Massachusetts Question 5 aftermath: Minimum wage fight for servers not going away
One Fair Wage has vowed to continue seeking the minimum wage for tipped employees through "legislative action and/or future ballot measures" after Bay State voters overwhelmingly denied Question 5 on Election Day.
The fight to raise pay for tipped employees to the state minimum wage isn’t going away.
One Fair Wage, the national advocacy group behind the initiative, has vowed to continue its battle in Massachusetts after voters overwhelmingly denied the ballot question on Election Day.
The group said it would seek “legislative action and/or future ballot measures.”
Question 5 would have gradually increased pay for servers and bartenders until it met the state minimum wage of $15 an hour in 2029. Employers could have decided whether their employees participated in a tip pool, meaning tips could have been distributed to non-service staffers.
Voters rejected the ballot measure by a nearly 30% margin, the Associated Press’ unofficial results show.
Servers and bartenders will continue to earn a subminimum wage of $6.75 an hour. They can be paid that amount provided their tips bring them at least to the current minimum wage of $15 per hour.
One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman highlighted how the measure took multiple efforts before raises went into place in Washington, D.C. She also blasted opposition group Committee to Protect Tips for running a “campaign of misinformation.”
Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington have all enacted a One Fair Wage policy.
“This year in MA we fought an uphill battle against millions of dollars in corporate influence, false claims, and fear tactics, and we came closer than anyone thought possible,” Jayaraman said in a statement minutes before 1 a.m. Wednesday. “The fight for fair wages is far from over, and we will continue organizing to ensure that every worker in Massachusetts receives the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The Committee to Protect Tips declared victory just after 10 p.m. Tuesday, with results showing a commanding 30% margin – 65% to 35% rejecting the initiative.
Restaurateurs feared their operating costs would increase significantly to accommodate the increase from $6.75 to $15 per hour. They argued that this would have triggered menu prices to skyrocket, people to go out less frequently and servers to make less money.
What's Your Reaction?
