By Grassroots DC, on October 22nd, 2013 
Reposted on behalf of Respect DC provided by Andrea Rosen
We remain disappointed and angry with Mayor Gray and Council Members Alexander, Bonds, Bowser, Catania, Cheh and Wells who made it clear that they are on the side of corporate greed and against the will of their constituents. Despite their inability to stand up to big, outside, corporations, we forced our elected officials to admit that $8.25 is not enough in DC. The rejection of the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA) by a minority on the council and the Mayor was only the beginning of the fight for a living wage. We will not stop until all District workers are paid fairly.
“According to a Hart Research survey, 71 percent of DC residents were in favor of the LRAA. We have talked to thousands of District residents over the past several months, and the message we have heard is clear: We deserve better than the poverty wage jobs,” said Reverend Edwin Jones, Senior Pastor at Living Faith Baptist Church. ”Unfortunately, our Mayor and six of our Council Members disagree, and seem more interested in corporate money and attending ribbon cutting ceremonies, than in making sure DC residents have access to good jobs that will allow them to remain in an increasingly expensive city. DC residents know we are worth more and we will not stop until we get the wages we deserve.”
“Although the LRAA failed, we created an environment within the DC Council and the community in which the Mayor and three council members who voted with big business felt the need to attempt to cover up their abandonment of DC’s working families by introducing their own minimum wage proposals,” said Kimberly Mitchell, a lifelong Ward 7 resident and Macy’s employee. “Because of our work the living wage and minimum wage issues are at the forefront and our elected officials have finally been forced to pay attention to low wage workers. We will not let large corporations, working in conjunction with some of our elected officials, evict us from our city without a fight.”
“We will not allow the will of the people of the District to be manipulated by the same elected officials who just allowed large corporations like Walmart to bully them into submission,” said Reverend Graylan Hagler, Senior Pastor at Plymouth United Congregational Church of Christ. “This is one of the most expensive cities in America, and we need a minimum wage that reflects that reality. Because so many of our elected officials continue to fail on this issue, we will be developing a proposal that works for DC residents and we welcome all elected officials who stand with the people of this city to support us as we pass it into law.”
In addition, Respect DC has brought together a group of economic experts who are working to present options and arguments for the best possible minimum wage proposal for our city. Council Members Marc Elrich in Montgomery County and Andrea Harrison in Prince George’s County along with DC City Council Chair Phil Mendelson seem to be coming together to push for a regional minimum wage of $11.50 an hour by 2016 and indexed to inflation after that. Their proposed legislation does not appear to include any increase for tipped workers. CLICK HERE to view what Elrich is proposing here.
By Guest Contributor, on September 19th, 2013 
On the 17th of September, supporters of the Large Retailer Accountability Act gathered in front of the Wilson Building for an attempt to stiffen coucilmember’s backbones. Mayor Gray has chosen Wal-Mart over low income workers and good jobs by vetoing the bill, as this is written it is yet to be seen if the Council will have the backbone to override.
Many speakers warned that “their next mayor” supports the LRAA, meaning that the councilmembers who are running for Mayor lose their votes unless they vote to override the Mayor’s Wal-Mart ordered veto of the LRAA.
Some possible next steps:
1: A ballot initiative identical to the LRAA. Does not involve the city’s budget so it can be done by ballot initiative. Poll results for the LRAA indicate this would pass, and door to door work has already been done to collect some of the poll data
2: Recall campaigns could be mounted against Councilmembers who voted with the Mayor. Anita Bonds would be an obvious targets, but difficult as she is at-large.
Tommy Wells and Murial Bowser should forget about their campaigns for mayor, they may have just made themselves unelectable, effectively recalling themselves before they could ever be elected in the first place.
3: Allegations of financial ties between Mayor Gray and Wal-Mart should be pursued aggressively. The Mayor is already worried about the danger of indictment for soliciting illegal campaign contributions, and for failure to report “shadow campaign” income and expenses. If any illegal funds are traced to Wal-Mart, the Mayor’s career is over, regardless of whether or not any indictment is ever issued.
When if comes to dealing with Wal-Mart and the proliferation of jobs that don’t pay enough to stay off welfare, no option should be off the table, no punches should be pulled, no quarter asked or given.
By Guest Contributor, on September 13th, 2013 
Yesterday DC Mayor Vincent Gray caved in to pressure by Big Business and vetoed the Large Retailer Accountability Act. We are not surprised but yet we are very angry and disappointed. Let’s focus our energies on making sure we get the 9th vote we need to override the Mayor’s spineless veto.
The final step for the campaign is focused on getting the 9th vote from Tommy Wells, Ward 6 Council member who theoretically supports a living wage bill and is running for mayor. There are three things that people can do to help move Tommy Wells to vote for the interests of the people of DC and not for Big Business.
