Voters in Massachusetts rebuffed a proposal that would have increased the minimum wage for turned workers to the same level as for nontipped employees.
The provision would have increased the income of tipped pay gradually, by 2029, to match the Bay State’s normal minimum wage of$ 15. These workers would still be able to receive tips above their base salaries as a result of the action. The tipped workers ‘ current base salary is$ 6.75.
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The measure’s competitors effectively argued that putting more money on the table for cafe and club owners may make those companies more difficult to run. In order to make up for the losses, those companies might also have to charge service charges, which could result in lower tips earned by servers.
However, Question 5’s supporters argued that tipped workers frequently do n’t make enough tips to cover the gap between the minimum wage and base pay, and that a raise in salary is only fair given the cost of living.
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The Massachusetts Restaurant Association and individual restaurant owners contributed about$ 1.5 million to the measure’s opposition. The overwhelming majority of the about$ 1 million in revenue supporting the measure , came from , the progressive party One Fair Wage, which promotes minimum wage increases.
Washington, D. C., passed a comparable measure in 2022. Companies in Washington may be required to pay tipped workers$ 16.10 per hour by 2027, which is the least wage for non-tipped people.
