Posted on 10/02/2018 11:12:08 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
D.C. lawmakers on Tuesday voted to overturn an initiative that would raise the minimum wage for tipped workers, just four months after voters approved the measure.
The D.C. Council voted 8-5 to repeal the measure, known as Initiative 77, which would raise wages to $12.50 an hour.
The move marks the first of several votes needed to send the legislation to Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) desk, according to The Washington Post. Bowser has already vowed to sign the repeal legislation, the Post reported.
Under D.C. law, tipped workers are paid $3.33 an hour. Employers are required to make up the difference if workers do not receive at least the minimum wage in tips.
The D.C. minimum wage is scheduled to rise to $15 an hour by 2020.
“The one fair wage movement is something that’s not going away,” Diana Ramirez, who leads the advocacy group backing Initiative 77, told The Washington Post. “We either come back again on the ballot, whether that’s a ballot initiative or something else. But we need to send a message that what they started doing today is not ok and there will be consequences for overturning this.”
Supporters of the controversial ballot measure said raising the wage would protect tipped workers, who are primarily women and people of color, against mistreatment from customers.
Opponents, however, including many restaurant owners and servers and bartenders who already earn more than the standard minimum wage in tips, said the initiative would lead to job loss, raised prices on menus and restaurants closing.
Paging Amazon.
Every waitstaff person I know (primarily through my kids) does not want this law. They earn much more if they’re good at their job via tips.
This law protects shoddy workers at crappy restaurants.
I worked for tips as a cocktail waitress and bartender for over 20 years. My checks were crap but I made great moneybecause of the tips. I went to work at a country club when I went back to school because the hours were better. The checks and the tips added on were crap. I made all my money off our private parties via tips. I wouldn’t work as a waiter/waitress for a check and added on tips alone. You make no money.
Remember, most of the Money being paid by Customers in those fancy DC Restaurants is provided by American Taxpayers.
The same American Taxpayers who get a thrill when the Mailman delivers those discount Coupons from Burger King and Wendys.
Only a Democrat or a socialist would love Prop 77.
Dems are always crying about a “universal basic income” and demanding a national minimum hourly wage. Now the left-learning DC City Council wants a do-over? Should have listened to the retailers and restaurateurs in the first place, who predicted this would backfire
A friend of the family owns a restaurant where tipping is not allowed. What he does is at the end of the day he totals up each waitpersons slips and adds his own 15% to it. The employees love it and really hustle to make the patron’s experience dining eventful. He has a great dedicated staff.
How many of the DC councilmen are restaurant/hotel/bar owners?
A large number of workers subject to this are black. The results will be slave wages. And you know that the Democrats can’t wait to bring back slavery for their blacks.
The law gets wait staff replaced by automation. Yes, it can happen. Japan has shown the way and has entire restaurants, not burger joints, with no wait staff and you don’t go to the counter for your food.
If it is slave wages then the choice is slave wages or no wages. That 12.50 per hour has TOO come from the price of the meal. A menu that expensive will close restaurants that serve others than those for whom the price is not a consideration.
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