Minimum Wage Hike in DC Will Stifle Job Creation

A recent poll of D.C. business owners found more than half of them plan to eliminate jobs if the minimum wage rises to $15. In fact they may already be happening

James Sherk, --March 29, 2016

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Last summer, the District of Columbia increased its minimum wage to $10.50 an hour, which is currently the highest for any U.S. state or territory. This July, the District’s minimum wage will rise again to $11.50 an hour. Then, on Nov. 8, 2016 D.C. voters may consider an initiative to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, resulting in even more job losses, while business owners and consumers face higher prices. Why do policymakers think such a high minimum wage may be appropriate? A recent article by the Brookings Institution points out:
The push for $15 per hour in D.C. and elsewhere hasn’t been based on complex statistical analysis. It started with a series of strikes by fast-food workers in 2012, who rallied around $15 as an audacious goal, but one that was round and easy to remember.
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