Worker's Bill of Rights, $20 minimum wage in Tacoma? Union begins gathering signatures
According to two initiatives filed with the city of Tacoma last month, activists want to establish a Worker's Bill of Rights, which would raise the minimum wage in Tacoma, give workers more rights to fair scheduling and full-time hours, and improve workplace safety. Medium and small businesses would be phased into the $20 an hour minimum wage requirement over several years.
Andrea Reay, who spoke on behalf of the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce as its president and CEO, told The News Tribune on Monday raising the minimum wage in Tacoma would negatively impact small businesses and increase costs for consumers. She also voiced support for businesses to offer flexible hours and advocated for more creative solutions to address issues like affordable housing, economic inequality and workforce education.
To get on the ballot, Worker's Bill of Rights advocates need to gather signatures from at least 10% of people who cast votes in the last election cycle. UFCW 367 community and labor organizer Colton Rose told The News Tribune on Friday they would have to gather about 5,000 signatures in favor of the initiative. Their goal is gathering at least 8,000 signatures by early July, he said.
Rose said UFCW 367 is also pushing for a similar Worker's Bill of Rights in Olympia and would need to gather at least 15,000 signatures there by early July to put it on the ballot.
The initiatives come on the heels of a citizen's petition to establish a Tenant Bill of Rights, which successfully passed in Tacoma in 2023 on a razor-thin margin.
As of Jan. 1, 2020, employers in Tacoma are required to use the Washington state minimum wage. As of the first of this year the state's minimum wage was $16.66 an hour, 38 cents higher than 2024. Workers who are 14 or 15 years old must be paid at least $14.16 an hour.
If successfully put on the ballot and approved by voters, the Tacoma initiatives would be enforced by private right of action, although there is language that would allow the city to vote on and develop its own enforcement mechanism.
Two versions of a Worker's Bill of Rights have been submitted to the city of Tacoma. They are similar, but Version 2 has stronger penalties for violations and stronger language protecting workers' rights to fair scheduling and hours. Rose said UFCW 367 is testing public and business sentiment to determine which version it would push to get on the ballot.
UFCW 367 wants the city of Tacoma to establish a higher minimum wage than the rest of the state. Upon the effective date, every employer in the city that employs more than 500 employees in its network would have to pay each employee at least $20 an hour, according to the initiatives.
'On January 1 of the next calendar year, and each January 1 thereafter, the hourly minimum wage must increase by the annual rate of inflation to maintain employee purchasing power,' the initiative says.
Starting on its effective date, all employers in Tacoma that employ between 16 and 500 employees must pay their employees an hourly minimum wage of at least $18 an hour, and, 'The two-dollar reduction must decrease annually by one dollar on January 1 of each year thereafter until the reduction is zero,' according to the initiative.
Employers that have 15 or fewer employees must pay their employees at least $17 an hour beginning on the effective date, and, 'The three-dollar reduction must decrease annually by 50 cents on January 1 of each year thereafter until the reduction is zero,' the initiatives say.
Under the Worker's Bill of Rights, certain employers would need to give employees 'a good faith estimate' of their work schedules, give at least 14 calendar days notice of their work schedules, offer additional hours of work to existing employees before hiring additional employees or subcontractors, provide employees with written notice of their rights and provide a written response for why they denied a worker's request to a change in their schedule due to a major life event.
Employers also would need to create a workplace safety plan to protect workers and consumers in the event of violence or natural disaster, according to the initiatives. Large employers would be required to protect workers in isolated or dangerous areas by providing panic buttons and maintaining safe staffing levels.
Failure to provide a good faith estimate of work schedules could result in $500 penalties to the employer per failure, as could a failure to offer additional hours of work to existing employees, according to one initiative. A failure to provide employees with written notice of their rights could result in a $500 penalty and retaliation could result in $1,000 to $5,000 penalties to the employer.
UFCW 367 president Michael Hines told The News Tribune on Thursday the union was one of the first to endorse the Tenant Bill of Rights in Tacoma and came up with the idea for the Worker's Bill of Rights after running into challenges with reduced hours and safety issues in area grocery stores.
'That was sort of the background of why we started thinking about, well, if they're not going to talk to us at the table, then we'll legislate it,' Hines said. 'We see ourselves as not just a labor union but part of the greater community, so we have a responsibility to raise the standards for all working class, not just those that belong to our union.'
Hines said many of the union's 8,000 members are struggling to make ends meet, and some are living in their cars because they cannot keep up with the rising costs of rent and cost of living in Western Washington.
