Matt Reed -
BOSTON —
Massachusetts workers who rely on tips are rallied in Boston on Tuesday for an increase to minimum wage as lawmakers decide whether to put the idea to a vote in November.
"We’re here for the people that cannot be here today because if they are here in this camera, their boss will fire them,” One Fair Wage organizing director Estefani Galvis said.
“I really feel like becoming a minimum wage employee is not going to benefit me as a bartender,” worker Andrea Klein said.
Currently, in Massachusetts, tipped workers earn an hourly wage of $6.75. Their tips are supposed to equal the standard minimum wage of $15 per hour. If it doesn't add up, their bosses are supposed to make up the difference.
Advocates of the "One Fair Wage" movement said that doesn't always happen, and the current structure doesn’t have enough protection for workers.
“You’re at the mercy of restaurant owners and managers who can abuse you emotionally, mentally because you have to do everything you can to earn the good shifts,” former restaurant worker Alex Galimberti said.
Opponents, including the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, say the change would be devastating for the restaurant industry.
“Cost would go up, the dinner experience would go down and employees would lose wages,” said Stephen Clark, of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
Lawmakers must now determine if and how the question will potentially appear on the November ballot.
“These people are here to tell you, they earn a great living, they work very hard, and they deserve the tips they earn,” restaurateur Doug Bacon said.
“The idea that somehow tipping goes away when wages go up has not born out to be true in the seven states that require a full minimum wage with tips on top,” One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman said.
Seven states have already passed similar measures.
The proposal would gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers over five years until it reaches the full minimum wage amount by January 2029.
One Fair Wage says it would not eliminate tipping altogether.