Cheers in Boston has been displaying "Vote No on Question 5" for weeks.Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Question 5 did not get the go-ahead from Massachusetts voters, so the way tipped workers are paid will remain the same.
Over the next several years, tipped workers would have been getting a state-mandated raise in their minimum salary— up until 2029 for $15 an hour. The first raise would have begun as soon as January of next year, with workers making 64 percent of the state minimum wage.
From there, the pay raises would have been as follows:
- To 73% of the state minimum wage on January 1, 2026.
- To 82% of the state minimum wage on January 1, 2027.
- To 91% of the state minimum wage on January 1, 2028.
- To 100% of the state minimum wage on January 1, 2029.
Additionally, restaurants could have practiced "tip pooling," a practice that spreads the wealth of tips from customer-facing employees with back-end chefs, washers— anyone who already works for the minimum rate.
Read More: MCAS Will No Longer Be Graduation Requirement
This movement, primarily spearheaded by the One Fair Wage organization, was hotly contested in the restaurant industry. Banners or posters against the idea hung outside eateries in the weeks leading up to Election Day. Some workers even wrote notes on the check, pleading with customers to vote "no."
They argued that a mandated $15 an hour does more hurt than help, since Massachusetts already required restaurant owners to pay wait staff the difference between tips made and the minimum wage. Moreover, tipped workers said the change could even spell a pay cut— projecting that American customers would leave less at the table if they knew staff was making minimum wage.
Those campaigning for the "yes" vote believed the proposed law would have circumvented employer wage theft and exploitation, amid a time where the cost of living is high.
Read the results of the four other ballot questions:
Question 1: Mass. Voters Back Question 1 Allowing DiZoglio To Audit State Legislature
Question 2: MCAS Will No Longer Be Graduation Requirement
Question 3: Mass. Voters Approve Question 3 Allowing Rideshare Drivers To Unionize
Question 4: Mass. Voters Reject Question 4, Keeping Psychedelics Illegal
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