'Some people think that by raising the minimum wage, then the cost of everything is going to go up, but the truth of the matter is, we're chasing the cost of living. We're not ahead of it. We haven't been ahead of it in a long time,' he said. 'There's also those, like me, who have been around a long time. I remember working for $3.35 an hour as minimum wage. And so some people are like, 'Well, I had to work my way up. Why should some 19-year-old kid make 20 bucks an hour when it took me all these years to make that?' And the truth is, we're in different times.'
Rose said the union doesn't want to burden small businesses, which is why it would phase in minimum wage increases.
'Cities around Washington, around the Puget Sound, for years now, have been raising the minimum wage, and we can see the direct impact. And that is when low-wage workers have more money to spend, they spend that money in their community,' he said. 'Workers who get the increased wages will directly benefit from being able to afford their rent and buy groceries and all the things that we need to do to live on a daily basis, and the community as a whole will thrive because of the increased support for local and small businesses.'
Rikki Wood, the communications chair of Tacoma DSA, said their organization 'fully supports' the Worker's Bill of Rights and said wages should increase with the profit margins of their businesses.
'Corporate America's profits continue to skyrocket, while increases in pay have flatlined,' she said. 'In partnerships with unions pursuing collective bargaining, we believe in fighting for a living wage for the people in Tacoma.'
In 2024 corporate profits in the United States saw a 16.9% growth in the last year, while wages and salaries in the same period increased 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Although Reay agreed that when lower-wage workers have more money to spend it strengthens the local economy, she said, 'the tough piece is that dollar will not go as far as we hope or we think it will because of the increased burden of the increased cost' businesses will push on consumers in order to recoup their labor costs.
Of the more than 1,500 members belonging to the nonprofit Tacoma Pierce County Chamber, more than 85% are small business owners with 20 or fewer employees, Reay said. The initiatives are being proposed at a time when inflation is high and the United States is facing economic insecurity that is putting immense pressure on small businesses, she said. The U.S. Small Business Administration defines a small business as having fewer than 500 employees.
If the Worker's Bill of Rights passes, Reay said, small businesses would be more affected than larger businesses 'because they have less financial flexibility to absorb what those higher labor costs can and could be … simply because of the economy of scale.'
Depending on the industry, some business sectors have lower profit margins than others, like full-service restaurants, Reay said. Small businesses with thin margins are more likely to suffer from minimum-wage increases because 'the cost of everything is going up,' and 'there is a price cap [for what] the general public will tolerate for spending,' she said.
Reay cited a 2021 University of Washington study that examined whether Seattle's phasing in of a $13 minimum wage from 2014 to 2017 lowered income inequality in the city. The study found that the lowest-wage workers in Seattle saw increases in hourly wages, but there was no evidence to suggest the higher minimum wage lowered overall levels of earning inequality for all workers in the city. Income inequality 'substantially increased' in that time period, 'likely for reasons unrelated to the minimum wage law,' and businesses reduced worker hours as a result of increased labor costs, wrote author Mark Long.
'The minimum wage was never meant to be a family wage or a living wage job. It's meant to be a training wage,' Reay said. 'When we're looking at how do we create more opportunities for equitable economic development, how do we create opportunities for workers to have more access to higher wage employment and skilled labor — those are more complex conversations. We are not going to create more economic opportunity and decrease the number of people living in poverty, or below the poverty line, simply by just increasing the minimum wage.'
Reay said the chamber is advocating to look at 'what we're doing for workers holistically' through training and skills programs, investment in child care programs, investing in industries like manufacturing that have a higher earning potential with lower barriers to entry, in addition to building more types of housing and affordable housing.
'It's not as simple as just raising the minimum wage,' she said. 'It's more complex, and it requires more new policy and smart policy solutions. And I would say it's a comprehensive approach.'
When asked about the chamber's stance on the scheduling and hiring conditions outlined in the Worker's Bill of Rights initiatives, Reay said flexible scheduling for hourly employees can be good for both workers and employers.
Reay said she understands workers' desire for a predictable work schedule but said anecdotally that most employers people want to work with 'ensure that they have a schedule that works for them and for their needs, for their families.'
When asked her opinion on the safety protections for workers outlined in the initiatives, Reay said, 'If the problem that we're trying to solve is that there is data on businesses that are taking advantage of workers or not creating safe environments, etc., then, let's solve that problem.'
