Voters reject proposal to raise the minimum wage for tipped employees

By McKenzie Cooper

Massachusetts residents voted no on Question 5 on Tuesday, making it so employers will not be required to pay tipped workers minimum wage.

The current minimum wage for tipped employees in MA is $6.75 and the minimum wage for not tipped workers is $15.00. If tipped workers do not make $15.00 an hour, then their employers must make up for the difference.

The Initiative proposed a wage increase over five increments, each on the first day of the year between January 1st, 2025, and January 1st, 2029. Tipped workers would have gotten a gradual percent raise until they would have been paid minimum wage on top of tips.

The One Fair Wage campaign argued, “It’s fair for Employers: Many Massachusetts small businesses are already paying the full minimum wage plus tips. Big restaurant corporations should do the same.”

The Massachusetts Restaurant Association disagreed with this. The president and Ceo of the association Steve Clark argued, “If this ballot question passes, it’s going to impact three piers. It’s going to impact the servers themselves, who’re going to make less money. It’s going to impact the restaurant owner, who’s going to have higher costs upwards of 18,000 dollars per tip employee to implement this, and it’s going to have a higher cost for the consumer because there’s going to be higher costs.” 

In the end, voters rejected the proposal, with roughly 62 percent of residents choosing “no” reject the proposal.