Massachusetts Voters Reject Ballot Measure Requiring Tipped Employees to Be Paid Full Minimum Wage—Is this a New Trend?

Should tipped employees be paid the full minimum wage? Massachusetts residents voted a resounding “No” and rejected a proposed change to the state’s minimum wage law that would have required tipped employees to be paid 100% of the minimum wage by 2029, as opposed to the $6.75 minimum cash wage. The proposed amendment on the ballot would have abolished the tip credit that allows employers to count $8.25 of an employee’s tips toward the minimum wage per hour.