April 19, 2023

WHEREAS, low wages contribute to housing insecurity, homelessness, and many other social problems that weaken communities; and

WHEREAS, someone working full-time at the minimum wage in Burien or unincorporated King County has to spend well over half their income to rent a modest 1-bedroom apartment for $1,600 a month; and

WHEREAS, in 2013 and 2014, the cities of SeaTac and Seattle established local minimum wages higher than the state minimum wage; and

WHEREAS, in 2022, Tukwila voters voted by over 82% to raise their city’s minimum wage to approximately the level of neighboring SeaTac, with a phase-in for smaller employers and an exemption for the very smallest employers; and

WHEREAS, according to data from the Employment Security Department, more than 3,000 Burien and unincorporated King County workers were making less than SeaTac’s minimum wage in 2022, mostly working in retail, accommodations, and food services; and

WHEREAS, raising the minimum wage in Burien and unincorporated King County would boost the income of many of these workers and their families, as well as encourage other cities to do the same, raising the floor throughout King County; and

WHEREAS, a community-labor coalition is coming together to push the Burien City Council and the King County Council to pass legislation in 2023 to raise the minimum wage,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that MLK Labor endorses the campaign to raise the minimum wage in Burien and unincorporated King County through a policy similar to the one Tukwila voters approved in November 2022.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that MLK Labor will work with the coalition to urge the Burien and King County Council Members to pass legislation this year to raise the minimum wage.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that MLK Labor encourages its affiliates to mobilize union members who live and/or work in these jurisdictions to take action supporting these efforts.