State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Minimum Wage Hike for Tipped Workers Wins D.C. Voters' Approval

Governing: D.C. voters backed Initiative 77 Tuesday, raising the city's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, up from the current level of $12.50, and phasing out the $3.33 an hour minimum wage for tipped workers. With just under 90 percent of the precincts reporting in at press time, the margin was 55-44 percent.

The effort had been championed by organized labor and liberal groups but opposed by the restaurant industry as well as city government leaders such as Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser and most members of the D.C. City Council. Many tipped employees opposed the measure as well, arguing it would keep them stuck at the minimum wage rather than potentially earning more.

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