In the last edition, I recommended starting a business as a pathway to work for people who have been struggling to find employment. More on that to come, but there has been another important development for District workers. On July 23, the front page of the Washington Post described a victory for the people who live and work in the District.
The D.C. Board of Elections approved the language for a petition to add a referendum to the November 2016 ballot that would increase the minimum-wage to $15. The petition needs 23,200 signatures, about 5 percent of District voters.
This will be important for two reasons. First, the referendum will appear during a presidential election, which means there will be a much higher turnout. Second, 70 percent of District residents approve the increase, according to polling that was mentioned in the article. Even those who are opposed to the measure are resigned to the fact they will lose the vote. They will most likely channel their energy into a court battle immediately after the election.
The Congressional races will also be important on election night. Presently, the Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress. But the entire House and about one-third of the Senate is up for reelection. If the Democratic Party is able to win either chamber (it has a better chance of winning the Senate), it will be able to stave off attempts to block the increase through withholding the approval of the budget for the District (which Congress has the sole power over, and the District of Columbia cannot function without).
You will hear many people from the opposing side saying it result in lost jobs. It is accurate to say there will be some job losses directly caused by an increase. But it should be noted that in an industries that largely employ minimum wage workers, such as fast food, some employers will be very vocal about their opposition, while other companies will jump in and be supportive. Many companies such as Chipotle and Noodles & Company will benefit from the increase. Their employees will receive larger paychecks and that will result in better employees, and much better customer service, stronger growth and better word of mouth advertising from happier customers. The end result is higher profits and a stronger bottom line, which is what business owners strive for every day.
Even if there are some job losses, the higher minimum wage will more often result in a reduction of hours, which could be an advantage if you are open to working multiple jobs to put together 40 hours a week. I realize it would be tough, especially if you are a parent. But if you can take on two or three $15/hour part-time jobs and get 40 hours a week, $600/week in earnings is a great starting point to help raise a family.
There will be people getting signatures to put the initiative on the ballot. One of the organizations that might be getting signatures is Working Families, located at 1875 Connecticut Ave NW. One thing to remember, if you choose to support the initiative, is to be careful about what you say at work. Many
employers have policies in their employee handbooks about political discussion. Trying to encourage voting a certain way while on company premises could get you in trouble or fired.
It would be wise to keep any discussion of this away from work and do it instead through social media, where your employer has much less control over your discussions. When you find someone gathering signatures, please sign on. This issue can get to the ballot and a $15/hour wage can finally become a reality in 2016.
