By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
On Thurs., King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, along with Councilmembers Rod Dembowski, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and Joe McDermott, hosted a press conference to announce his proposal to raise the minimum wage in unincorporated King County to $18.99 an hour. According to Zahilay, the proposal, if passed, would only affect unincorporated areas of King County like Skyway, White Center, Vashon Island, and Bear Creek. It would set the minimum wage rate at $18.99 per hour or the hourly minimum wage established by federal or state law, whichever is greater. This move aims to bring the minimum wage in King County in line with Seattle, which is at $18.69 per hour, and SeaTac’s $19.06 per hour.
Starting January 1, 2024, the wage would increase annually on a percentage basis to reflect the rate of inflation, calculated to the nearest cent on January 1 of each year thereafter. Employers that employ 15 employees or less and have an annual gross revenue of less than $2 million shall pay their employees at the minimum wage minus three dollars. The three-dollar reduction shall decrease annually by 50 cents on January 1 of each year thereafter. In addition, employers that employ more than 15 employees but less than 500 shall pay their employees at the minimum wage minus two dollars per hour, and that reduction should decrease annually by one dollar on January 1 of each year thereafter until the reduction is zero.
“Raising the minimum wage in unincorporated King County to match nearby cities is good policy and the right thing to do for King County workers,” said Councilmember Dembowski. “A fair wage helps lift working people out of poverty, leads to healthier families and more resilient communities. I’m proud to co-sponsor this ordinance.”
Councilmember Zahilay says that the proposal is important because the state’s current minimum wage is not enough for most King County residents to live on. “If you are making [the current state minimum wage], it will take you 103 hours each week to afford a modest one-bedroom, and so it is clearly not enough,” said Zahilay. “We just need to boost the minimum wage to give people in unincorporated King County a fighting chance to afford their basic needs.”
According to Zahilay, the businesses he’s had the opportunity to speak with so far about this new proposal seem open to learning more about the proposal, as the legislation provides small businesses with time to adjust to the new minimum wage. Suprina Ford, owner of Royal Life Boutique, says that it is important for the councilmembers to include small business owners in their outreach efforts with regards to the proposal. “I really want to focus on the small business owners who are our nail shops, pho shops, driving schools, barber shops; we literally need your help to increase this,” says Ford. “Everything is going up, nothing is going down.”
Rebecca Zapata, Executive Director of the Skyway Coalition, says that the coalition supports the proposal to increase the minimum wage across unincorporated King County.
“Skyway has faced a legacy of neglect for far too long, with inequitable policies that have affected our BIPOC residents,” said Zapata. “Raising the minimum wage mitigates some of the harm directed toward this community, and we also have broad support for current advocacy efforts led by our Vashon and White Center unincorporated partners who’ve begun to champion equitable outcomes in raising the minimum wage.”
“Skyway Coalition looks forward to ensuring that our BIPOC community and business owners’ needs are prioritized as we collectively finalize this legislation. Thank you to our beloved community of Skyway for continuing to make your voices heard,” Zapata continued.
According to a 2022 survey of the business community by King County, 67% of respondents supported an increase in the minimum wage. Zahilay says that he is hopeful that the County Council can vote on the legislation before the end of the year. With the state minimum wage being $15.74 per hour and an estimated 250,000 people living in unincorporated King County, the urgency is crystal clear.
“Workers in unincorporated King County are always left out of policies that increase the minimum wage in neighboring cities,” said Zahilay. “That means someone working in Skyway could be paid several dollars less per hour than if they went a block north to Seattle or a block west to Tukwila. That’s not right. If passed, our proposal to increase the minimum wage in unincorporated King County would be a big step toward investing in the workers and economy of every corner of our region.”
