Question 5: The minimum wage for tipped workers

Minimum wage laws work differently for waitstaff, bartenders, manicurists, and others who rely heavily on tips. These workers are still guaranteed the full minimum wage, currently $15 per hour in Massachusetts, but their employers can pay them as little as $6.75 per hour, provided that tips make up the difference.

Question 5 on this year's ballot would phase out this $6.75 "tipped minimum wage" in Massachusetts, requiring employers to directly cover the full minimum wage of their tipped workers by 2029.

Wait staff could still collect tips under Question 5, but restaurants would be allowed to pool and share those tips with cooks, bookkeepers, and other workers who don't interact directly with customers. That's not permitted under current rules but is common in states without a tipped minimum wage.

As part of our commitment to help voters understand state ballot questions, we have reviewed the text of this proposal, evaluated relevant research on tipped wages around the country, and spoken with various experts and advocates. We found that:

• Eliminating the tipped minimum wage would likely increase earnings for waitstaff, bartenders, and other tipped workers.
• Restaurants and other tip-dependent businesses will face higher costs from having to cover the full minimum wage. They will likely compensate with a mix of price increases, new service fees, reduced hiring, and potentially lower profits.
• Allowing tips to be shared with kitchen staff could help equalize pay between front- and back-of-house workers. However, this provision has generated opposition from some servers who prefer the current system.
• The District of Columbia is phasing out its tipped wage, leading to experimentation among restaurants and a broad conversation among diners about the appropriate role and size of tips.