Via Shutterstock

The minimum wage in D.C. will increase from $8.25 to $9.50 per hour on July 1.

In the wake of the Wal-Mart-targeting Large Retailer Accountability Act’s failure, the Council passed a bill that will incrementally raise the minimum wage to $11.50 by 2016. Mayor Vincent Gray signed the bill in January, saying it was a “much better vehicle for ensuring that all District residents who work hard earn a decent living.”

“I am proud of the role we played in bringing this minimum-wage increase about, because it will enable all District workers to earn a decent living as well as boost average family incomes,” Gray said in a release today. “I am also confident that this measure will help stimulate economic growth in our city, as more money in families’ pockets will allow our residents to spend more money on goods and services.”

Meanwhile, a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $12.50 per hour by 2016, drafted by D.C. Working Families, is still making its way through the D.C. Board of Elections. According to a DCBOE staff attorney, “proponents should be receiving their petitions on June 25 absent a court challenge to the summary formulation.” The group will only have until July 7 to collect 25,000 valid signatures from D.C. residents to get the initiative on the November ballot. To get the initiative on the ballot in the next citywide election after November, the group has 180 days to collect signatures.

Delvone Michael, executive director of D.C. Working Families, said they hoped they would have more time, but they’re still going forward with the campaign and collecting signatures. “We’re definitely not going away,” Michael said.