This happened years after the D.C. Council repealed Initiative 77, a nearly identical ballot measure that voters approved by a 12-point margin. If I-82 law remains intact, then, by 2027, the tipped minimum wage in D.C. will reach $16.10, on par with the standard minimum wage. While tipped workers supplemented that income through their service and customers’ good graces, I-82’s implementation placed the onus on restaurateurs— not customers– to increase tipped workers’ pay on the front end, a which advocates said would significantly reduce the unpredictability of pay that tipped workers accumulate during shifts. Upon learning that Bowser plans to repeal I-83, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) questioned whether the majority of the council would support such a move. Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) — criticized Bowser’s move as a slight against D.C. voters and restaurant workers in a statement that union organizers circulated.