The Battle for a Living Wage in Washington
When the State Supreme Court struck down Spokane’s minimum wage ordinance, they left city workers vulnerable to the whims of contractors and the bottom line.
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The recent decision of the supreme court of Washington on the minimum wage ordinance passed in Spokane is likely to have far-reaching consequences. Spokane passed an ordinance fixing a minimum wage for city laborers, whether employed directly by the city or by men holding city contracts. The supreme court has held that this is an exorbitant wage and that the municipality has not the right to set a minimum wage for which its employees may work. The opinion stated that $2.25 per day was about the right figure for men working but eight hours a day at common labor. Seattle recently passed an amendment to its charter providing a minimum wage of $2.75 a day for city employees. This amendment now is hardly worth the paper it is written on. The effect of the decision would seem to be to put city employees at the absolute mercy of city authorities and contractors unless the employees are strongly organized or are backed up by a strong public sentiment.
“If there is anything progressive in the sentiment that 'common labor is worth but $2.25 per day' we have something to learn about 'progressivism.'”
In 1912, the Supreme Court of Washington prioritized the interests of contractors over municipal labor standards. Today, Everett and cities across Washington continue to wrestle with the same tension between local wage ordinances and state-level preemption.
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