(The Center Square) – The Olympia City Council will vote Tuesday night on whether to adopt a Workers’ Bill of Rights that would raise the minimum wage in Olympia to $20 per hour, or send the proposal to voters this November.
Two labor groups gathered more than enough signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot, but the city council can adopt it.
“This document reflects a Workers’ Bill of Rights initiative as submitted through the citizen petition process to the City of Olympia on June 24, 2025, and then certified as sufficient by Thurston County Elections on July 14, 2025,” according to a document prepared by the city of Olympia after the measure qualified.
During a July 17 study session, Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray explained the measure to council members.
“The actual petition title estimated to the city is ‘fair wages, fair schedules, a workers bill of rights,’” said Ray.
The work session did not include public comment, but residents were encouraged to attend Tuesday night’s council meeting. That will be the last opportunity for public comment if the council opts to send the measure to the fall ballot.
“So, there are two options in front of you as a city council,” Ray explained. “One is pass the proposed initiative petition ordinance without alteration, and the other is to send the proposed initiative petition ordinance without alteration to a vote of the people.”
Aside from the minimum wage increase, key provisions of the Olympia Workers’ Bill of Rights include ensuring fair and predictable work schedules for employees, requiring large employers to develop comprehensive safety plans, provisions to protect workers from retaliation by employers for exercising their rights under the ordinance, and allowing employees to pursue civil action for violations and establishing a range of penalties for employers found in violation of the initiative’s provisions.
Ray said the petition requires employers in Olympia to pay minimum wages comparable to those in other Puget Sound cities. The minimum wage would be at least $20 per hour, gradually phased in over a few years, and effective dates would vary depending on the size of the business. That rate would increase annually by the annual rate of inflation.
As of Jan. 1, the minimum wage in Washington state is $16.66 per hour, but some cities – including Seattle, SeaTac, Burien and Everett – have set a higher minimum wage.
Seattle’s minimum wage is $20.76 per hour. Burien pays $21.16 per hour for businesses with 500 or more employees, and $20.16 per hour for businesses with between 21 to 499 employees.
According to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, the minimum wage in Everett went up to $20.24 per hour for businesses with more than 500 employees on July 1, and up to $18.24 for businesses with between 15 and 500 employees. Employers with 14 or fewer employees are not affected.
Seattle adopted its minimum wage ordinance in 2014. It was pitched as reducing income inequality, but a 2021 study by the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington found that it did not.
“There is no evidence to suggest, however, that Seattle’s minimum wage lowered the overall level of earnings inequality across all workers in the city, which substantially widened during this period,” the study authors wrote.
The Center Square contacted the Washington Hospitality Association for comment on the proposed initiative and received a response via email.
“The Washington Hospitality Association is urging the Olympia City Council to send this proposal to the voters for the public to learn more about, fully consider, and ultimately decide,” a WHA spokesperson said. “The proposal will have significant impacts on Olympians’ favorite local restaurants and hotels and their ability to maintain their existing levels of operation and employment, and these impacts deserve a full and thoughtful public discussion.”
The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce did not respond to a request for comment.
Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Olympia City Hall at 601 4th Ave E. Council meetings can be viewed live here.
