D.C. Council to vote on measure to close some meetings to the public
D.C.'s elected officials would have broader latitude to conduct business in private under a bill the D.C. Council will consider Tuesday, a move that has rankled open government advocates and members of the media.
The bill, which D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) is moving on an emergency basis in conjunction with all other council members, would make it easier for legislators to meet with the mayor privately, allow council members to close meetings to the public to discuss negotiations, and exempt from the Open Meetings Act certain 'field trips' and 'retreats' where officials meet outside of the Wilson Building.
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5 days ago
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Restaurant owners, workers hold competing rallies over potential repeal of Initiative 82
WASHINGTON () — Wednesday, business owners and workers held competing rallies outside the Wilson Building, as the D.C. Council considers the fate of Initiative 82. Initiative 82 was passed in November of 2022 and implemented the following Spring. The voter backed law eliminates the tipped minimum wage by gradually raising wages over the next several years. But that law is now in question, as Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed repealing I-82 under her 2026 budget. 'The economy we're dealing with, the environment for restaurants is vastly different than the economy and the environment that restaurants were operating in when this ballot measure was advanced,' said Bowser back in May. It's a proposal some restaurant and bar owners support. 'It's been a pretty tremendous impact to our payroll,' said Diane Gross, co-owner of Cork Wine Bar and Market. 'With rising costs, federal workers losing their jobs, tariffs, it's all made it much, much harder to actually make any money in our business.' Gross said the impacts ultimately hit the employees. 'In order to make the numbers add up for us and to stay open we've had to cut jobs, we've had to cut hours, we've had to take employees off of certain shifts,' she said. She and others are calling on the Council to repeal I-82. 'We're hurting. This was not what was happening in 2022 when this passed, it's a totally new normal,' she said. DC Council votes to pause July 1 wage bump under Initiative 82 The plea from restaurant owners comes one day after the Council the next pay raise allocated under I-82. This, as they consider how to move forward all together. Alexis Zosel, a barista in Mount Pleasant, called any repeal a 'slap in the face' to workers. 'Respect the will of the voters. These are the same voters who voted you into office,' she said. Zosel said she's seen her pay increase as a result of I-82. Initially, she said her employer raised her pay from $9 an hour plus tips, to the full citywide minimum wage of about $17 an hour. To address the rise in costs, a service fee was instituted on all checks. However, she said that led to confusion and a drop in tips. Her employer ultimately removed the service charge and opted to raise menu prices. 'Since then, I've seen my wages raise 18%. People are tipping more and it's not confusing,' said Zosel. 'People are okay with paying the higher prices. I think they understand there's inflation, there's rising costs and labor and goods, things like that.' She also noted that I-82 has made her income more stable. 'Tips aren't secure. They vary by what position you might have. They vary by what restaurant you work in. There's discrimination,' she said. 'There's just a lot of things at play that can affect those things so just asking for the full minimum wage feels like the bare minimum.' The Council has had mixed reactions to both a pause and potential full repeal. Though Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George said there should be no confusion on what to do. 'I'm just incredibly frustrated that we are as a city, relitigating what has been litigated for the last couple of years again,' she said. 'The residents of this city have voted overwhelmingly twice that they believe that tipped workers deserve to have a minimum wage just like every other worker in the city.' She does not support a pause or repeal. 'The timeline has been known since this was enacted. We've known for two years, this July 1, this next increase was going to come,' said the councilmember. 'So I don't know why we need to pause while we're contemplating the budget of all things right now.' The Council will spend the next month debating the budget, which includes the repeal of I-82. It's scheduled to take its first vote on the budget on July 14. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
DC Council pauses $2 raise for tipped workers
