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A ballot initiative that would eventually raise the minimum wage in D.C. to $12.50 an hour will be considered by the D.C. Board of Elections this week.
The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2014, drafted by D.C. Working Families, proposes to raise the minimum wage to $12.50 an hour — or $2 above the federal minimum wage, if the sum is higher — by 2017 and increase the minimum wage paid to tipped employees by 2021. The D.C. Board of Elections will hold a public hearing Wednesday at One Judiciary Square to determine if the initiative is “proper subject matter” and should be on the November ballot.
At a November kickoff for the initiative, Delvone Michael, executive director of D.C. Working Families, said the effort was prompted in part by the failure of the Large Retailer Accountability Act. “It demonstrates we can’t trust them to do the right thing,” he said at the time. “There doesn’t seem to be any real commitment to stand up for the people of D.C. So we think the people of D.C. is the best place to go.”
The Council unanimously voted to raise the minimum wage in D.C. to $11.50 by 2016. At least 25,000 valid signatures must be obtained within 180 days.