'Businesses absolutely want to be part of the solution finding, and we want to find a solution that works for business and for workers,' she said. 'We don't want to have unintended consequences.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business of Fashion
a day ago
- Business of Fashion
Can Deodorant Be a Luxury Product?
For decades, the number one prestige body product in the US has not been a pricey cellulite lotion or an ultraluxe bath oil, but a deodorant that was minted in 1994. Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist deodorant was invented to flank the brand's flagship white flower and musk scent before becoming a star all its own. Parent company Interparfums confirmed to The Business of Beauty that it still tops the charts according to Circana data. Proponents liken the smell to warm sheets or upscale baby shampoo. Navya Dev, a New York-based nose and founder of the custom perfumery Creature, doesn't wear perfume herself, but wears perfumed deodorants. She appreciates Cashmere Mist and other fine fragrance deodorants for their lowkey sillage. 'People will smell deodorant on me and they're like, 'You smell so good right now.' And I'm like, that's fascinating, because all I'm wearing is deodorant,'' Dev said. Today, the inclusion of fine fragrance in body care products, but especially deodorants, are table stakes as brands seek to value-pack their products with experiences. As trends like perfume layering gain traction in the global West, 'brands are reimagining body care as a fragrance-first category,' said Aishwarya Rajpara, a consultant at market research firm Euromonitor, pointing to a new guard of 'high-quality, complex fragrance compositions that rival traditional perfumes.' Spray deodorants are increasingly functioning as "fine fragrance mists," according to Papatui's Jenna Fagnan, driving demand. (BoF Team) Full-body spray has become the world's preferred deodorant format, selling more than roll-ons, sticks, creams and wipes combined — in no small part thanks to their resemblance to atomised fragrances. By 2026, the global deodorant market is forecasted to be worth $29 billion, according to Euromonitor, but much of this growth is being driven by the prestige segment, sales of which grew 24 percent in 2024, compared to 1 percent for mass formulas, said Circana. Few brands embody the Cashmere Mist effect like minimalist bodycare label Salt and Stone, a Sephora darling whose stick deodorant has become the best-selling product in its category on Amazon. In scents like Rose and Oud, it costs $20. Founder Nima Jalali, a pro snowboarder with an entrepreneurial streak, created the brand in 2017 as an upscale alternative to an unattractive category, and also contracted DSM-Firmenich to help develop a core scent collection. 'It was shocking to look at what was out there and how much I wanted to hide it away in my cabinet once I bought it,' Jalali said. 'Everything that I was seeing from the mass brands was very drugstore smelling — like 'mountain air.'' He shook his head. Elevating the Essential It sounds simple in theory: Mix a $10 speed stick with a drop of $200 perfume and upsell the customer. In practice, fusing deodorant and fine fragrance is a delicate and laborious alchemy, with its first ingredient being investment. Companies at every level and price point will partner with fragrance houses, from Burberry to Bath and Body Works, to imbue their products with 'elevating' scent experiences. A more recent phenomenon sees mass brands partnering with certain noses known for indie successes, like perfumer Frank Voelkl, who has earned an unlikely bit of celebrity for his creation of Le Labo's now-ubiquitous Santal 33. 'It's like using a fine fragrance mist at the same time,' said Jenna Fagnan, the co-founder of Dwyane 'the Rock' Johnson's personal care brand Papatui. (Johnson is, she said, a fine fragrance freak.) When it came to formulating its deodorant range, Fagnan and Johnson tapped Dsm-Firmenich, alongside Voelkl, to create scents like Sandalwood Suede. Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson's personal care line Papatui features deodorants with fragrances cooked up by Frank Voelkl, the creator of Le Labo Santal 33. (Golden Hours) While Papatui's Fagnan did not describe the cost of Voelkl's collaboration, she said it was more than they expected. 'We were a little naive to think that you could easily use fine fragrance and have something affordable,' Fagnan explained, citing the cost of high-quality perfume oil in particular. Fagnan said it cut into their margins but was a worthy investment to get customers hooked. Each and Every, founded in 2019 by Lauren Lovelady, reintroduced their line of deodorants this year with scents like Sunday Morning and Eternal Summer, created with essential oils in partnership with fragrance houses; the text on their new sleek black packaging revolves around the scent name, as on a perfume bottle. 'You can elevate this simple daily ritual into something that feels luxurious,' said Lovelady, who was inspired by how brands like Supergoop and Vacation used texture and scent, respectively, to turn sunscreen into a beauty staple. Scent Overload The ubiquity of ultraluxe scents like Baccarat Rouge 540, and the countless dupes they've spawned across the price spectrum, have no doubt stoked demand for inventions like vetiver or oud deodorant. But fine fragrance's descent to the least sexy of personal care categories feels irreversible. After the armpit, where else could perfume possibly go? Strong demand for hair perfumes, hand lotions and body soaps indicate that the infusion is far from over. But fine fragrance fatigue is already beginning to set in, as surges in sales and social media content conspire to make these scents ubiquitous — cheapening them in the process. Analysts predict sales to soften in the US as price hikes and a 15 percent tariff on goods imported from Europe take effect. Perfumer Dev thinks, optimistically, that more niche formulations will help brands (and shoppers) continue the fragrance conversation, sustaining sales in the process. 