EVERETT, JULY 25- More than 2,600 signatures have been submitted to the city clerk’s office by Raise the Wage Responsibly (RWR) this month to raise the minimum wage from $16.28 to $20.24 in Everett. The petition released by RWR was submitted a week after Everett Deserves a Raise (EDR) released a similar petition, causing controversy.
It is argued that having $16.28 as the minimum wage isn’t enough for a sustainable life in Everett. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach 2023 report, a worker making Washington’s minimum wage would have to work 77 hours each week (seven hour increase from 2021) to afford a modest one-bedroom rental home at Fair Market Rent.
Although RWR and EDR are petitioning for similar outcomes, they have different conditions for raising the minimum wage.
The Raise the Wage Responsibly petition factors in total compensation (tips, medical benefits, etc.) to make up the difference between Washington State and Everett’s potential minimum wage. They include the tips as part of their condition to help combat the increase in costs when the minimum wage rises. This would make the higher costs easier to manage for the employers, meaning they won’t need to lay off their employees, reduce their hours of operation, or give fewer hours to their employees. This model was used in Seattle when they raised their minimum wage, and it is argued that it’s a workable model for Everett to follow.
Everett Deserves a Raise criticizes that employees would need to rely on tips just to make minimum wage when the “tipping culture is out of control.” There is no guarantee that workers will get tipped for their service, or the tips that they make will equate to the potentially new minimum wage. This also takes into account the expectation that buyer’s tips would make up for the lost wages that employers avoid paying.
Washington Hospitality Association has contributed about $38,000 to RWR and has paid $8,000 to a Florida politician consulting firm to gather signatures, according to records. The firm goes door-to-door in Everett and puts in digital and social efforts to gather the signatures for this petition.
Jeffrey Reading, a spokesperson for RWR stated that their petition reaches the same goal as EDR, but they would also give the employers some benefits to make it less burdensome for business owners.
On the other hand, Everett deserves a Raise proposes $20.24 as the minimum wage for everyone regardless of additional compensation they may make from their job. This potential raise would go into effect July 1, 2025, and after a year, the minimum wage would be adjusted based on inflation.
Cities like SeaTac, Bellingham, Seattle, Renton, and Tukwila have recently raised their minimum wage.
Under each proposal, employers with less than 15 employees and businesses with less than $2 million in annual gross revenue would be exempt.
Both of these petitions would need to have between 938 to 2,875 signatures to appear on the November ballot without council action, and if they have more than 2,876 signatures, the council will have 10 days to pass the petition. Since Raise the Wage Responsibly has already gathered 2,600 signatures, it is most likely going to appear on the November ballot. Everett Deserves a Raise needs just 1,000 more signatures from registered voters for it to appear on the November Ballot as of July 24.
“When working families earn insufficient income due to low wages and involuntary under-employment, they struggle to pay for basic necessities like health care, childcare, and groceries, and they are more likely to be evicted and become homeless,” As stated in the Everett Deserves a Raise petition.
