DC lawmakers approve citywide $15 minimum wage

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers in the nation’s capital approved a $15-an-hour minimum wage on Tuesday, joining numerous other cities and the states of California and New York in mandating pay raises for retail, restaurant and service-industry workers.

The D.C. Council unanimously approved the wage increase, and Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has pledged to sign it when it reaches her desk, likely sometime this summer.

The District of Columbia currently has a $10.50 minimum wage that will rise to $11.50 in July under legislation signed in 2014 by Bowser’s predecessor, Vincent Gray.

“I see how much it costs to live in Washington, D.C., and that cost is only going up,” Bowser said.

The bill would raise the wage gradually until it hits $15 in 2020. After that, future increases would be tied to inflation.