Olympia officials land on research plan for possible minimum wage increase, worker bill of rights
The Olympia Finance Committee has landed on the research they want done by Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray and staff to inform their decision about whether to raise the city’s minimum wage and adopt a Workers’ Bill of Rights.
Ray said Monday the Workers’ Bill of Rights basically refers to a set of potential updates to Olympia regulations that have to do with minimum wage, workplace health and safety, and predictive scheduling for largely low-wage workers in the community.
She said tackling the topic starts with further defining the problem at hand.
“We do have some explanation around this, around the struggles and challenges that low-wage workers face in the community to afford to live in Olympia,” Ray said. “And I think we also kind of want to just really clarify in terms of, when we start to research, what is the problem we want to understand and the problem that we’re seeking to solve by gathering this information.”
She said the plan is to use evidence-based and data-informed methodologies for research, as well as existing research from educational institutions and peer-reviewed literature.
Ray said the research objectives include better understanding the local economic environment and workforce makeup, as well as the impacts of potential changes on businesses, nonprofits and government entities of all sizes.
She said the other piece of the puzzle is looking closely at other cities that have taken up similar proposals.
The research scope also will include reaching out to small businesses in the city to see how they operate and how they would be affected. She said some small businesses are already paying higher wages, and it’d be worth understanding how they’re making that work.
City Council member Jim Cooper said staff also should try to understand how tips and those who rely heavily on tips over wages would be affected by any changes to city regulations.
Ray said there are a number of research institutions the city could partner with on this work. City Manager Jay Burney said Saint Martin’s University staff reached out to the Finance Committee directly to express interest in helping with the project.
Ray said the research will ultimately have a special emphasis on small business experience and potential impacts, understanding legal elements, and thinking about what different scenarios might look like if implemented.
Council member Clark Gilman said he’s specifically interested in learning more about where there are large numbers of low-wage workers employed. He said his hope is that the conversation can be focused less on how to mitigate the impact on specific employers or a sector, and more about having a “macro sort of economy writ large.”
“What’s the economic development, community development potential of moves like this?” he said. “I have an interest in making sure that we’re considering the benefit to employees, because they’re the reason we’re having the conversation.”
Ray said staff now will develop a communication strategy around the research plan, and then move through a Request for Qualifications process for consultation. She said the city may contract with more than one person or academic institution for the work.
The Finance Committee will receive an update on the work at its mid-year retreat.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 1:35 PM.
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