'People are so willing to get niche about every step of their style,' Dev said. She should know: Dev recently became the in-house perfumer for indie bodycare label Soft Services, where she's building a long runway of scent launches. Though the brand originally debuted without fragrances — to show shoppers that it was more geared toward solutions than sensuality — founder Rebecca Zhou said that it has since become a priority. (It's also become a priority at Sephora, where Soft Services sits in the bodycare section alongside Sol de Janeiro, Touchland and Salt and Stone.) After contacting fragrance houses like DSM-Firmenich and Givaudan, she decided to hire Dev to quicken the product development process. 'Now in one day we'll make 12 fragrances, and we can iterate on one of them three times,' Zhou said. 'We want scents that are unique and stick in your mind,' she continued. 'But you know, at the end of the day, we're not a niche fragrance brand. We need something that people can connect to at mass.' Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day's most important beauty and wellness news and analysis.
NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
Real estate developers say affordable housing could soon become more profitable
Whether it's in the for-sale or rental market, the affordable housing crisis is only getting worse. There is simply not enough supply, especially in the apartment market, where developers have said it's just too expensive to put up quality, low-income housing. They cite rising costs for land, materials and labor, as well as increasingly restrictive zoning regulations. So-called NIMBYism (an acronym for 'not in my backyard'), is also on the rise, with residents fighting affordable housing in their neighborhoods, where home values have soared in the past five years. 'This is a tough time, I think. All of real estate is being challenged by higher interest rates and by higher construction costs, and, by the way, the building department requirements and all the frictions that are making real estate difficult,' said Jonathan Rose, founder and CEO of the Jonathan Rose Companies, a real estate planning, development and investment firm. 'But there's also a lot of support, and our job is to weave the pathway in between the complexities, the challenges and the opportunities and find the pathway through,' he said. Developers like Rose just got some more of that support from the recently passed tax and spending bill. It expanded the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, by increasing the amount of credits available and lowering the financing requirements. Specifically, the legislation permanently increased the 9% credit allocation to states by 12%. Developers sell these credits to investors in order to help finance their projects. 'It's a big boost for the creation of more affordable housing. In fact, the United States has a shortage of about 10 million units. This won't solve the whole 10 million unit problem, but it'll be a big help,' said Rose, adding that he sees a growing opportunity for investors in the space. Affordable housing advocates applauded the bill's passage, saying that the LIHTC remains the nation's most effective tool for building and preserving affordable rental housing. 'This legislation delivers a significant expansion of the credit by incorporating key elements of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, aimed at boosting the supply of rental homes across urban, rural and tribal communities,' said David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, in a release. Dworkin pointed both to the expansion of the credit as well as changes to another tax credit for developers that would make it easier to qualify for the benefit. 'Together, these changes are expected to produce or preserve more than 1 million additional affordable rental homes between 2026 and 2035,' Dworkin said. There does appear to be strong investor demand in the affordable space, both in new development and renovation. The Jonathan Rose Company recently closed a $660 million impact fund, 'dedicated to acquiring, preserving, and enhancing affordable and mixed-income multifamily housing in high-demand urban markets across the United States,' according to a release. Rose said he is seeing increased interest in housing-related investments from family offices and foundations. There is, however, a new wrench in the works. The Trump administration has proposed a $27 billion cut in federal rental assistance programs for low-income tenants. That is reportedly already causing some lenders to pull back. The cut would need to be approved by Congress, and Rose notes that the House has had longstanding bipartisan support for funding affordable housing. To his point, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs announced Friday it is moving forward on new bipartisan legislation to expand housing supply and address affordability. The package includes removing regulatory barriers to housing development and providing funds for communities that are building more housing that can be used for water and sewer infrastructure. The legislation, however, is aimed more at making for-sale housing more affordable and less at helping build more low-income rental housing. And even still, the new tax incentives for rentals won't help NIMBYism, which appears to be rising right along with home values. Even mixed-use buildings, which have a small percentage of units designated as affordable, are seeing pushback from neighbors concerned that any such housing will damage current and future home values. Even before its expansion, the LIHTC gave developers incentives for more mixed-income buildings, with certain units designated for affordable housing and others at higher price points. Rose said this type of higher-quality, better designed, greener developments benefit owners in the long run by lowering operating and capital costs. 'One of the reasons why communities oppose affordable housing is because a lot of affordable housing — it was built in the '60s, '70s and early '80s — was cheap and ugly, and I wouldn't want it in my neighborhood either,' said Rose. 'We're deeply committed to creating beautiful buildings.'
