“The minimum wage is going up and we have a huge number of employees.”
A conservative news site resurfaced news on Thursday that a bar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used to work at was closing its doors for good.
Last year, the Coffee Shop in Union Square, where the New York Democrat got her much-touted experience as a bartender experience, was forced to close for good after 28 years in business.
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The closure, which put 150 employees out of work, was made necessary by high rent and the rising minimum wage, according to owner Charles Milite.
“The times have changed in our industry,” Milite told the New York Post in an interview published last July. “The rents are very high and now the minimum wage is going up and we have a huge number of employees.”
Ocasio-Cortez went by to visit the bar one last time, reminiscing on Twitter about “old times.”
The restaurant I used to work at is closing its doors.
I swung by today to say hi one last time, and kid around with friends like old times.
I’m a normal, working person who chose to run for office, because I believe we can have a better future.
You can do it too. We all can. pic.twitter.com/WeNsFm4eTt
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 20, 2018
Ironically enough, the $15 minimum wage that the bar’s owner blamed for the closure of his business is a policy Ocasio-Cortez passionately supports.
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Responding to Ivanka Trump’s criticisms of the Green New Deal, Ocasio-Crortez touted her bartending experience while promoting a “living wage” for employees.
“As a person who actually worked for tips & hourly wages in my life, instead of having to learn about it 2nd-hand, I can tell you that most people want to be paid enough to live,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “A living wage isn’t a gift, it’s a right. Workers are often paid far less than the value they create.”
Ocasio-Cortez has been a controversial figure since entering congress in January. Her ambitious Green New Deal plan was embraced by many on the left, but has been widely mocked by Republicans. Her opposition to tech-giant Amazon’s desire to locate their second headquarters in New York City helped push the company away, leaving many New Yorkers irate with the freshmen representative and blaming her for the loss of thousands of potential jobs.
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