Stand Up for the District’s
Neighborhood Businesses
Imagine a thriving local economy in the District of Columbia. One where everything finally just works the way it should.
Employees are making excellent wages to support their families. Small businesses are abundant, thriving, and hiring. And you’ve got money in your pocket to spend (and a lot of choices, too) because things are finally affordable. It’s not a pipe dream.
With smart policies of our own design—not ones manufactured by outside special interest groups—and a surge of community energy to champion them, we can build the DC we all deserve.
2026 is the year we make it happen. Together.
In 2025, DC Council achieved a hard-earned compromise on Initiative 82.
While the original voter-passed initiative aimed to support restaurant workers, the reality told a different story: workers earned less, a record number of neighborhood restaurants closed their doors, and dining costs soared.
Now, well-funded national advocacy groups are back with another proposal that sounds promising but threatens even greater harm to the local businesses and workers who make our neighborhoods vibrant.
DC deserves better than being a platform for outsiders' national agendas.
Our restaurant community—the servers, bartenders, chefs, and owners who know your customers' names and their orders—built something special here. We weathered a pandemic.
We adapted to unprecedented challenges.
We deserve policies designed for us, not imposed on us.
How DOES THE
Tipped Wage Credit
Actually Work?
JOIN the MOVEMENT
We’ve got a big year ahead. Keep your finger on the pulse by signing up for news, research, and updates. If you’d like to learn more about volunteer opportunities, please select that option, too.