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A rally is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, August 12 in Niwot to protest the minimum wage ordinance for unincorporated areas of Boulder County that took effect on January 1 of this year. The rally comes just two days before the City of Longmont is scheduled to hold a “fishbowl” discussion about potentially following the lead of Boulder County and raising the minimum wage beyond the current state-level minimum wage of $14.81 per hour. The current Boulder County minimum wage is $16.57, but doesn’t apply to incorporated towns like Boulder and Longmont.
The rally is being organized by Boulder County Farms and Jobs Alliance and the Niwot Business Association. Niwot business owner Nicholas Little is a part of both organizations.
The event begins at 10 a.m. at the parking lot at 3rd Avenue and Murray Street. There will be coffee, donuts, tractors, and local speakers sharing how the minimum wage increase has impacted their businesses.
“This ordinance creates an uneven playing field for small towns like Niwot,” Little said. “We’re seeing closures, shrinking margins, and a very real threat to the character and future of our communities.”
The event organizers have estimated that the ordinance has cost the town 20 percent (about $5 million) of its business revenue, and two Niwot restaurants have already closed down following the increased wage requirements. The crux of the issue is that small business owners often don’t have enough revenue to shoulder the additional costs.
Organizers also point out that high school students are an important part of the workforce, but businesses will not be able to justify hiring less experienced staff members at the increased wages required in unincorporated Boulder County.
“We’ve always relied on high school students to fill key part-time roles,” said Seth Steele, co-owner of Niwot Market. “But this wage ordinance makes that nearly impossible. It’s not sustainable to pay student workers the same as experienced staff.”
Little and the event organizers hope to cultivate a dialogue with county commissioners and other leaders in the community to figure out a sustainable wage strategy that doesn’t crush small businesses.
“We’re asking for fairness and flexibility so our farms can thrive, our youth can work, and our historic towns don’t become ghost towns,” Little said.
Organizers have also pointed to national trends, including expected restaurant closures in Washington D.C. due to a minimum wage hike and an estimated 18,000 jobs lost in California after raising the fast food minimum wage to $20 per hour.
Meanwhile, the Longmont “fishbowl” discussion has been criticized by Alejandra Beatty, president of the Boulder Area Labor Council, for not being inclusive to all voices, particularly not allowing equal opportunity for minimum wage workers to speak about their experiences.
