(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, Mayor Bowser marked the third increase to the minimum wage under the #Fightfor15 legislation that she introduced and championed in 2016. Effective July 1, 2019, the District’s minimum wage increased from $13.25 to $14.00 per hour. The wage increase is expected to benefit over 200,000 workers in the District.
“One of the most effective ways we can give more Washingtonians a fair shot is by connecting our residents to pathways to the middle class, which for many starts with a strong minimum wage,” said Mayor Bowser. “Establishing a $15 minimum wage is an essential part of our efforts to create policies and programs that make our city more affordable and sustainable for working families and residents across the income spectrum.”
In 2016, as part of her commitment to create pathways to the middle class for Washingtonians across all eight wards, Mayor Bowser signed the Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2016 into law to raise the District’s minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by 2020. Under the law, the minimum wage will increase to $15.00 per hour by 2020, and will increase each successive year beginning in 2021 in proportion to the increase in the Consumer Price Index.
“As the District continues to prosper, raising the minimum wage aligns with the robust economic growth we are experiencing,” said Department of Employment Services Director Dr. Unique Morris-Hughes. “This milestone is a positive step towards a living wage that will allow employees to better support themselves and their families.”
The Department of Employment Services is the District’s lead labor, workforce development agency, and is responsible for providing District residents with critical employment readiness and job training services. The agency oversees Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programming, the Office of Wage-Hour, Unemployment Insurance, the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, Project Empowerment, L.E.A.P., DC Career Connections, and additional supportive programs for veterans and mature workers. To learn more about the programs and services offered at DOES, visit does.dc.gov or es.does.dc.gov.