Another Fight for $15 Victory
Those who say that unions, and the labor movement as a whole, are no longer relevant or vital to today’s economy have been proven wrong yet again.
Workers in Washington, D.C., are now on their way to a $15 minimum wage thanks to a unanimous vote on Tuesday by their city council. The raise will go into effect gradually, reaching $15 by 2020 with future hikes being tied to inflation.
This was a victory for both local and national unions who fought, like they did in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle, tirelessly to raise wages for primarily lower-income workers in restaurants, retail and other service industries.
Critics immediately jumped to the false conclusion that the move will harm the economy by stifling job growth, but Seattle recently reported a drop in their unemployment rate to 3.8 percent after hiking their minimum wage earlier this year.
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