In November 2016, Washington voted by almost 60% to pass Initiative 1433, which will raise up 1 million workers and boost the economy of our entire state with a higher minimum wage and paid sick days. Then in the first few months of 2017, we mobilized to protect this victory against several bills before the State Legislature which would have rolled back wages.
Initiative 1433 will raise up Washington by increasing the statewide minimum wage to $13.50/hour over the next four years and providing up to 7 days of paid sick & safe leave for workers in our state.
$9.47 wasn’t enough
No matter where you like in Washington State, the old minimum wage of $9.47/hour just wasn't enough to support yourself, afford the basics, and contribute to the economy. In fact, you need a full-time job paying $18.39/hour to afford a 1-bedroom apartment in our state, according to research by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Higher wages raise up the economy
Everyone should be able to support themselves, afford the basics, and contribute to the economy. But when huge companies like McDonald’s and Target pay poverty-wages while banking billions of dollars, that means less money in our communities — which holds back our economy.
When we break that cycle by raising wages, it gives our whole economy a lift. It’s pretty simple: when more people have more money, that means more customers for more businesses. And that raises up everyone!
That’s why Seattle’s economy has been booming since raising their minimum wage, and why Washington State’s job growth was among the tops in the nation the last time we voted to raise the minimum wage.
Well here's some good news: our minimum wage is safe! At the stroke of 5:00pm today, the three bills to roll back the wage officially "died" in the State Legislature.
Four years ago, in 2012, with minimum wage at $9.04/hour, anti-worker lobby groups pushed to carve out sub-minimum wages, tip penalties, and other exceptions. Four years later, $13.50 is on the way. A lot can happen in four years.
Three days later, there's still a lot to process. When we look at the results here in Washington, we keep thinking about Initiative 1433. Our ballot measure to raise the minimum wage won majority support in 16 Washington counties (and 49% of the vote in two more counties) many of them far outside the Seattle metropolitan area. By contrast, Hillary Clinton only got a majority of the vote in 9 counties.
National anti-worker lobby groups like the National Restaurant Association and the Koch Brothers had private getaways to discuss minimum wage ballot measures — including Washington’s Initiative 1433.
Turn out that the face of the campaign against the minimum wage is a stock photo called "Two friends collecting money to paying in a restaurant.” Hot tip: they might be able to more easily afford the bill if they got a raise.
Some opponents of Initiative 1433 to raise the minimum wage — including several newspaper editorial boards — have been trying to make the claim that lifting the minimum wage from $9.47/hour this year to $13.50 over the next four years is an “unprecedented” increase. It seems to be in some kind of anti-1433 opposition talking point. (They must think it makes them sound smart. Or maybe they're just kinda desperate?)
Because here's the reality: there is plenty of precedent for the minimum wage increase in I-1433. In fact, every single recent minimum wage increase at the state and federal levels back to 1977 raised wages by at least as much per year as I-1433 would. (And that’s not even mentioning Seattle and SeaTac.)
Some opponents of Initiative 1433 have been trying to make the claim that lifting the minimum wage from $9.47/hour this year to $13.50 over the next four years is an “unprecedented” increase. In fact, every single recent minimum wage increase at the state and federal levels back to 1977 raised wages by at least as much per year as I-1433 would.
Big business lobbyists from Idaho say they're worried about what will happen if Washington voters pass Initiative 1433 to raise the minimum wage — because they're going to have raise wages in Idaho too in order to keep up and hire people. That's bad because....?
There are a total of 7 housing options currently available in Clark County, WA that a full-time worker can afford on minimum wage. (There are also 6 RV spaces and a self-storage unit.) So why on earth does the Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, WA think that keeping the minimum wage at $9.53/hour is enough?
For at least the sixth time in the past six years, the owners of one Kennewick restaurant have predicted that the sky will fall if the minimum wage increases to $8.67, $9.04, $9.32, $12, $13.50, and more… and yet the sky has remained aloft. In fact, jobs and business continue to grow in the Washington restaurant industry.
The state has run its calculations and on January 1st, the state's minimum wage will rise 6 whole cents to $9.53/hour — which isn't enough to support yourself anywhere in our state. But if voters pass Initiative 1433, Washington workers will see a minimum wage of $11.00/hour on January 1, 2017, on the way to $13.50 over four years. It's quite a choice.
When Seattle passed the nation's first citywide $15 minimum wage, some of the most outspoken Chicken Littles forecast that the economy would crash and the sky would fall in a matter of months. The numbers released today show how desperately wrong they were.
Working Washington and a broad coalition of other organizations across the state just turned in 360,000 signatures to get Initiative 1433 on the ballot in November to raise the minimum wage to $13.50 and provide paid sick days. Your signature was probably one of them
No one can afford rent anywhere in the state on the current minimum wage. Washington state needs a raise.