Mayor Muriel Bowser signed legislation on June 27 that had been unanimously approved by D.C. Council to raise D.C.’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. The minimum wage was increased to $11.50 on July 1 in accordance with a 2013 D.C. amendment, but the wage will rise faster from year to year because of the new Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2016.
The legislation also increases base-pay for tipped workers, though many advocates have argued in favor of one minimum wage for all. “We believe that D.C. should follow the model of more and more jurisdictions around the country,” testified DC Fiscal Policy Institute Senior Analyst Ilana Boivie at a May hearing about the bill, “to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers altogether, to address the severe income stability and other challenges these workers face.” District employers are responsible for making up the difference if their employees’ tips do not add up to at least minimum wage.
D.C.’s minimum wage increase is part of a nationwide effort. “Since my first call to raise the wage in 2013, 18 states and D.C. have taken action, action that will help over 7 million American workers,” President Barack Obama said in a statement to the press.
While a $15 minimum wage is a win for D.C. workers, groups advocating for employment justice in the District feel the fight isn’t over. Hannah Kane, a member of the D.C. Just Pay Coalition, said the organization will push to see better enforcement of recent worker’s rights legislation.
According to Kane, some D.C. businesses have not been complying with the Wage Amendment Act, the Accrued Sick and Safe Leave Amendment Act of 2013 or the Wage Theft Prevention Act of 2014, causing workers to lose out on the wages and benefits they deserve.
“A law that isn’t enforced is a hollow victory,” Kane said in an interview.
In addition to advocating for better enforcement of labor laws, the coalition is currently focusing on reaching out to workers to make sure they know their rights.
Anyone who has experienced wage theft can contact the D.C. Just Pay Coalition by visiting their website http://www.knowyourrightsdc.org/.
