DC JWJ’s 2010 Respect DC campaign changed the landscape of wage fights in DC. By 2014, many DC Councilmembers and the Mayor had to admit that the minimum wage in DC was too low. The Respect DC campaign had also attracted regional attention, and as discussion was starting about Maryland raising its state minimum wage, workers and allies in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties learned from the DC fight and knew they could do better.

Workers in all three jurisdictions came together and fought for a $15 minimum wage region-wide and DC JWJ helped lead a regional coalition. Together, legislative leaders in the District, Montgomery County, and Prince George’s County worked in concert to pass minimum wage increases that would take all three jurisdictions to $15 on similar timelines.

As has repeatedly been the case, legislators in all three jurisdictions bowed to pressure from the restaurant industry and kept tipped workers stuck at subminimum wages. As we continue the fight with tipped workers, the District now has a $15 minimum wage that is pegged to inflation.

Written by Mike Wilson