Longmont to Host Minimum Wage “Fishbowl” Discussion Amid Calls for Worker Representation

The City of Longmont will host a “fishbowl” conversation on August 14 with representatives from various industries to talk about the impacts of a potential minimum wage increase from the current Colorado rate of $14.81. Boulder Country raised the minimum wage to $16.57 for unincorporated areas of the county, which took effect on January 1 this year. 

Alejandra Beatty, president of the Boulder Area Labor Council, wrote a letter to the editor calling for a “fair and inclusive” discussion surrounding the potential of raising the minimum wage in the City of Longmont. Beatty said the minimum wage discussion is important and that a “fishbowl” style discussion can be useful, but the current proposed format doesn’t allow minimum wage workers a fair opportunity to represent their views and opinions on the matter. 

A “fishbowl” discussion format is a public discussion model where a few participants sit in an inner circle and speak while others observe. 

“We’ve asked to help design these discussions so they’re fair and inclusive — especially for workers whose lives are directly affected,” Beatty wrote. “It’s disappointing that only business-oriented groups have been included so far. A fishbowl can be useful, but only if it’s carefully planned to balance power instead of reinforcing it.”

The Colorado Fiscal Institute published a 2023 report about low-wage work in Colorado. The report defines low-wage work as a job that pays less than a full-time worker would need to earn to stay above the poverty level if supporting a family of four. In 2015, a low-wage job earned less than $12 per hour for a 40-hour work week. In 2022, that rate increased to $15.40 according to the report. While 23 percent of workers in 2015 fell into the category of low wage work, that number dropped to 14 percent in 2022. 

During the City Council meeting on July 8, City of Longmont Budget Analyst Sarah Del Valle said that nine percent of the Longmont workforce would be impacted by a minimum wage increase to $16.57. She mentioned a “benefits cliff” that could have unintended consequences for a single parent of two kids who earned $24.83 per hour, which is still more than eight dollars higher per hour than the minimum wage implemented in Boulder County. 

“With federal cuts threatening to take away key support systems, the so-called ‘benefits cliff’ will hit workers even harder,” Beatty wrote in response. “Without local action like wage increases, Longmont’s workers will be left struggling even more.” 

The budget reconciliation bill (“One Big Beautiful Bill”) signed into law by President Trump cuts federal Medicaid spending by $863 billion and SNAP by $295 billion over the next 10 years. The bill calls upon states to cover a portion of the SNAP benefits if they have an error rate above six percent. 

Beatty said the fishbowl event should have a neutral facilitator and only include representatives from businesses that actually pay the minimum wage. She also spoke out during the Longmont City Council meeting on July 8 and expressed her frustration for not being invited or included in the minimum wage discussion.

“I love the community here, but it’s getting harder and harder to live here,” Beatty said during the public comment portion of the city council meeting. “So, I just want to make sure that our workers are being taken care of, and that includes unionizing. I know that’s not a popular topic, but workers need to be able to unionize and fight for themselves and fight for their rights.”

Beatty is concerned that stakeholders from the business side of the discussion will have a voice, while minimum-wage workers will be stifled based on the proposed format. “Picture workers sitting beside current or future bosses,” Beatty wrote. “How freely can they speak, knowing their jobs could be at stake?”

John Lembke, who recently announced his candidacy for Longmont City Council, suggested during the July 8 meeting that a blanket minimum wage increase can cause small companies to go out of business due to the increased costs. He said a minimum wage increase should only target large, profitable industries and referenced business closures in Boulder County due to the minimum wage increase.