Minimum Wage Goes to $11.50 July 1

D.C.’s minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $11.50 per hour July 1 and will be capped at that rate, following $1 per year increases since July 1, 2014, when the minimum wage increased from $8.25 to $9.50. On Jan. 15, 2014, Mayor Vincent Gray signed the “D.C. Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2013,” triggering the raises. Maryland’s Montgomery and Prince William counties also increased their minimum wages to $11.50 in 2014.

During her 2016 State of the District address, Mayor Muriel Bowser called for increasing the District’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2020. A voter initiative was approved last July to be on the ballot this November if enough signatures supporting the wage increase are collected.

This year’s increase does not affect the base minimum wage for tipped restaurant workers, which remains at $2.77 per hour, however, if the average earnings (per week) do not equal or exceed $11.50 per hour, the employer must make up the difference.

While labor unions and other progressive groups have praised the moves, restaurant owners and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce have warned that the increases will cause businesses to close and jobs to be cut.