Beginning July 1, the minimum wage in the District of Columbia will increase from $8.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour for all workers, regardless of size of employer.
Mayor Vincent C. Gray signed the Minimum Wage Amendment Act of 2013 into law on Jan. 15 after unanimous passage by the D.C. Council. The law also includes provisions to further increase the minimum wage in subsequent years.
“I am proud of the role we played in bringing this minimum-wage increase about, because it will enable all District workers to earn a decent living as well as boost average family incomes,” Gray said. “I am also confident that this measure will help stimulate economic growth in our city, as more money in families’ pockets will allow our residents to spend more money on goods and services.”
Under the new law, the minimum wage is slated to increase by $1 on July 1 each year through 2016, capping at $11.50 per hour. Beginning July 1, 2017, the District’s minimum wage will increase annually in proportion to the annual average increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area for the preceding 12 months.
The base minimum wage for tipped restaurant employees will remain at $2.77 per hour. However, if an employee’s hourly tip earnings (averaged weekly) added to the base minimum wage do not equal the District’s full minimum wage, the employer must pay the difference.
Over the next few weeks, the Department of Employment Services (DOES) will produce and mail new D.C. Minimum Wage workplace posters to all District employers. Every employer subject to the provisions of the Act must post the D.C. Minimum Wage poster in or about the premises at which any employee covered is employed. For more information and updates on the minimum-wage increase, visit the DOES website at www.does.dc.gov or call the DOES Office of Wage and Hour at (202) 671-1880.
