www.respectdc.org
DC is an expensive place to live, but some of the largest, richest retailers in the world still only pay their DC employees the minimum wage, $8.25/hour. As President Obama pointed out in his State of the Union address, this is not enough to take care of yourself and your family. Many minimum wage workers have to take second and third jobs or rely on government assistance, forcing the District and other local governments to subsidize the poor wages paid by these large companies.
We have a chance to change that. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson recently introduced the Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013, with 11 co-sponsors. It is clear that it is time to pass this bill and create good jobs for DC residents.
The bill would require that large retailers, those with stores over 75,000 square feet and over $1 billion in revenue, pay the DC Living Wage and follow the First Source hiring law. It makes sure that those who can afford to pay a living wage to District residents and create good jobs do so.
Click here to send an email to your council members and sign on to support the Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013. If you are not a DC resident, you can also click here to sign a petition in support of the bill.
Can you join us for the hearing? We need to pack the room to show the council that DC residents need good jobs now. The hearing will take place on Wednesday, March 20th at 9am at the Wilson Buidling, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW in Room 500. If you can join us, or want more information, respond to this email or contact supportLRA2013@outlook.com. We hope to see many of you there, and please spread the word.