March 29, 2018

DC voters will decide on moving wait staff to minimum wage

Washington Post -D.C. voters will decide whether to require restaurants to pay the minimum wage to waiters, bartenders and others who earn a “tipped wage” — a low base rate plus tips.

The D.C. Board of Elections  authorized a ballot measure for the June 19 election that would gradually increase the hourly wage — currently $3.33 — made by restaurant workers until it matches the city’s minimum wage for other workers by 2026.

Initiative 77 pits the restaurant industry against progressive groups in a city with some of the nation’s most generous mandates for worker benefits.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

By 2026, huh? I think that's called a "meaningless gesture".

Anonymous said...

" in a city with some of the nation’s most generous mandates for worker benefits."

Any place that has a $3.33 an hours minimum wage for tipped work, does not have generous worker benefits. The city might have generous worker benefits for non tipped wage workers or salaried workers, but tipped workers making $3.33 an hour have yet see evidence of that reported generousness. I really hope this ballot measure passes.

Seriously the US needed a $15 minimum wage about 7 years ago, and at this point minimum wage should be much closer to $20 an hour, if people are to afford the basics of life in the US, like food, rent, utilities, and health insurance.