Activism Carries the Day in Minimum Wage Campaign

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Thanks to the support of thousands of area activists, the D.C. Council unanimously passed a bill last week that raises the minimum wage to $11.50 an hour by 2016 and ensures paid sick days for all D.C. workers, including tipped workers. “This couldn’t have happened without your support,” said Metro Washington Council President Jos Williams. “Because of your phone calls and emails pressuring D.C. councilmembers to do the right thing, they came through for working people. The fight for a living wage for all workers has been hard fought and it’s still not over, but I’m glad that we can now celebrate a hard-won victory for working families.” Williams urged activists to “share our graphic to celebrate our victories for working people in the District,” noting that “your voice in this fight has a real impact. Those phone calls you made, those meetings you attended, those rallies you showed up for—they created real change for workers in D.C.”