Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed a budget plan to repeal Initiative 82, delaying the increase of the tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers from $12 to about $8. This plan is in response to heightened costs and industry challenges. Despite the Restaurant Association's head lobbying for this repeal, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelsohn expressed skepticism regarding the council's support for the proposal, highlighting past resistance towards repealing similar initiatives. The dynamics between the cityâs administration, council, and the restaurant industry underscore tensions surrounding labor and economic viability for DC's hospitality sector.
"We have been alarmed over the last several years about the changes to the industry, outside of our control-but some within our control," Bowser said in a press conference.
"I don't think the support is there in the Council as I am standing here," DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelsohn said in a legislative press conference today.
Mendelsohn referred to Initiative 82 as a "mistake," but he also stated that he would not support repealing it, suggesting mixed feelings.
Bowser's proposal aims to revert the wage back to about half that of the initially planned tipped minimum, causing industry pushback.
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