(Photo by Ben936)

The minimum wage in D.C. rises by a dollar to $12.50 on July 1. With the increase, the District of Columbia is now on the first rung of the stepladder to a $15 minimum wage.

For the past several years, the city has seen incremental increases in the rate following a 2013 law that topped out at $11.50 (and would be tied to inflation thereafter).

Advocates waged a winning Fight for $15 campaign, which ultimately culminated in a deal forged between a diverse set of interest of interest groups last year.

“The difference that $15 an hour can make for so many struggling families cannot be underestimated,” said SEIU 32BJ vice president Jaime Contreras. “In an age of Trump and under this Congress, low-wage workers have only their local government to rely on.”

Under the new law, the minimum wage goes up to $12.50 this year, $13.25 in 2018, and $14 in 2019, before reaching $15 in 2020, after which it will be tied to inflation.

“We’re more prosperous than we’ve ever been in the history of the District of Columbia. But we also want to make sure all of our polices are working toward making sure that each and every Washingtonian has a fair shot at participating in that prosperity,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference celebrating the increase today.

Workers who earn tips will also see their wages go up (though it is far short of what some advocates originally pushed for), rising from to $2.77 to $3.33 this year. After a series of intermediate increases, the tipped minimum wage will hit $5 in 2020.

While D.C.’s last set of wage increases was done in tandem with several neighboring counties, that wasn’t the case this time around. The Montgomery County Council passed a $15 minimum wage bill, but it was vetoed by County Executive Ike Leggett.

Statwide, Maryland’s minimum wage rise will rise $9.25 on July 1 (though most jurisdictions near D.C. already exceed that level).

With a $15 minimum wage secured in D.C. along with a slew of other strong employment protections, worker advocates say their next fight is in making sure that the laws are adequately enforced.

“We have a host of strong laws: the higher minimum wage, the paid sick leave expansion for everyone, the wage theft prevention act. The next step for all of this is to make sure they are not just pieces of paper. For them to truly be felt in people’s lives, they have to be enforced thoroughly and aggressively,” says Ari Schwartz, the lead organizer for DC Jobs With Justice. “Unfortunately, they’re not right now.”

His group staged a protest yesterday outside a hearing to certify an electrical contractor, which has been sued several times over labor issues, to take on apprentices. Schwartz cites Florida-based Power Design Inc. as an example of the kind of company that routinely breaks D.C. law.

“The administration needs to make [enforcement] a priority,” Schwartz says. “I see them moving in this direction, but they need to go a lot further in proactively finding and going after those businesses.”

This post has been updated with comment from Bowser.