$11.50 Minimum Wage Approves in Washington D.C.

Rejoice! Washington D.C. raises its minimum wage to $11.50 per hour! And that is one of the highest rates among U.S. cities. Among city workers, those in Sonoma, California, enjoy the highest rate, at $15.38 an hour.

The minimum wage in the U.S. capital would rise in 2016 from the current $8.25, and then be indexed for inflation. The council gave unanimous final approval to the measure, which it first passed two weeks ago.

Via:

Democratic Mayor Vincent Gray has opposed the measure, saying it is unclear how it would affect the labor market, and urged an increase to $10 an hour instead. The unanimous vote means the council could pass it over Gray’s veto.

The council coordinated raising the base wage with lawmakers in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, in Washington’s Maryland suburbs. They approved similar measures last month.

Once the higher pay takes effect, the three jurisdictions would form a region with 2.5 million residents and a minimum wage higher than any of the 50 states.