The Brief D.C. Council voted to delay scheduled $2 wage increase for tipped workers. Mayor Bowser pushing to repeal Initiative 82, citing economic challenges. Council's decision has sparked controversy among business owners and workers. WASHINGTON - Tipped workers in the District will not see their scheduled wage increase next month after the D.C. Council voted Tuesday to pause the $2 raise. The decision comes as Mayor Muriel Bowser seeks support for her proposed budget, which aims to address economic challenges for the city. Economic pressures are being felt across sectors, with rising office vacancy rates, uncertainty in the hotel industry, and restaurant closures at D.C.'s Wharf. Bowser is pushing for the repeal of Initiative 82, which raises the base wage for tipped workers. A salary increase to $12 an hour had been scheduled to take effect in July. READ MORE: DC Council votes to pause Initiative 82 $2 raise for tipped workers Restaurant owners argue that rising food costs and fewer customers make the higher wages unaffordable. The council's vohttps:// delays the increase to allow for further study of the economic impact, sparking controversy across the District. What we know Bowser's proposed 2026 budget outlines plans to move forward amid reduced federal support. The District was blindsided when Republican lawmakers blocked the release of local revenues. Federal downsizing could lead to vacant office spaces and the potential loss of 40,000 jobs over the coming years. Bowser's budget plan includes downtown investments during the Capital One Arena renovation, efforts to bring the Washington Commanders back to the RFK Stadium site, and incentives for tech companies through business development changes. While the budget avoids tax increases and layoffs, it imposes a hiring freeze and cuts certain social programs. The council is expected to vote on the budget in August. READ MORE: Tipping culture is "out of control," more Americans say in annual poll The Source Information in this article comes from the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and the D.C. City Council.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
DC Council votes to pause July 1 wage bump under Initiative 82
WASHINGTON () — The D.C. Council voted to pause Initiative 82, the voter-passed ballot measure that phases out the tipped minimum wage. 'Pausing the July 1 wage increase allows the Council to fully consider the data and the impact on our local restaurant industry as well as to assess the implications of federal tax changes on tipped income,' at-large councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said. Hospitality workers rally in DC to save Initiative 82 Under I-82, the tipped minimum wage gradually increases over the next several years until the wage matches the citywide minimum wage. The next wage increase would've gone into effect on July 1. The measure was passed overwhelmingly by voters in November 2022. However, restaurant owners have claimed the measure has made it more expensive to do business, pushing many to close shop altogether. One of the latest includes Haikan in Shaw, which posted on social media, 'the challenges of food costs, Initiative 82 and the economic climate in the city brought us to this decision.' It's why Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed a full repeal of the measure in her 2026 budget. 'I would ask people to support this emergency bill,' said McDuffie, referring to the pause. 'To help provide clarity to businesses and workers as the council deliberates the budget.' Eight council members voted yes on the pause, though several stated they would not support a full repeal. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau voted no. 'A pause is akin to not respecting the will of the voters,' she said. 'But on top of that, we have workers here in D.C. who have been expecting this raise. People make plans when they know they're getting a raise.' Bowser proposes repealing Initiative 82 in upcoming budget Many of those people filled the council chambers on Tuesday, including Rachelle Yeung, who works at Aslin on 14th Street. 'I-82 has absolutely increased my pay,' she said. 'I make the tipped minimum wage currently and my employer is not willing to pay me more than the minimum. So the raises provided by I-82 is essential to increasing my wages.' Yeung, who has worked in the service industry since 2006, is against both the pause and the full repeal. 'I'm absolutely against the Mayor's proposal to repeal. That would essentially cut our wages in half,' she said. 'And who amongst us can afford to tell our medical providers, our cell phone providers, our landlords that we can only pay half our bills?' Many argued the restaurant industry is flourishing in D.C., despite I-82. 'Full service restaurant employment is back to pre-pandemic levels,' said councilmember Matt Frumin, reading from a report he requested from the city budget committee. 'The three months with the highest full-service restaurant employment since the data has been collected, since 1990, are No. 1, the most recent month for which we have data, April 2025. The next most recent month we have data, March 2025. And the next most recent month, February 205,' he said. 'The employment is strong. The wages we see from the data from the budget office show going up.' Others disagree. 'Certainly, the law boosted the cash wages employees are getting paid, but unfortunately, it's had an adverse effect on tips,' said Rebekah Paxton, research director with the Employment Policies Institute. Councilmembers evaluate impact of Initiative 82 on restaurant owners, employees She maintains I-82 has had the opposite effect than intended. 'What we're trying to get at is what is the overall take-home pay workers are getting now versus before hand,' Paxton said. 'The [Bureau of Labor Statistics] takes into account tips, overtime and all of those things and that is the data source that is showing employees are taking home less in tips. Maybe they're getting a higher hourly wage, but overall they're taking home less than before.' People on both sides of the issue said they plan to testify about the proposal to fully repeal I-82 during a public hearing Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
