In this June 2018 interview, DCWageLaw managing attorney Justin Zelikovitz tells The New Food Economy that D.C.’s Initiative 77—which would have increased the minimum wage for tipped workers from $3.33 an hour to the city’s standard minimum wage of $15—is “not gonna happen”:

We may never know how much power Initiative 77 has to bring about a more equitable workplace—because it’s unlikely that D.C.’s City Council will enforce it. Most members on the council opposed the measure, and they are the body with the power to alter it, or ignore the measure altogether.

“I don’t think 77 will take effect, ever,” says Justin Zelikovitz, a D.C. wage and hour attorney who represents restaurant workers. “The city council has very clearly indicated that they will not uphold it. It’s not gonna happen.”