by Karl Lapham
I testified against wage cuts with dozens of other Real Advocates at the Colorado State Capitol last week. Yet, the lawmakers ignored the very people they represent.
Before we begin, I would like to preface this testimony with a bit of information regarding the bizarre circumstances that led to its creation. Let’s run the clock back a couple of weeks to when the win on Boulder regional wage increases last year gave me a sense of hope and security.
It was a brisk Friday afternoon in January. I was in the process of wrapping up my work for the week when our Senior Policy Manager, Kiyana Newell, reached out, informing me of a bill sponsored by three Democrats in the state legislature. Upon first reading, it became obvious that this bill would create a massive wage cut to the more than 20,000 tipped workers in Denver and Boulder.
Not only did it present dropping wages as a route to economic growth, but it would also create a system where any increase in the regional minimum wage would result in a decrease to that same region’s tipped wage.
WARNING: The testimony below has been edited back to its original form to include my unfiltered hot takes (for the committee-censored version, watch the video above). Please enjoy.
Good afternoon committee members,
Thank you for the opportunity for all of us to express our concerns and grievances regarding the wage cut bill you’ve introduced. My name is Karl Lapham and I am the Boulder regional lead organizer for New Era Colorado. We make it our mission to educate, mobilize, and advocate on behalf of young people in Colorado – which is why I am here today, pleading that you vote against passing a bill that would effectively cut wages for over 20,000 tipped workers across the state.
Are we seriously considering a policy that would help a few hundred businesses at the expense of tens of thousands of struggling workers?
We vehemently oppose this bill because New Era and the young people we represent believe in economic justice. This means the right to a fair wage, job stability, and a government that puts its most essential constituents first.
I spent a large portion of 2024 working with many of the other people in this room to raise the regional minimum wage in Boulder. The need for a living wage was apparent in Denver, Boulder, and every other area of Colorado where the cost of living continues to rise exponentially in the face of diminished working conditions and worker rights. To win on the local level only to be ambushed by the same legislators we thought to be on our side was gut-wrenching. The concerns over the restaurant industry are brought up by proponents as the most valid argument for passing this cut. Are we seriously considering a policy that would help a few hundred businesses at the expense of tens of thousands of struggling workers?
HB25-1208 would mean immediate harm to workers. We have heard over and over that this bill is not intended to cut the wages of a workforce dominated by marginalized groups, yet that is exactly what it would do. In Denver, tipped workers who are already struggling to make ends meet and whose wages are already subject to factors outside of their control would see a $4 cut to their hourly wage.
In a time when workers are constantly under threat of menial wages, homelessness, and inaccessible healthcare, it is repugnant to disguise a direct attack on their income as a vehicle to economic prosperity. Not only does this bill dramatically cut the wages of some of our most endangered workers, but it is a surefire way to create a divide between tipped workers and minimum wage workers, creating even more barriers to a continued rise in wages to match the cost of living.
Do not push the people you are supposed to represent towards further financial hardship, our workers and community members must take priority. Do not vote to pass this wage cut.
Thank you.
Curious on how to testify? We’ve got the details.