WASHINGTON: Officially we states that labor groups launched a ballot campaign to raise the District’s minimum wage to $15 by 2020, business advocates are striking back. Harry Wingo, president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, has filed a civil lawsuit as an individual against the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics to prevent a petition drive from going forward.
The board approved the language of the proposed initiative in July despite opposition from business groups. Wingo’s suit seeks an injunction block the initiative from reaching voters in November 2016.If enacted, the measure would phase in a $15-per-hour wage floor by 2020 (it is $10.50 an hour now) and bring tipped restaurant workers up to that level by 2025.
Wingo’s lawsuit takes issue with the wording of the initiative, which states that approval would “gradually increase” wages. Wingo claims that the effect would be dramatic. He also alleges that the board misleadingly stated that the increase would not apply to D.C. government contractors, when the actual initiative refers only to the contractors employed to perform service work.
