BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Two camps gathered outside the State House Tuesday to protest a proposed ballot question to raise the minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers.
One side, spearheaded by nonprofit One Fair Wage, argued tipped workers should be paid the full state minimum wage of $15 per hour.
"80 percent of workers say they want this," one supporter told WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small.
The other side, backed by the Committee to Protect Tips, called the state's current wage system fair. Currently, tipped employees make $6.75 per hour.
"Tipped employees have vehemently voiced their perspective that the current tipping system is not in need of reform," the Committee to Protect Tips said in a press release.
State lawmakers heard arguments on the ballot question today.
As of 2022, Massachusetts servers made an average of $40,320 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Servers nationwide made an average of $33,020 annually.
Massachusetts last raised its tipped minimum wage on Jan. 1, 2023.
WBZ NewsRadio's Shari Small (@ShariSmallNews) reports.
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