Washington, D.C., will be the next major city to implement a $15 minimum wage rate following a unanimous vote Tuesday by its city council.
In a victory for local and national labor unions, Washington joins the ranks of cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle in raising wages for primarily lower-income workers in restaurants, retail and other service industries.
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The District’s current hourly minimum wage is $10.50, and it was scheduled to go up to $11.50 next month under a law enacted in 2014.
But local advocates for a higher minimum wage were invigorated by the national “Fight for $15” movement. They had been gearing up to collect signatures for a November ballot initiative, but that effort will be dropped.
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