Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

"Going undercover" as a server for a few hours, lawyer-Tom Emmer now thinks he knows it all

St. Paul (July 13, 2010) - Last night, media reports covered Tom Emmer as he went undercover at a restaurant in St. Paul this past weekend. The stunt followed a week of criticism by restaurant owners, the press and servers themselves after the GOP-endorsed gubernatorial candidate declared his wish to slash wages for workers in the service industry. But with his latest attempt at damage control, Emmer once again only served to offend even more service workers.

"It's offensive that Tom Emmer thinks he can step in for one afternoon and know what it's like to walk in my shoes," said Joy Anderson, a server from Minneapolis. "Just because he spent a few hours serving margaritas in front of video cameras doesn't mean Mr. Emmer has any clue what it's like to work as a server, or to depend on minimum-wage-plus-tips to pay the bills. Tom Emmer may have taken a few hours off from his law firm to play the part, but for those of us who actually do the job night after night, his plan to slash wages would be devastating."

Background:

Emmer waits tables after server wage cut flap. Emmer "If you happened to dine at a certain Mexican restaurant in St. Paul over the weekend, you may have seen the Republican candidate for Minnesota Governor schlepping tables, getting a table-side lesson in what a waiter does." [WCCO, 7/12/10]