The Massachusetts Restaurant Association withdrew its objection Wednesday to a ballot initiative that would require restaurants to pay tipped workers the state’s minimum hourly wage of $15, clearing the way for the measure to go to voters in the fall.
The restaurant association had filed the objection after lawyers and a forensic signature expert uncovered what it said were questionable and possibly fraudulent signatures, in addition to uncertified signatures. But the group couldn’t meet the deadlines for providing a complete review of the petitions to the Ballot Law Commission, it said in a statement, and dropped its official opposition.
“The objection filed was out of an abundance of caution due to the lengthy history of misconduct by the out-of-state radical group pushing this ballot question,” the association said in a statement. “Our organizations will continue to call their tactics out and ensure that voters are informed in a fair and transparent manner.”
One Fair Wage, the group behind the ballot measure, called the restaurant association’s objection “baseless” and noted that the restaurant association has consistently tried to block its efforts.
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“When you ask the public: ‘Should people get a full minimum wage with tips on top?’ they say, ‘Of course they should. We thought they already were,’ “ said Saru Jayaraman, the attorney and activist who founded One Fair Wage. “Every single time they try to thwart the democratic process ... because they know they’re going to lose.”
Most restaurants in Massachusetts pay $6.75 an hour, using tips to ensure workers are paid at least $15; otherwise, restaurants make up the difference. The ballot measure would also allow employers to pool tips and share them with non-tipped workers like dishwashers and cooks.
Proponents of the measure say a $15 minimum wage would make earnings more predictable and promote greater equality among workers. Opponents say it would hurt an industry faced with slim margins and high inflation.
A survey conducted by the restaurant association found that 91 percent of servers who responded prefer the status-quo.
In 2023, restaurants in 43 states paid servers less than full minimum wage, according to One Fair Wage. In 2016, voters in Maine approved doing away with the tipped minimum wage, but legislators restored it the following year; in 2022, voters in Washington D.C. approved phasing out the tipped minimum wage. One Fair Wage is working on similar ballot initiatives in Arizona, Ohio, and Michigan.
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Suchita Nayar of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Katie Johnston can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @ktkjohnston.