2020. The Florida Division of Elections has officially certified over 768,000 voter signatures (766,200 are required for 2020 petitions). The petition, which will appear on the 2020 ballot as Amendment 2, will increase the current $8.46/hour minimum wage to $10 on September 30, 2021 and an additional $1 each year thereafter until the minimum reaches $15/hour on September 30, 2026. Subsequently, the minimum would be adjusted annually based on changes in the Consumer Price Index. Chicago restaurant workers are staring a loss of tips in the face as the Chicago City Council considers accelerating minimum wage hikes and coupling them with elimination of the tip credit. Under a proposed ordinance currently being considered, the minimum wage within Windy City limits would increase to $15/hour in 2021 – 4 years sooner than current state law provides ($15 becoming the state minimum in 2025). The Illinois minimum wage is currently $8.25/hour and going to $9.25 come January 1, 2020. Concerned restaurant workers have joined together to form Save Our Tips Chicago, a group of restaurant servers and others lobbying in opposition to the proposed elimination of the tip credit. And finally, a proposal has been submitted by the Mayor of Denver to increase the city minimum wage to $15.87/hour by 2022 and subsequently tie future increases to the Consumer Price Index. It is scheduled to be voted on by the full city council before the end of the month! The Colorado Restaurant Association has threatened legal action if the Council goes ahead with the increase.