WASHINGTON  – Voters in Washington, D.C., have approved a ballot initiative that restructures the payment system for tipped employees in bars and restaurants.

They’ve also nominated Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser for a second term in office.

Initiative 77 passed Tuesday with 55 percent of the vote. It will eliminate the “tipped minimum wage” – the two-tiered system under which restaurant and bar owners pay servers, bartenders and bussers a lower hourly wage with the expectation that they will be compensated with tips.

Currently, they can make as little as $3.33 per hour. However, employers are required to make up the difference if salary plus tips add up to less than the current minimum wage of $12.50 per hour.

The ballot initiative will require employers to pay everyone at least the minimum wage.

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