Via Puget Sound Sage(opens in new tab): Against the full force of big business (Alaska Airlines) and our own publicly owned airport (Port of Seattle) – including the best lawyers money can buy – we have shown once again that the people can prevail (and our lawyers are smarter than theirs).
The SeaTac minimum wage was won in November 2013, but a lower court judge ruled it could not apply to the actual airport, leaving the vast majority of covered workers bereft of its benefits. That decision was overturned today by the State Supreme Court(opens in new tab). This is critical, because the SeaTac law does more than lift wages – it creates a host of fair labor standards(opens in new tab), including tip protection, paid sick and safe days, worker retention, collective bargaining opt-out, and more hours for part time workers.
The full economic benefits of Proposition 1 can now be unleashed, putting an estimated $40 million(opens in new tab) back into our local economies. With the long-awaited wage increase, workers will be able to spend more money in SeaTac and surrounding small businesses.
We salute all of the workers who put their jobs on the line to organize for better working conditions – from fuelers(opens in new tab) to wheelchair assistants(opens in new tab) to rental car workers – as well as the amazing coalition of faith(opens in new tab), community and labor that fought so hard to win change at the ballot.
This is a momentous day for SeaTac, Washington State, and the movement for workers’ rights!