DC mayor to submit legislation for $15 minimum wage

WASHINGTON (AP) -- District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city needs a $15 minimum wage to help lift people out of poverty.

The Democratic mayor joined union leaders and low-wage workers on Thursday to call for the wage increase. Her administration plans to submit legislation to the D.C. Council this week calling for the city to increase its minimum wage to $15 by 2020.

The city currently has a $10.50 minimum wage that will rise to $11.50 in July under legislation signed in 2014 by Bowser's predecessor, Vincent Gray.

State minimum wages have been rising the past few years amid pressure from labor.

California and New York this month became the first states to pass laws mandating that a statewide $15 minimum be phased in over the next few years.