The District of Columbia, more commonly referred to as Washington DC, saw a very big change on June 27, 2016. Many gathered to watch DC Mayor Muriel Bowser sign the large minimum wage increase into law last Monday, outside of the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza.
According to the new law, DC’s minimum wage is set to increase gradually to $15 by the year 2020. City officials hope that this increase will aid those who are paid low-wage jobs, and eventually decrease poverty and unemployment. On the day of the signing, Mayor Bowser tweeted, “Three months ago, I said we would take up the #FightFor15 in DC and I am so excited to sign it into law today!” Bowser’s tweet got a cornucopia of responses, positive and negative alike.
United States President, Barack Obama, ‘quoted’ Bowser, saying, “Congratulations to D.C., and thanks to Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council for fighting to #RaiseTheWage.” Both hashtags, “#FightFor15”, and “#RaiseTheWage” have a countless amount of feedback via social media, worldwide.
Many believe that the minimum wage increase will cause small restaurants and shops to lay off employees, and eventually, drive them to go out of business “A survey by the city’s hospitality industry also warned that many businesses would consider leaving Washington for Virginia, where low-wage workers are paid the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour,” Aaron C. Davis of ‘The Washington Post’ says.While minimum wage increases in the past have been proven to help more than they hurt, only time can tell how DC will handle the new change.
While the cost of living in ‘The District’ is one of the highest in the country, according to Derek Thompson from ‘The Atlantic’, many are skeptical of the recent increase in minimum wage. NSLC student and Virginia inhabitant, Abby Gibbs said, “I have worked with a couple homeless individuals at the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter in Winchester, Virginia. From what I’ve seen, you can’t afford to live in a house if you make $7.25 per hour.” Gibbs believes that the high cost of living and increases in minimum wage cause a never-ending cycle which “defines poverty in modern day America.”