Should the minimum wage be lower for workers who get tipped? Two states are set to decide
Voters in Arizona and Massachusetts are set to decide whether employers should be able to continue to pay tipped workers such as servers and bartenders a lower minimum wage than non-tipped workers. Arizona voters will decide whether to widen the hourly pay gap between the two sets of workers. Massachusetts voters will decide whether to eliminate the gap. The ballot measures reflect an accelerating debate over the so-called subminimum wage, which advocates say is essential to the sustainability of the service industry and detractors say leads to the exploitation of workers. Currently, seven states require employers to pay all workers at least the minimum wage, regardless of tips.