Fists fly over tipped wages bill in Montgomery County
ROCKVILLE, Md. - The battle over tipped wages turned physical Monday in Montgomery County,
The Montgomery County Council heard testimony Tuesday on the bill that would raise the minimum base wage for tipped restaurant workers by over 300 percent.
But before the meeting, two women got into a heated argument when entering the building that turned into punches and scratches, leaving one woman who opposed the bill bloodied and bruised.
No charges were pressed, but the fight is an indication of how strong the emotions on this issue are.
Tipped workers who opposed the bill rallied before the meeting, and told FOX 5 that this bill would take money out of their pocket.
"They’re just up there signing, and talking and thinking, they don’t know what the heck is going on," said server Jamila Labrin. "It’s taking money from us! How can you survive with $15 an hour?"
"For somebody to come in and tell me this is how much I can actually make, it limits the things that I can actually do," said server Monty Gary.
Raising the minimum base wage for tipped workers could lead to confusion for customers, too.
At World of Beer, a cheeseburger and beer cost $18.50. A 20% tip makes your bill $22.20. But if that tip is replaced with a 20% service fee, the price is the same – but there’s no guarantee that fee ever goes directly to your server who’d make a flat $16.70 minimum wage
The bill’s supporters argue that a flat minimum wage is more fair to employees.
"It will change the dynamic and force the workers' employers to pay the proper business minimum wage," said Edward Fischman.
"We live in a county that is about to fall apart because we have structured our economy in a way that does not deliver for the people," said Erica Payne.
Montgomery County councilmember Will Jawando is supporting the bill.
"Nobody should have to miss rent or go hungry because they had a bad night in tips," said Jawando.
A similar measure was tabled by the Prince George's County Council last week.