D.C. Council Member To Live 1 Week On Minimum Wage

WASHINGTON (AP) — D.C. Councilmember Tommy Wells says he’ll spend a week keeping his food and transportation costs to the level of a minimum-wage worker.

The Washington Post reports Wells says he’s doing it to draw attention to the District’s high cost of living and the council’s preliminary approval last week of a minimum wage increase over the next three years. The city’s current minimum wage is $8.25 an hour.

Wells, a candidate for mayor, says he hasn’t calculated just how much he’ll be living on. But, he’ll take the wages of a 40-hour minimum wage workweek and subtract at least 30 percent for housing and living expenses. Wells says he’ll rely on public transportation to get to events.

Wells makes more than $130,000 a year as a member of the D.C. Council.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)