New ID scrutiny

Mayor's eateries will require better proof in wake of slaying

April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 24, 2005 at midnight

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The manager of Mayor John Hickenlooper's restaurants is tightening the company's hiring policies regarding the employment of illegal immigrants.

Applicants won't get a job if they can't produce a valid Social Security number.

Few, if any, restaurants in the area have such a strict regulation.

"We reviewed the company's polices and saw some areas where we could tighten things up and make some changes," said Mark Eddy, a spokesman for Wynkoop Holdings Inc.

"At the time people are hired, as a condition of employment, their Social Security numbers need to check out," Eddy said. "We're acting in a deliberate manner to make sure the new policy is fair, accurate and effective."

The change in policy comes two weeks after an illegal immigrant working as a dishwasher at the Cherry Cricket - which is co-owned by the mayor - allegedly shot and killed Denver police Detective Donald Young.

The suspect, Raul Garcia-Gomez, is still at large.

In the days after the shooting, Wynkoop Holdings revealed it had received an annual notice in April from Social Security listing incorrect numbers for about 107 employees, including Garcia-Gomez's.

Of that number, 51 still work at eight of the nine restaurants co-owned by the mayor. The Wynkoop in lower downtown is the only restaurant that appeared to have a clean slate.

The company employs 700 to 800 workers over the course of a year. It has given current employees 30 days to clear any Social Security discrepancies they may have.

Those who fail to do so could likely find themselves out of a job, Eddy said.

"We're giving them 30 days to contact Social Security Administration to get this worked out," he said. "If they don't get it worked out, I don't think they'll be able to work there."

The company also plans to take advantage of a service provided by the Social Security Administration that allows employers to call to verify information provided by potential hires.

"The Wynkoop is committed to doing what's right here," Eddy said.

Hickenlooper is not involved in the day-to-day operations of his restaurants. They are instead managed by a trust he created after he was elected mayor in 2003.

The Colorado Restaurant Association could not say Monday how many other restaurants have a similar hiring policy.

It remains to be seen if other restaurants, many of which grapple with 100 percent turnover in their staffs each year, will follow Wynkoop Holdings' lead.

"They're not breaking the law by not verifying Social Security numbers in advance," said Cindy Weindling, executive vice president of the restaurant association. "The employers who are doing it would be on the cutting edge."

The Cherry Cricket met the letter of the law when it made Garcia-Gomez provide two forms of ID - a resident-alien card and Social Security card - that appeared legal when he was hired last year.

"Many employers have to be careful," Weindling said. "The law says that if any reasonable person thinks they're looking at a valid identification, you have to accept it.

"As an employer, you don't want to do anything that could be viewed as unfair immigration practices."

washingtonam@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5086

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