Chicago mayor links restaurant industry to ‘slavery’ as tipped wage fight intensifies

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said the restaurant is "tied to slavery" during a press conference Wednesday after the City Council failed to override his veto of a measure to phaseout the subminimum wage for tipped workers. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson linked the restaurant industry to "slavery" Wednesday as he defended his push to eliminate the tipped wage, doubling down after surviving a City Council effort to block the policy. Johnson’s remarks came after the Chicago City Council failed to override his veto of a measure that would have halted the city’s phaseout of the subminimum wage for tipped workers — a policy set to raise base pay to the full minimum wage by 2028 that is opposed by restaurant owners who warn it could drive up prices and cut jobs. He called on Chicagoans to "challenge city council not to do stuff like take wages away from Blac