The “Fight for 15” movement, which aims at raising the minimum wage rate to $15.00 per hour for low wage workers, continues to gain momentum across the country. This month, the District of Columbia joined the conversation with the introduction of new legislation that would increase the minimum wage in the District to $15.00 per hour by 2020, and would increase the minimum wage during each successive year starting July, 2021 in proportion to the increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for the previous calendar year. The legislation also proposes to progressively increase the minimum wage for tipped employees to $7.50 an hour by 2022 and to 50% of the minimum wage in each year thereafter. Currently, the DC minimum wage rate is $10.50 per hour and will increase to $11.50 per hour on July 1, 2016. The minimum wage rate for tipped employees is currently $2.77 per hour.
DC adjacent Montgomery County, MD is also considering a $15.00-per-hour bill. California and New York and several major cities and counties across the country, such as Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles, have already approved $15.00-per-hour minimum wage rates.