Backers Declare Victory in Seattle Area Minimum Wage Jump

$15 an hour in SeaTac

A ballot initiative to enact a $15 hourly minimum wage for many workers in a working-class Seattle suburb that houses the region's main international airport was leading on Tuesday, with proponents declaring victory in their fight for a livable wage.

The measure would mandate that some 6,300 workers at Sea-Tac International Airport and nearby hotels, car rental agencies and parking lots receive a minimum hourly wage of $15, a rate more than double the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

After a hard-fought battle in the city of SeaTac that highlighted a broader debate over income inequality in America, the measure was leading on Tuesday evening by 54 percent to 46 percent with 3,283 votes counted in the mail-in ballot.

But initiative opponents said it was too early to concede defeat in a city with 12,000 registered voters, with more results expected to trickle in over the next few days.

Comments

[Sevo]

Too many working people in Sea Tac. This'll fix it.

[BuSab Agent]

Yes indeed. This will be a lovely example of the real effect of minimum wage laws. Previous iterations were masked by the fact that the minimum wages were hiked generally close to what the prevailing wage rate already was, so that only first time workers who were never hired were affected i.e. the "unseen" as it's hard to count people who are not hired but might have been. But this is a gigantic bump, so the effects will be very much "seen" as everyone who doesn't produce to this level is laid off and/or businesses expire like flies.

[Libertarius]

Here's how we defeat the minimum wage: gin-up local movements in blue states to make ridiculous min wage increases by means of ballot initiatives. Then when their economies fall apart, the libertarians' told you so.

Leftists have been pulling cynical crap like this for the past hundred years, and the rotten condition of this country is the result. Maybe libertarians can improve the country by taking similar measures.