Call Tommy Wells and get others to do the same. 888-264-6154 Tell him to support the living wage bill and vote to override the veto. Attend Tommy Wells’ Town Hall meeting scheduled for this Sunday at 2:00 pm. The event is to focused on public safety but we’ll respectfully insist that he publicly address his position on the LRAA before the override vote on Tuesday, September 17th.
When: Sunday, September 15 | 2:00 pm Where: Anacostia Playhouse 2020 Shannon Pl SE, Washington, DC 20020
And finally,
Attend rally and press conference on the date of the Council override vote and show your support!
When: Tuesday, September 17 | Noon Where: At the steps of the Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Cross-posted with permission from the AFL-CIO.
By Guest Contributor, on September 9th, 2013 
Cross-Posted on Behalf of Respect DC
Living Wage Supporters-
Friday afternoon the DC Council transmitted the Large Retailer Accountability Act to Mayor Gray for him to sign or veto. The people of DC have told him loudly and clearly that we want him to sign the LRAA! Tuesday, hundreds turned out at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church and heard speaker after speaker give powerful and inspirational testimony about why DC needs a retail living wage.
If the Mayor has not heard from you yet, you can contact him here<http://afl.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=2qBBm%2B7Z9j40GqaLlSXA%2FIsPugpGnc3q>and call him at 888-264-6154.
Now is the time to spread the word to all of your family and friends. Mayor Gray could act on the bill any time before Friday, September 13, 2013. Make sure he has heard from you.<http://afl.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=sZWGTvpRoQMMUSfFq0LfCixTt6VOc8jN>
In addition, we are going to continue our canvassing efforts. We have collected thousands of petition signatures and personal stories from Ward 7 residents in support of the LRAA. You can read some here<http://afl.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qJnETRztAhsZ3KIBNyLKWixTt6VOc8jN>. More than 9 out of 10 of the people we talked to have signed our petition in support of the bill. People in Ward 7 and across the city are calling on Mayor Gray to stand up to the large, out of town corporations trying to bully our city into accepting poverty wage jobs. Sign up here to join us for canvassing.<http://afl.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ribyX%2BmiD%2F5QoxmLBbIJryxTt6VOc8jN>
The time for action is now. Mayor Gray has the chance to follow in the footsteps of the leaders of the original March on Washington, just after celebrating its 50th anniversary, by taking a big step toward a living wage for all. Contact Mayor Gray today, and tell him to sign the LRAA!<http://afl.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ccs7CynzSJwutr0WKW4%2BcCxTt6VOc8jN>
-Mike Wilson, Respect DC Organizer
By Guest Contributor, on September 5th, 2013 
Cross-Posted from the DC Independent Media Center by Luke
Petitions for LRAA (living wage) act delivered to Mayor after press conference
On the 3rd of September, DC Councilmember Vincent Orange held a press conference in front of the Wilson Building along with supporters of the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA).
They were demanding that Mayor Gray sign the LRAA instead of bowing to Wal-Mart’s brazen threats to leave the city if the bill is signed into law. Speakers pointed out that in 1963 during the Jobs and Freedom March, Dr Martin Luther King demanded a minimum wage of $2 an hour. In 2013 dollars, that is over $15 an hour, yet the LRAA only mandates $12.50 an hour inclusive of benefits.
Several speakers also pointed out that longtime District residents, who held out through the Crack Wars and the lean years to stay in the city, requires more than $8 and change an hour now that all those condos are going up.
At the conclusion of the press conference, a box containing 36,917 (according to speakers) signed petitions asking the Mayor to sign the LRAA were taken inside and delivered to his office.
Town Hall meeting in Anacostia demands that Mayor Gray sign Living Wage bill
On the evening of the 27th of August, community members and activists packed into the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church to demand that Mayor Gray sign the Large Retailer Accountability Act.
DC Councilmembers Phil Mendelson and Vincent Orange both spoke to support the LRAA. Both Mendelson and Reverend Curry (senior pastor at the Church) held up pens and demanded that the Mayor sign the bill.
Phil Mendelson bluntly condemned the Mayor’s hypocrisy in appearing at the Martin Luther King and Statehood events on Saturday, yet leaning towards vetoing the LRAA.
Other speakers debunked the lies Wal-Mart has been spreading with facts about how states and cities that raised their minimum wages over the past 20 years have not had higher unemployment than those that did not.
One of the speakers pointed out that the $2 minimum wage demanded by organizers of the original 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom would be worth $15 an hour today, and the LRAA is only asking for $12.50 an hour.
Near the end, Reverend Hagler condemned Mayor Gray for taking “30 pieces of silver” from Wal-Mart. Those 30 pieces of silver will drag Mr Gray out of office and right into the gutter, ending his career if he vetoes a living wage for workers at Wal-Mart, Target, and Home Depot!
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