Dear Friend,

This year, the Mayor created a budget that makes it harder to be a worker in DC. DC Jobs With Justice and our allies were able to roll back many of the most anti-worker attacks: we protected good construction jobs, the rights of public sector unions to bargain, time to care, and maintaining protections for immigrants. Unfortunately, the fight is not over for the Alliance, the tipped minimum wage, and the RENTAL Act.

DC JWJ is proud of the work we've done together to stand up for working people and a DC where everyone is welcome. Our many wins are a testament to our power of collective action. You can sustain that work.

DC JWJ has been working with our partners on a variety of issues. Below, we’ve outlined where those issues stand after the first budget vote (every piece of legislation receives two votes). 

Tipped Minimum Wage / Initiative 82 - In Discussion

The Mayor used the budget to try to repeal Initiative 82, which raises the minimum wage for tipped workers and was voted on by over 75% of voters. On Monday, the Council voted 7-5 to remove the repeal from the budget and prevent another proposed cut to tipped workers wages.

Please take a moment to thank the seven Councilmembers who voted to keep Initiative 82, and remind them to stick by workers in the second vote!

Many Councilmembers said that the removal of the Mayor’s language was conditional on finding better “compromise” language. We will keep you updated on how you can support workers in that fight.

RENTAL Act - Still In Play

The RENTAL Act adjusts many tenant-friendly policies to make them more favorable to landlords. Among these are provisions that make it harder for tenants to use TOPA (the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act) to purchase their building when their landlord sells it. We succeeded in getting it taken out of the budget, and the Council voted to delay consideration for another two weeks.

Alliance - Still Needs Funding

The DC Healthcare Alliance is a program that offers healthcare to people who aren’t eligible for Medicaid and covers many immigrant neighbors. Mayor Bowser made major cuts to the program -- eliminating it in the next few years. As a result, DC JWJ created a new coalition to Save the Alliance. Councilmember Henderson made many improvements in her committee, however, the program is still not fully funded in the budget.

Paid Family Leave - Restored

DC’s paid family leave program offers weekly payments to workers who need time off because they are expecting a new child, are experiencing a medical issue, or who have a loved one experiencing a medical issue. The Mayor tried to cut both the weekly amount and the number of weeks the benefit is available to give businesses a 0.03% tax break. Chairman Mendelson fully restored the program and reversed the tax cut.

Bargaining Over Retroactive Pay - Restored

The Mayor has slow-walked several public sector union contracts over the past few years. This has resulted in many unions going for years without the pay increases that they would normally see during good-faith negotiations. When she proposed her budget, the Mayor included a provision that would make it illegal to bargain over back pay for the years between contracts. The Council reversed this proposal. 

Sanctuary Values Act - Restored

The Sanctuary Values Act prevents the Department of Corrections from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement agencies. It effectively requires DoC employees to focus on their own job and not do ICE’s job. The Mayor’s budget contained a provision that overturned the Sanctuary Values Act, which the Council restored. 

Project Labor Agreement (PLA) Threshold - Restored

PLAs require unionized labor (and frequently other community benefits) for development projects over a certain size. The Mayor tried to increase the threshold above which PLAs are mandatory--reducing the number of projects that require developers to work with unions. Councilmember Nadeau removed this change in her committee, and the Council restored the original threshold.

Access to Justice - Restored

Access to Justice is a DC program that funds legal services for impacted DC residents. Some of this funding supports DC JWJ’s eviction prevention work. The Mayor cut the program almost entirely, Councilmember Pinto restored some in her committe and the Council fully restored it this week.

The next budget vote is on July 28th. We’re going to spend the next two weeks fighting to protect the programs that make DC a great place to work and live—and we will let you know about ways you can support our efforts. In the meantime, please donate to help us keep delivering wins!

In solidarity,

Alex Samuels

Data Organizer

DC Jobs With Justice

P.S. DC JWJ is also proud to announce that our staff union has signed a successor contract that includes pay increases, longevity benefits, and expanded worker protections. We don’t know what the future will bring, but we’re excited to face it together!