2008 Woodie Awards
21-only may cut some jobs
Jen Delgado and George Sweeney - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Metro
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Some Iowa City bar employees think they'll lose their jobs if the 21-ordinance passes.
"We were told at a general meeting that possibly 75 percent of us would be fired because we won't need a large staff anymore," said UI student Emily Eagle, a waitress at the Summit, 10 S. Clinton St.
She said employees were encouraged afterward to pass out fliers and voter-registration forms in an effort to stop the ordinance.
While their jobs don't depend on how many voters they can register, UI student Danielle Lipsius, a waitress and bartender at the Summit, said it looked better when the employees are putting an effort into keeping their jobs.
"As bar employees, we expect to have a decrease," said Kyle Marxen, a UI graduate and current employee at One-Eyed Jakes, 18-20 S. Clinton St. "At Jakes, we're expecting to have an [all] 21-year-old staff if this is passed. Although most of our employees are 21 or close to it, so it won't affect us too much. But there are a few people worried."
Leah Cohen, the owner of Bo-James and a co-head of Bloc21, an organization that opposes the ordinance, said she would not fire any of her underage employees.
One local bar manager reached by the DI said that most bars are referring all inquiries to Cohen and Brian Flynn of Joe's Place, 115 Iowa Ave.
Iowa City could lose up to 550 jobs if the law passes Nov. 6, Cohen said. On average, the jobs pay $15 an hour (including tips), totaling more than $160,000 of lost income from Iowa City every week, she said.
Cohen said the information did not come from an official study.
"We figured anyone under 21 would have a difficult time getting a job in the service industry [if the ordinance passes]," she said. "Some bars would close within six months, and others would reduce staff."
UI economics Associate Professor John Solow said the ordinance's impact could seem dramatic in the short term, but that the city's economy would adapt.
"We were told at a general meeting that possibly 75 percent of us would be fired because we won't need a large staff anymore," said UI student Emily Eagle, a waitress at the Summit, 10 S. Clinton St.
She said employees were encouraged afterward to pass out fliers and voter-registration forms in an effort to stop the ordinance.
While their jobs don't depend on how many voters they can register, UI student Danielle Lipsius, a waitress and bartender at the Summit, said it looked better when the employees are putting an effort into keeping their jobs.
"As bar employees, we expect to have a decrease," said Kyle Marxen, a UI graduate and current employee at One-Eyed Jakes, 18-20 S. Clinton St. "At Jakes, we're expecting to have an [all] 21-year-old staff if this is passed. Although most of our employees are 21 or close to it, so it won't affect us too much. But there are a few people worried."
Leah Cohen, the owner of Bo-James and a co-head of Bloc21, an organization that opposes the ordinance, said she would not fire any of her underage employees.
One local bar manager reached by the DI said that most bars are referring all inquiries to Cohen and Brian Flynn of Joe's Place, 115 Iowa Ave.
Iowa City could lose up to 550 jobs if the law passes Nov. 6, Cohen said. On average, the jobs pay $15 an hour (including tips), totaling more than $160,000 of lost income from Iowa City every week, she said.
Cohen said the information did not come from an official study.
"We figured anyone under 21 would have a difficult time getting a job in the service industry [if the ordinance passes]," she said. "Some bars would close within six months, and others would reduce staff."
UI economics Associate Professor John Solow said the ordinance's impact could seem dramatic in the short term, but that the city's economy would adapt.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 6
Stosh
posted 10/23/07 @ 10:19 AM CST
How is it that Leah Cohen is all of a sudden concerned about bar employees losing jobs now when she had no compunction whatsoever about stewarding the effort to ban "Fight Night" at the Union which also cost jobs?
Further, what kind of naked audacity did she have to raise a stink about Fight Night in the first place when her real concern was merely her own bottom line as the Union was drawing huge crowds on Wednesdays while her bars weren't?
That she is even allowed to sit on a board and make decisions that can hurt other businesses while helping hers is just another example of the abject hypocrisy and overall shadiness of how business is done in this down. (Continued…)
Carolyn
posted 10/23/07 @ 9:08 PM CST
Isn't illegal for an employer to "encourage" employees to campaign for a political position he espouses?
It is also seedy to scare employees about losing their jobs. (Continued…)
matt r
posted 10/24/07 @ 1:26 AM CST
Is this a joke? What's wrong with the people in this town? Apparently I'm supposed to concern myself with businesses who have profited from years of illegal business. (Continued…)
slaw
posted 10/24/07 @ 9:57 AM CST
Give me a break. This whole issue is ridiculous. The bars are making a killing off the underage drinkers and no matter how they twist it, they are after NOTHING but money. (Continued…)
Teresa
posted 10/24/07 @ 3:27 PM CST
I don't understand why everyone is so opposed to businesses making money? Don't we live in a capitalist society? Don't we all benefit when businesses are successful?
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