At its study session meeting last week, the Olympia City Council deferred consideration of raising the minimum wage in the city and possible adoption of other labor standards, known as the “Workers’ Bill of Rights”, until January.
The Council agreed to have a conversation about raising the minimum wage and the other components of the “Workers’ Bill of Rights” at its annual planning retreat in January. The Council will consider these issues in the context of all the other topics the councilmembers want to address in the coming year as they determine their 2025 Work Plan. As part of this conversation, if raising the minimum wage or other components of the “Workers’ Bill of Rights” are included as part of the 2025 Work Plan, the Council will determine the engagement process with the community (labor, small business, non-profits, etc.).
The meeting opened with an apology by Finance Committee Chair Council member Lisa Parshley for any “fear or confusion” which resulted from the initial September meeting. All of the council members have heard from many members of the Olympia community on all sides of the issue whether through official channels or in living their daily lives. There were several different opinions regarding how the issues included in the “Workers’ Bill of Rights” do or do not intersect with the Olympia Strong recommendations.
All the council members discussed throughout the conversation the need to hear from both workers and small business and a belief there is common ground to be found among all stakeholders.
We will continue to monitor the situation with our partner associations and conduct outreach to councilmembers and staff. It does appear there is interest from a majority of council members to take up these issues in the next year, so we presume some aspects will be adopted as part of the 2025 Council Work Plan. If you have questions please reach out to John Lane, director of local government affairs at .
