Massachusetts voters have decisively rejected a measure to abolish the tipped wage, declining to require that restaurants and related employers replace the current pay scheme—which allows them to compensate employees with a lower base wage supplemented with gratuities—with the state-mandated hourly minimum.
Had the measure passed, the law would have gradually upped hourly pay for tipped employees until it ultimately reached $15 an hour, Massachusetts' current minimum wage, in January 2029. The state's tipped wage is $6.75 an hour—although employees often make considerably more than minimum wage with gratuities. If an employee's tips fall short of boosting them to the minimum wage, employers are already required to make up the difference.
