Dear Neighbor,

As we move into spring and with consistent warm weather hopefully around the corner, I want to share some updates from City Council and ways to engage in upcoming community events!

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been part of ongoing conversations around the tipped wage credit and how we can best support our restaurant workers and small businesses across Chicago. To start, the tipped wage is the system that allows restaurants to pay servers and other staff a lower hourly wage because they also earn tips from customers. The tipped wage credit is the percentage of a worker’s minimum wage that can be covered by tips rather than their employer. Before becoming an alder, I spent years working in restaurants myself. I understand how much workers rely on tips as part of their income. At the same time, many of our local restaurants are continuing to navigate rising costs and ongoing economic pressures.

While the intent behind recent changes to the tipped wage system was to support workers, we are seeing real, unintended consequences play out. Neighborhood restaurants are facing mounting pressures, putting both small businesses and local jobs at risk. Some restaurants are reducing staff, cutting shifts, or scaling back hours just to stay afloat, and some have already been forced to close their doors. In fact, almost 500 restaurants in the city closed in the first half of 2025 alone. We’re also hearing from restaurant owners that rising labor and food costs — which have increased significantly in recent years — are making it harder to maintain staffing levels and keep prices affordable. When a neighborhood restaurant struggles or closes,  it means the loss of jobs, opportunity, and community anchors that residents rely on. These impacts are being felt most directly by workers whose hours are being cut, resulting in less take-home pay. It’s also important to recognize that many tipped workers currently earn well above the minimum wage because of tips, and current law already ensures that no worker earns below the minimum wage — if tips do not bring a worker up to that level, the employer is required to make up the difference. 

Changes to the system can have a negative impact on both hours and earnings. That’s why I support efforts to pause further increases to the tipped wage credit. We need to support workers while also being mindful of the challenges facing small businesses, and avoid consequences that could affect jobs, hours, and neighborhood restaurants. Earlier this month, I joined 29 of my fellow alders in voting to pause implementation. Unfortunately, the Mayor chose to veto the legislation, which I believe ignores what we’ve heard from workers and small businesses across Chicago. Freezing the tip credit was a responsible step to give us time to get this right for workers and employers alike, and I will keep you updated on any new developments with this policy.

Outside of City Hall, there’s also a lot happening right here in the 39th Ward! Easter is right around the corner and there are several egg hunts happening throughout our community. These events are a great opportunity for families to come together and celebrate the season:

• Sauganash Woman’s Club Egg Hunt: Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m. (lineup at 9:45 a.m.) Sauganash Park Field, 5861 N. Kostner
• Old Irving Park Association Egg Hunt: Saturday, March 28 at 10 a.m. Belding Elementary School Field, 4257 N. Tripp
• Hollywood Park Egg Hunt: Saturday, March 28 at 11 a.m. Hollywood Park, 3312 W. Thorndale
• Forest Glen Community Club Egg Hunt: Saturday, April 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Forest Glen Woods
• Edgebrook Community Association Egg Hunt: Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Jeff Green “Choo Choo” Park 6500 N. Algonquin  - Sign Up HERE
• Mayfair Presbyterian Church Egg Hunt: Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. Mayfair Presbyterian Church, 4358 W. Ainslie

As always, my office is here to help. We are located at 4200 W. Lawrence Ave. and are open Mondays from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Fridays from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Please contact us at 773.736.5594 or [email protected] if you need any city services or have any questions.

Sincerely,

Alderman Samantha Nugent