Labor rights groups seek to put $20-per-hour minimum wage on Olympia’s fall ballot
Two labor rights groups rallied outside Olympia City Hall last week before handing in nearly 10,000 signatures toward qualifying the Workers’ Bill of Rights, including raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour, for the election ballot in November.
According to a June 23 news release from United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 367, the labor group partnered with Washington Community Action Network and the Olympia and Tacoma chapters of Democratic Socialists of America to gather signatures from registered voters in support of putting the issue to a vote.
UFCW 367 president Michael Hines said the labor group is proud to stand with the community and push for policies that benefit as many workers as they can.
“Working families are long overdue for a raise and the security of predictable schedules and safe workplaces,” he said.
The Workers’ Bill of Rights would raise Olympia’s minimum wage to $20 per hour for large employers. It would also gradually increase wages for medium and small businesses, with adjustments tied to inflation.
The plan also calls for protecting workers’ right to fair scheduling, requiring advance notice of shifts and first offering additional hours to current staff, rather than hiring more.
The Workers’ Bill of Rights also would help improve workplace safety, especially in high-risk settings, through required safety plans and protections such as panic buttons for isolated workers. Lastly, it would hold employers accountable through enforceable penalties ranging from $500 to $5,000 per violation, including for retaliation.
Christine Fergus, who has been a grocery worker for nine years, said in the UFCW release that she collected nearly 1,000 signatures in Olympia mostly to improve staffing and scheduling.
“My mom’s been battling cancer, she doesn’t drive, and I’m trying to schedule her medical appointments sometimes months in advance,” Fergus said. “It’s really frustrating when I only get my schedule four days before my week starts and it’s hard to reschedule this appointment, because my shifts can change every week.”
The city last discussed the possibility of adopting a Workers’ Bill of Rights in May, when the council landed on the research they wanted done by Assistant City Manager Stacey Ray and staff to inform their decision.
City Manager Jay Burney said that the first batch of signatures was received by the City Clerk. He said their understanding is that the labor groups will be making further submissions this month. He said those signatures will need to be validated by Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall’s staff.
“Once we receive notice that the proper number of valid signatures has been reached, the Council will need to act within 20 days to vote on whether to enact the ordinance as submitted or place it on the ballot,” Burney said.
Hall said to qualify, the initiative requires signatures from 15% of the total number of registered voters in the city at the last preceding general election. For Olympia, that’s just 5,788 signatures out of 38,591 registered voters, so the current petition could be enough, if the signatures are confirmed to be valid local voters.
This story was originally published June 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
.jpg)