Controversial DC tipping proposal goes before voters — again

By ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A controversial proposal to change the pay structure for servers and other workers at Washington’s bars and restaurants goes before voters Tuesday. The vote comes four years after approval of an identical ballot issue that was overturned by the D.C. Council. Initiative 82 would eliminate the tipped wages system in which restaurant owners pay certain staff members well below the $16.10 minimum hourly wage on the assumption that the difference would be made up through customer tips. If the employees’ nightly tips don’t raise that income to the minimum, the employers make up the difference. The proposal would require employers to pay every staffer the $16.10 minimum by 2027.