Updated: Thursday, September 12 2013, 11:41 AM EDT
Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray on Thursday vetoed a bill that called for the increase of minimum wage. Gray said he did not believe the bill would improve employment opportunities or wages for the vast majority of the DC workforce.
The bill, requiring Wal-Mart and other large retailers to pay their employees a "living wage" of at least $12.50 an hour, was sent to Gray roughly seven weeks after it was passed by the D.C. Council.
After vetoing The Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013 (LRAA) Gray called for a reasonable increase in the District's minimum wage for all workers.
"I am vetoing this legislation precisely because I believe in providing a living wage to as many District residents as possible – and this bill is not a true living-wage measure," Gray said. "While the intentions of its supporters were good, this bill is simply a woefully inadequate and flawed vehicle for achieving the goal we all share."
In explaining his veto Gray said the bill was not a "true" living-wage bill because it would only raise minimum wage for a small fraction of DC's workforce, only affecting a handful of retailers whose stores are supermarket-sized or larger and whose workforces are not unionized.
"The bill is a job-killer, because nearly every large retailer now considering opening a store in the District has indicated that they will not come here or expand here if this bill becomes law," Gray said, noting that the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development had estimated that the LRAA, if it became law, would cost the District 4,000 jobs in the first few years alone.
Some of the retailers who have said they would reconsider expanding or opening in the district include Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Wegmans, Lowe's, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, AutoZone and Macy's.
CLICK HERE to read the Mayor's full veto letter.
AP contributed to this report
Mayor Vincent Gray Vetoes Living Wage Bill
Washington DC Mayor Vincent Gray on Thursday vetoed a bill that called for the increase of minimum wage. Gray said he did not believe the bill would improve employment opportunities or wages for the vast majority of the DC workforce.
The bill, requiring Wal-Mart and other large retailers to pay their employees a "living wage" of at least $12.50 an hour, was sent to Gray roughly seven weeks after it was passed by the D.C. Council.
After vetoing The Large Retailer Accountability Act of 2013 (LRAA) Gray called for a reasonable increase in the District's minimum wage for all workers.
"I am vetoing this legislation precisely because I believe in providing a living wage to as many District residents as possible – and this bill is not a true living-wage measure," Gray said. "While the intentions of its supporters were good, this bill is simply a woefully inadequate and flawed vehicle for achieving the goal we all share."
In explaining his veto Gray said the bill was not a "true" living-wage bill because it would only raise minimum wage for a small fraction of DC's workforce, only affecting a handful of retailers whose stores are supermarket-sized or larger and whose workforces are not unionized.
"The bill is a job-killer, because nearly every large retailer now considering opening a store in the District has indicated that they will not come here or expand here if this bill becomes law," Gray said, noting that the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development had estimated that the LRAA, if it became law, would cost the District 4,000 jobs in the first few years alone.
Some of the retailers who have said they would reconsider expanding or opening in the district include Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Wegmans, Lowe's, Walgreens, Harris Teeter, AutoZone and Macy's.
CLICK HERE to read the Mayor's full veto letter.
AP contributed to this report
Mayor Vincent Gray Vetoes Living Wage Bill