The living wage in DC for employees of big box stores just became $12.50 an hour after the DC Council approved the Large Retailer Accountability Act. Those who support the new living wage in DC believe it protects workers as the cost of living in the city increases, but others think it may cause big box stores like Wal-Mart to back out of plans to open stores in the city.
DC’s minimum wage of $8.25 is already higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. But $12.50 is more than 50% more than the old DC minimum wage.
The new living wage in DC applies to retailers with over 75,000 square feet of retail space and corporate parent sales over $1 billion per year. The bill includes exemptions for stores with unions and those that already exist in the…
