The DC Council has decided to delay the planned wage increase for tipped restaurant workers from $10 to $12 until October, following Mayor Muriel Bowser's push to repeal Initiative 82. This law aimed to gradually eliminate the tip credit system by raising the tipped wage to match the minimum wage by 2027. Supporters of the pause argue it allows for review of the Mayor's proposal and the implications of federal legislation, while opponents claim that this delay undermines the will of the voters who supported the initiative.
The work of the Council is never static. We have to constantly be able to make changes when needed. I can't ignore the impact of inflation, tariffs, a Trump recession, 40,000 jobs lost, and the reality that people are dining out less and spending less.
To tell them that we are now going to delay it, it's unfair. This decision is not respecting the will of the voters.
When Initiative 82 passed with nearly 75 percent of the vote in 2022, the tipped wage in DC was $5.35. It’s gradually risen to $10 and is set to match the full minimum wage by 2027.
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