service industry, made these workers even more vulnerable than they already were." Corey Walton, a community outreach and resource planning specialist with the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL, said it was an employer's responsibility to bring the subminimum wage up to local minimum wage levels using tips. The subminimum wage, however, has attracted criticism from OFW in the past, which has argued a higher minimum wage would aid employee retention and cut down on sexual harassment. Supporters say raising it would impose unsustainable costs on restaurants, without keeping workers out of poverty. Recently, opponents of the subminimum wage have advanced a proposal to eliminate it in Washington, D.C. A similar proposal passed by referendum in 2018, but was overturned by the city council. It is unclear whether the new proposal will make it onto ballots.