Dive Summary:
- The "Large Retailer Accountability Act," which would require large retailers like Walmart, Costco and Home Depot to pay higher wages, will get a hearing before the D.C. Council's Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs committee next Wednesday.
- Introduced by Chairman Phil Mendelson in January, the bill would require "large retailers"--those operating an indoor store of at least 75,000 square feet and whose corporate parent has sales of at least $1 billion--to pay a minimum wage of $11.75, plus benefits, indexed annually to the local consumer price index.
- Despite the sponsorship of many of Mendelson's colleagues, progress isn't guaranteed and business interests are actively lobbying to sway some of the bill's co-sponsors.
From the article:
... Mendelson, as an at-large member, introduced similar bills in three previous council sessions. But those bills have never emerged from committee, and only once, in 2006, has a hearing been held. ...