Mayor Ed Murray on Thursday morning proposed a plan to raise Seattle's minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Under the proposal, the $15 wage would be phased in for both large and small businesses. If the mayor's plan is enacted, Seattle's minimum wage would become the highest of any city in the nation. The proposal is based on recommendations from a committee Murray appointed to advise him on the issue. Consensus over the recommendations had eluded the committee in recent weeks as representatives from labor, business and nonprofit groups struggled to line up support among their constituencies.
The proposal will next go to the Seattle City Council, where it will receive quick attention. Councilmember Sally Clark, chair of a committee on income inequality, said a review of the proposal will begin at a meeting Monday. Murray announced his plan at a press conference at City Hall.
City Councilmember Nick Licata, who was a member of Murray's Income Inequality Advisory Committee, praised the proposal as an "awesome victory" and a step toward a real living wage.
"I will work with the council to pass this proposal with the minimum amount of tinkering," he said.
The mayor said that 21 of the committee's 24 members have agreed to the proposal. Among the dissenters was Socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant, a $15 minimum wage stalwart, who said the proposal has been watered down by big businesses.
About 100,000 workers in Seattle currently earn less than $15 per hour, according to a report professors at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs prepared for the advisory committee. The current state-mandated minimum wage in Washington is $9.32.
The phase-in period for the pay floor increase would begin in 2015 for all businesses. Larger businesses with 500 or more employees would be required to pay their workers $11 per hour at that time. For larger businesses that provide their employees with health care the phase-in period would last four years, meaning that by 2018 they would be required to pay their workers $15 per hour. For large businesses that do not provide health coverage the phase-in period would last three years; they would hit the $15 mark by 2017.
The arrangement for businesses with fewer than 500 employees is different. The minimum wage for those employers would reach $15 after seven years, in 2021, increasing at a rate of $0.50 annually along the way.
Small businesses would also be required to guarantee workers "minimum compensation," which includes tips and health insurance. Minimum compensation, including tips and healthcare, would rise to $15 per hour for smaller businesses by 2019.
After each wage category reaches $15, hourly pay will increase annually based on the consumer price index, which is estimated at 2.4 percent in the mayor's proposal. By 2025, minimum wage for all businesses in Seattle and total compensation for small businesses would be $18.13.
