The wage for tipped restaurant workers will not rise from $10 to $12 this July as planned. Instead, the DC Council voted 8 to 4 today to pause the pay bump until October following a push by Mayor Muriel Bowser to repeal Initiative 82, the DC law that incrementally eliminates the system that allows gratuities to count toward base wages. Councilmembers argued that the pause will give them time to fully consider the Mayor’s proposal and evaluate the impact of Congress’s “No Tax on Tips” legislation on wages.

“The work of the Council is never static. We have to constantly be able to make changes when needed,” says Councilmember Charles Allen, who was among a couple legislators who voted for the pause but said they would not support a full repeal. “I can’t ignore the impact of inflation, tarif

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