WASHINGTON — Of all the candidates stumping outside the Turkey Thicket Recreation Center in Northeast, D.C. late Tuesday evening, it was the question about Initiative 82 that resonated with some voters.
If passed, Initiative 82 would gradually raise tipped workers' base pay, not including tips until it is equal to the standard minimum wage by 2027.
Right now, the minimum wage in DC for tipped workers is $5.35 an hour with restaurants and bars already making up the difference if those workers don’t end up taking home the standard $16.10 minimum hourly wage when factoring in their tips.
“Maybe in the short term our waitresses and bartenders will be feeling the loss of those tips but I think that getting a standard minimum wage is just going to create a better incentive for everybody," voter Katherine Dudinsky said outside a polling place Tuesday.
Opponents have painted doomsday scenarios of small independent restaurants being forced to close due to higher labor costs, and potential lost income for tipped workers in high-end establishments.
“I think it’s worth a shot. If it needs to be tweaked if it's not perfect like most programs and systems are then we revisit it," said Ken Beatty.
D.C. voters passed a nearly identical plan four years ago, but it was later repealed by the DC Council. However, the Council is not expected to take similar action, should initiative 82 pass this year.
Initiative 82 would follow similar programs in California, Washington State, Oregon and Minnesota.
Election season is well underway and one of the big topics in D.C. is Initiative 82. It would, over time, eliminate the tipped wage system.
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