District of Columbia Employment Law Update – July 2018

Minimum Wage Tip Credit Phase Out

On June 19, 2018, District of Columbia voters passed a ballot initiative (Initiative 77) to:

• Increase the minimum wage in the District of Columbia to $15 per hour by 2020.
• Increase the minimum wage for tipped employees so that they receive the same minimum wage directly from their employer as other employees by 2026.
• Beginning in 2021, require the minimum wage to increase yearly in proportion to increases in the Consumer Price Index.

The increase will not apply to District of Columbia government employees or employees of District government contractors.

The initiative does not become law until the end of a 30-day congressional review period (excluding weekends, holidays, and any day when neither House is in session because of an adjournment sine die [adjournment without assigning a day to return], a recess of more than three days, or an adjournment of more than three days).

See the ballot initiative