NEW DATA: Initiative 82 Slashed At Least $11.8 Million in Worker Earnings

Minimum Wage Facts & Analysis | May 20, 2025

One Fair Wage and supporters of Initiative 82 claimed tip credit elimination was necessary to create more “fair” and “stable” wages for the District’s tipped restaurant staff. Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows since Initiative 82 went into effect in May 2023, restaurant and bar workers have lost $11.8 million in earnings.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages shows DC workers at full-service restaurants and bars went from earning $345.6 million in total quarterly earnings in the second quarter of 2023 (when Initiative 82 was first implemented in May 2023) down to $333.8 million in the third quarter of 2024, the latest data available. This drop is unique from the same-length period in prior years – it represents the only decline in worker earnings in a decade, except for COVID-related losses in 2020.

Change in Quarterly Tipped Worker Earnings by Time Period