CNBC
2 days ago
- CNBC
Real estate developers say affordable housing could soon become more profitable
Whether it's in the for-sale or rental market, the affordable housing crisis is only getting worse. There is simply not enough supply, especially in the apartment market, where developers have said it's just too expensive to put up quality, low-income housing. They cite rising costs for land, materials and labor, as well as increasingly restrictive zoning regulations. So-called NIMBYism (an acronym for "not in my backyard"), is also on the rise, with residents fighting affordable housing in their neighborhoods, where home values have soared in the past five years. "This is a tough time, I think. All of real estate is being challenged by higher interest rates and by higher construction costs, and, by the way, the building department requirements and all the frictions that are making real estate difficult," said Jonathan Rose, founder and CEO of the Jonathan Rose Companies, a real estate planning, development and investment firm. "But there's also a lot of support, and our job is to weave the pathway in between the complexities, the challenges and the opportunities and find the pathway through," he said. CNBC's Property Play with Diana Olick covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, delivered weekly to your inbox. Subscribe here to get access today. Developers like Rose just got some more of that support from the recently passed tax and spending bill. It expanded the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, by increasing the amount of credits available and lowering the financing requirements. Specifically, the legislation permanently increased the 9% credit allocation to states by 12%. Developers sell these credits to investors in order to help finance their projects. "It's a big boost for the creation of more affordable housing. In fact, the United States has a shortage of about 10 million units. This won't solve the whole 10 million unit problem, but it'll be a big help," said Rose, adding that he sees a growing opportunity for investors in the space. Affordable housing advocates applauded the bill's passage, saying that the LIHTC remains the nation's most effective tool for building and preserving affordable rental housing. "This legislation delivers a significant expansion of the credit by incorporating key elements of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, aimed at boosting the supply of rental homes across urban, rural and tribal communities," said David Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, in a release. Dworkin pointed both to the expansion of the credit as well as changes to another tax credit for developers that would make it easier to qualify for the benefit. "Together, these changes are expected to produce or preserve more than 1 million additional affordable rental homes between 2026 and 2035," Dworkin said. There does appear to be strong investor demand in the affordable space, both in new development and renovation. The Jonathan Rose Company recently closed a $660 million impact fund, "dedicated to acquiring, preserving, and enhancing affordable and mixed-income multifamily housing in high-demand urban markets across the United States," according to a release. Rose said he is seeing increased interest in housing-related investments from family offices and foundations. There is, however, a new wrench in the works. The Trump administration has proposed a $27 billion cut in federal rental assistance programs for low-income tenants. That is reportedly already causing some lenders to pull back. The cut would need to be approved by Congress, and Rose notes that the House has had longstanding bipartisan support for funding affordable housing. To his point, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs announced Friday it is moving forward on new bipartisan legislation to expand housing supply and address affordability. The package includes removing regulatory barriers to housing development and providing funds for communities that are building more housing that can be used for water and sewer infrastructure. The legislation, however, is aimed more at making for-sale housing more affordable and less at helping build more low-income rental housing. And even still, the new tax incentives for rentals won't help NIMBYism, which appears to be rising right along with home values. Even mixed-use buildings, which have a small percentage of units designated as affordable, are seeing pushback from neighbors concerned that any such housing will damage current and future home values. Even before its expansion, the LIHTC gave developers incentives for more mixed-income buildings, with certain units designated for affordable housing and others at higher price points. Rose said this type of higher-quality, better designed, greener developments benefit owners in the long run by lowering operating and capital costs. "One of the reasons why communities oppose affordable housing is because a lot of affordable housing – it was built in the '60s, '70s and early '80s – was cheap and ugly, and I wouldn't want it in my neighborhood either," said Rose. "We're deeply committed to creating beautiful buildings."
