Controversial DC tipping proposal goes before voters — again

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, four years after approval of an identical ballot issue that was later overturned by the D.C. Council.

Initiative 82 would eliminate the so-called 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.

Currently, restaurant managers pay some staffers salaries as low as $5.35 per hour. If the employees' tips for the night don't raise that income up to the minimum, the employers make up the difference.

The proposal would gradually eliminate the two-tiered system, requiring employers to pay every staffer the $16.10 minimum by 2027.

The issue spawned fierce debates among the hospitality industry in 2018, and its revival has done the same this year, with campaign placards for and against it alongside those for mayoral or council candidates.

The council and Mayor Muriel Bowser drew heavy criticism for reversing the 2018 initiative, and several councilmembers who voted to overturn the previous initiative have publicly stated they would not do so again if the new one succeeds.

Supporters claim the change will offer protection and equal footing for all employees, while opponents — including the local restaurant association — warn that the extra expense will drive up costs, force smaller independent restaurants to close and lead to extra charges that would drive away customers and discourage high-end tipping.

The dynamic is more complex than merely labor vs. management; the debate has divided the staffs of restaurants and bars. Many waiters and bartenders oppose it since they...