Wal-Mart may have to pay D.C. employees $12.50 an hour

The D.C. Council has given a preliminary approval to a bill that would require retailers like Target and Wal-Mart to pay employees at least $12.50 an hour.

The bill was amended on Wednesday to apply only to stores doing business in stores of 75,000 square feet or more. Before the amendment the bill would have applied to companies who accumulated over $1 billion in revenue.

The bill has been supported by worker advocates and labor unions that believe employees working for major chain stores should earn a “living wage”. Wal-Mart and other large businesses oppose the bill.

The district’s minimum wage is currently $8.25 an hour.