Ballot question aims to change the way tipped workers get paid in Massachusetts

The News Guy

3 months ago

BOSTON – A question on the November ballot in Massachusetts could change the way tipped workers get paid.

Brian “Blackie” Black has been a bartender for nearly three decades. Despite the long nights, it’s a job that allows him to earn a livable wage.

“The tips are the income,” Black stressed. “Tipping is the way that people thank us. And, again, it cuts out ownership.”

What is Question 5?

A question on the November ballot could change the way Black and other tipped workers get paid. That includes bartenders, restaurant servers, hairdressers, nail technicians.

Dubbed “One Fair Wage,” Question 5 on the ballot would gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers from $6.75 to $15 and allow staff to pool their tips.

“It’s another way to just even the playing field,” said supporter Grace McGovern. She works part-time at Democracy Brewing in Boston and is campaigning for One Fair Wage. “That means that every time that you get a tip, that is helping you reach above $15 an hour. It’s not actually a tip. It’s just a subsidy so that your employer doesn’t have to pay you the full $15 an hour.”

What do tipped workers currently earn?

The state minimum wage is $15 for non-tipped workers. Tipped workers earn $6.75 an hour as long as their total earnings with tips reaches $15 an hour. If not, their employer makes up the difference.

It’s a system that’s worked for Black, who will be voting “no” on Question 5 in November.

“We’re getting minimum wage already,” Black told WBZ-TV. “It’s there, we just have to pay into it a little bit, but the juice is worth the squeeze because at the end of the day that extra money – that’s like a bonus.”

He fears that if the ballot question becomes law, tipped workers will earn significantly less.

“The consumer is going to say, ‘Oh, they’re making a livable wage now,’ they’re not going to tip as much,” Black added.

McGovern argues the state shouldn’t have a two-tiered system.

“You can go out and know that no matter what, your server gets paid a full $15 an hour. You don’t have to put in that extra money.”

Voters can decide at the ballot on Tuesday, Nov. 5.