Minimum Wage Increase

 Washington DC's city council has approved raising the hourly minimum wage in the US capital from the current $8.25 to $11.50 in 2016. The D.C. Council has given preliminary approval to an increase in the District of Columbia's minimum wage to $11.50 an hour.

Raising the minimum wage would help the working poor and give the entire economy a boost if the minimum wage rose to $10.10 per hour. States and municipalities across the country are leading a localized push to raise the minimum wage, driven largely by Democrats.

Officials are optimistic a minimum wage increase in Prince George's County won't scare away businesses. On many economic issues, Americans are deeply divided. But when it comes to giving pay raises to minimum wage workers, voters overwhelmingly say: Do it.

There is a rising tide of sentiment in favor of raising the minimum wage in the U.S. The Democrats have proposed a minimum wage hike to $10.10 per hour, more than a dollar more than the original proposal, and President Obama is behind them.

Americans overwhelmingly favor raising the federal minimum wage, suggesting the issue could be one that gives Democrats some momentum heading into the 2014. In the United States workers are generally entitled to be paid no less than the statutory minimum wage.