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CBS News, MoneyWatch, June 7, 2016

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers in the nation's capital have approved a $15-an-hour minimum wage. That puts the District of Columbia alongside a number of other cities and the states of California and New York in mandating pay raises for retail, restaurant and service-industry workers.

The D.C. Council unanimously approved the wage increase, and Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has pledged to sign it when it reaches her desk, likely sometime this summer. The bill would raise the wage gradually until it hits $15 in 2020. After that, future increases would be tied to inflation. ...

"When the minimum wage goes up it puts money in the paychecks of people who most need to spend it - from making rent to buying things they could not afford before from the grocer, the pharmacy, the auto repair, and, yes, the hardware store," Gina Schaefer, owner of A Few Cool Hardware Stores, said in an emailed statement.

"It will not only provide a more livable wage to all D.C. workers but also will create a windfall for businesses that will benefit directly from the added money circulating in the community," Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys & Poets and Mulebone restaurants, added. ...

Copyright 2016 CBS Interactive Inc.

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