I would like to offer another perspective to Sally Greenberg’s recent Guest Comment. In D.C., the tipped wage plays an important role for restaurants and restaurant workers in ensuring that tipped restaurant employees earn far beyond minimum wage.
This model is once again in jeopardy as Initiative 82 comes before voters in November. When the D.C. Council reversed a similar initiative to eliminate the tipped wage a couple of years ago, they were responding to the definitive outcry and compelling testimony from restaurant employees. Restaurant employees were clear; the tipped wage is vital to high earning potential and achieving upward mobility.
I believe there are some misconceptions about how the tipped wage works in the restaurant industry. The tipped wage model provides the opportunity for many restaurant workers to earn far beyond minimum wage while never making less than minimum wage through a combination of tips and the tipped wage. Restaurants are legally required to compensate…
Read the full story from the Washington Business Journal.
