(The Center Square) – Olympia city officials plan to discuss a potential minimum wage increase after public demands from local labor unions.
The Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367 wrote a letter to the Olympia City Council seeking a Workers’ Bill of Rights that would include an hourly minimum wage rate set at $20.29 per hour.
A $20.29 minimum wage would be an increase of $4 for employees in Olympia, who currently make the state’s minimum hourly wage of $16.28.
If the $20.29 hourly wage is implemented, it would result in Olympia being tied with the city of Tukwila and unincorporated King County for the second-highest minimum wage in the U.S.
The city of Seattle recently announced it is raising its minimum wage to $20.76 in 2025, making it the highest in the country.
The letter points to estimates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that calculated a single full-time employee in Olympia would need a living wage of $24 per hour.
Last July, the two unions held a Workers’ Rights Summit in Olympia that saw approximately 100 workers attend. Workers testified about their struggle to make ends meet in the local Olympia economy.
In addition to a $20.29 minimum wage, the letter also demands a Workers’ Bill of Rights that includes guaranteed access to full-time work; standard and predictable schedules so workers do not have to work “clopening” shifts, in which employees rest for less than 10 hours between shifts; strengthened workplace violence prevention policies to protect employees; and protection against unjust terminations.
“Olympia needs to raise the minimum wage, ensure fair scheduling, and improve workplace safety,” the letter states. “Our campaign is preparing to place ballot initiatives before voters in November 2025 to pass a Workers’ Bill of Rights in both Olympia and Tacoma as part of a broader campaign to strengthen protections across our region and statewide.”
The last time the city considered increasing minimum wage was in 2015. However, the city council never took formal action on the proposition raised by Olympia City Councilmember Jim Cooper.
The Olympia Finance Committee will discuss the potential minimum wage increase Monday afternoon.