A waitress takes orders at a restaurant in Washington, D.C. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Voters in Washington, D.C. approved a ballot initiative, known as Initiative 77, Tuesday that will gradually increase the $3.33 “tipped wage” for restaurant servers and bartenders to match the city’s minimum wage, currently $12.50 per hour, by 2026.
Why it matters: D.C. has become the latest battleground over minimum wage for tipped workers in the restaurant industry. The industry, which opposes the measure, argues that the initiative would force businesses to cut employee hours, pay, and jobs. But advocates and labor rights groups say it will help workers who are currently at greater risk of wage theft, and that they would no longer have to rely on tips from customers as a steady income.
What's next: The city's minimum wage is set to increase to $15 an hour by 2020. Raises in the minimum wage are set to be linked Consumer Price Index starting in 2021.
- The D.C. Council — whose members are mostly against the initiative — could pass a measure to overturn the result or make changes that would address concerns raised by both sides.
Go deeper: The consequences of D.C.’s tipped wage vote