Some councilmembers think Baltimore City should pay tipped workers, like restaurant servers and bartenders, the state minimum wage — although in this economic climate it may be a tough sell.
By law, tipped workers in Maryland can be paid $3.63 an hour, so long as with their tips they earn the state minimum wage of $15 an hour.
“This is not to take away workers' tips. I want to be very clear about that. We are talking about wages, with tips in addition,” said Councilman John Bullock, the bill’s main sponsor. The bill suggests increasing the tipped minimum wage up to the state minimum wage, currently at $15 an hour, at a staggered rate over five years.
Bullock introduced a nearly identical bill less than a year ago in June; it did not even get a hearing. But now the council is in a new term and has new blood, like the bill's co-sponsors Paris Gray (D-08) and James Torrence (D-12).
“We want to make sure it's a fair wage across the board. Now what I also want to emphasize is that all work has dignity. All work has dignity, and all workers should be paid their worth,” said Bullock before the bill’s introduction. While the General Assembly voted to raise the state minimum wage in 2023, that did not apply to tipped workers.
Bullock says the bill offers workers stability. Council President Zeke Cohen disagrees.
“Restaurants in Baltimore have struggled post- COVID to come back. We are seeing a real culinary renaissance in our city,” said Cohen. “My concern is that given all that is going on with tariffs, with volatility in the economy, that now is not the right time for this bill.”
Cohen will support a debate on the council chambers floor.
Rebecca Pearce with the advocacy group One Fair Wage says that the majority of the state’s restaurant workers are Black and women of color who face wage theft and sexual harassment.
“They tolerate inappropriate customer behavior in order to raise and feed their families [with] tips,” said Pearce.
OFW supported a statewide bill earlier this year, The No Tax on Tips Act, that would have ended the state subminimum wage while also increasing the minimum wage to $20 an hour. That legislation did not advance through the senate committee.
Meanwhile down the Beltway, special interests groups are trying to put the subminimum wage back on the menu. Axios reported last month that Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington plans to lobby Washington DC councilmembers to reimplement the $5.35 an hour base pay for tipped workers. RAMW, a trade association, told Axios they conducted a survey that found 44% of full service restaurant owners are considering closing this year although the minimum wage was not cited as the only or primary reason.
While he does not support the citywide legislation at this time, Cohen recognizes the need for stronger worker protections– especially regarding wage theft. He says the council expects to hear legislation related to wage theft later this term.
