A revived initiative to phase out D.C.’s tipped wage system should remain on the November ballot, a panel of three D.C. appellate judges ruled Wednesday.
While the decision will probably conclude a months-long legal dispute over whether the measure should have been certified for the ballot in the first place, its opponents still have one more chance to appeal.
As proposed, Initiative 82 would gradually raise the city’s tipped minimum wage of $5.05 per hour to match the standard minimum wage, which is $16.10 an hour, by 2027. The initiative’s opponents argue that the measure could discourage customers from tipping and increase costs for businesses. In recent months, they have exhausted legal avenues to keep the measure off the ballot: from a failed petition challenge with the D.C. Board of Elections to a lawsuit filed later in D.C. Superior Court.
