S.1398/H.2659 An Act Requiring One Fair Wage

S.1398/H.2659 An Act Requiring One Fair Wage
Lead sponsors:  Senator Patricia Jehlen and Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier
The federal minimum wage for tipped workers is currently $2.13, a rate that hasn’t changed in nearly 40 years. In Massachusetts, that number is $4.35, which places nearly a fifth of the tipped workforce in poverty. The proposed bill would raise the minimum wage to $13.95 or the prevailing minimum wage every year after 2027 for tipped workers in Massachusetts. In doing so, it would bring thousands of workers out of poverty, reduce sexual harassment in the workplace, and decrease the wage gap between male and female tipped workers. In the seven states that have eliminated the tipped minimum wage, the poverty rate among tipped workers is lower by one fifth, 13% compared to 16%. Harassment rates were also halved in areas that pay tipped servers a full minimum wage. These states were also projected to experience the largest increase in restaurant sales, at 5.1% growth, compared to 4.24% in subminimum wage states. They were also expected to see an employment increase of 20.4% between 2011 and 2016, versus 16.37. This can be attributed to increased productivity, reduced turnover rates, and creating local stimulus in the economy.
One Fair Wage was proposed by Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC).