There has been some talk that Washington D.C. Council members might revoke the ballot measure that will raise the minimum wage for workers that are tipped in D.C.
The ballot measure, Initiative 77, will diminish “tipped wage” that employees receive from their day-to-day shifts.
So basically, bartenders, servers, bellhops, and other employees who get tips during their shifts will not be getting tips if the ballot stays approved. They will earn up to $15 per hour, without tips.
However, right now, they earn up to $13.25 an hour, if not more, mostly by all their tips being combined by the end of each shift.
If the initiative were to remain approved, employers would have to increase the rate each employee earns every hour. Which people expect it to be $15 per hour in the next few years.
Phil Mendelson, D.C. Council Chairman, and two other members, Jack Evans and Brandon Todd plan to vote against Initiative 77 today.
The votes for the initiative were 56 percent against 44 percent last month. So you could say it was close.
Food businesses were not happy about the vote. They argued that raising their employees’ rates would lead to raising their menu prices, which would lead to much lower tips compared to now.
Evans stated his opinion about the initiative, claiming that it would be “harmful” to the businesses and the employees even more.
While some say that it is unfair to go against the votes of the public, others are saying this new initiative is “creating public confusion.”
Although it is a tricky situation to go against the voters, it’s even worse not to defend the employers and employees who will be affected by Initiative 77.