Last week, voters in Washington, D.C., approved Initiative 77—the proposal that will require bars and restaurants to raise the minimum wage for tipped employees from $3.33 an hour to $15 an hour. Let’s hold off on popping the champagne.
Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), an advocacy group made up of people who are not service industry professionals, spearheaded the charge to pass the measure. Diana Ramirez, D.C.’s ROC director, says that one fair wage would provide waitstaff with financial stability and reduce sexual harassment.
But if the “VOTE NO” signs were any indication, the vast majority of restaurants in the District opposed it. Perhaps more importantly, a great deal of servers publicly protested the proposition leading up to the vote, fearing decreased hours, reductions in staff, and closed storefronts. Tips allow local service professionals to earn far more than minimum wage, they said, and even if gratuities fall short, employers are required by law to make up the difference.
Essentially, the initiative attempts to fix something that is not broken.
The proposal sparked a heated national debate that isn’t likely to end in the near future. It’s true that politics in the District operate in the limelight, but the tipping quandary resonates because it’s likely coming to a city or state near you—and soon.
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