SEATTLE, Wash. — The battle over Seattle's minimum wage is no longer about $15 an hour. It's about when $15 starts. And despite the Mayor’s plan, voters may still have to decide on multiple initiatives.
“We should be commending the mayor for taking this step and at the same time recognizing that none of this, absolutely none of this would be possible unless workers had taken it among themselves,” said City Council member Kshama Sawant, who made $15 an hour the centerpiece of her campaign.
The biggest dispute is over the three to seven year phase in the Mayor’s plan. 15Now campaign has already filed voter initiatives and charter amendments to implement a shorter phase-in for small businesses and eliminate the phase-in for businesses with more than 250 employees.
Now critics on both sides are planning for ballot initiatives. And the council has the option of putting whatever it passes on the ballot if members determine that what is passed is the best way to settle the issue.
“There are still so many possibilities for how this thing resolves,” said Council member Sally Clark, chair of the Council’s Minimum Wage Committee.
“You know, it's something they can consider,” said Mayor Murray. “Again, if what I've heard from businesses and labor is they're not going to be supporting initiatives,” he said.
KIRO
