Tukwila minimum wage hike passing by huge margin

Tukwila’s minimum wage hike appeared headed toward passage Tuesday, which would make it the third Washington city to set a higher rate than the statewide pay floor.

Initiative Measure No. 1 would bring the city’s minimum wage in line with SeaTac’s, requiring large employers to pay about $19 an hour starting next summer. The measure was passing with 82.48% of the vote Tuesday night.

SeaTac and Seattle both require that employers pay more than the state’s required wage, $14.49 an hour. At that pay rate, a minimum-wage worker in King County would need to work 92 hours a week to avoid spending more than a third of their income on a one-bedroom apartment, according to one analysis.

Tukwila’s largest companies would pay $18.99 an hour next year, according to the campaign.

In Seattle, the minimum wage next year will be between $16.50 and $18.69 depending on the job. SeaTac recently announced that its 2023 minimum wage for transportation and hospitality workers will be $19.06 per hour. The statewide minimum wage next year will be $15.74. 

The effort in Tukwila faced no organized opposition.

The proposal would take effect in July, requiring Tukwila employers with more than 500 employees globally (including franchises) to match SeaTac’s 2022 minimum wage, plus an inflation adjustment. 

Smaller companies with between 15 and 500 employees would see a phased-in approach: The wage would be $2 less than the large employer rate starting in July, $1 less in 2024 and then fully catch up in 2025. Businesses with fewer than 15 employees and less than $2 million in annual gross revenue are exempt. 

Tukwila’s minimum wage would adjust for inflation each year. Tips would not count toward the hourly rate. Companies would also be required to offer available work hours to qualified part-time employees before hiring additional workers.