The Washington, D.C., City Council on December 17 unanimously approved raising the city’s minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2016. The minimum wage then would be indexed for inflation.
The current minimum wage for hourly workers in Washington, D.C., is $8.25 an hour, a dollar higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
The new D.C. measure phases in the increase, beginning with $9.50 in July 2014 and then moving to $10.15 in July 2015 and to $11.50 in July 2016, according to news reports.
Mayor Vincent C. Gray has said he prefers a $10-an-hour minimum wage. Even if he vetoes the measure, the support it has in the council is likely to ensure an override.
Nearby Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland recently passed legislation that will raise the minimum wage to $11.50 by 2017.