May 1, 2014

While the politicians in Washington DC continue to ignore what constitutes a living wage in this country, the politicians in another another Washington city (Seattle) are confronting the problem head on.

via KIRO, Seattle

SEATTLE — After failing to reach an agreement on raising Seattle's minimum wage to $15 a week ago, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced his proposal.
Instead of immediately switching the minimum wage in the city to $15, as expected, Murray proposed a phased-in plan.

Under Murray's plan, businesses with fewer than 500 employees must pay workers $15 an hour within seven years. Within the first five years, a “temporary compensation responsibility “ of $15 an hour must be met by combining employer-paid health care contributions, tips received by consumers, and wages.

Large businesses with more than 500 employees will have three years to pay workers $15 an hour. The wages of employees who receive health care benefits will receive $15 an hour in four years.

"This a historic moment for Seattle," Murray said at a news conference Thursday. "In seven years, a Seattle minimum wage worker will earn at least $4 an hour and $6,240 a year more than people elsewhere in Washington."

Once $15 an hour is reached, future raises would be tied to the consumer price index, with no exemptions.

A news release from the mayor's office said 21 of 24 members of his Income Inequality Committee support his proposal.

Can you help us out?

For nearly 20 years we have been exposing Washington lies and untangling media deceit, but now Facebook is drowning us in an ocean of right wing lies. Please give a one-time or recurring donation, or buy a year's subscription for an ad-free experience. Thank you.

Discussion

We welcome relevant, respectful comments. Any comments that are sexist or in any other way deemed hateful by our staff will be deleted and constitute grounds for a ban from posting on the site. Please refer to our Terms of Service for information on our posting policy.
Mastodon