OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) — The
voter-approved law establishing a $15 minimum hourly wage for travel and
hospitality workers in a Seattle suburb encompassing the region's main
international airport does not apply to workers at the airport, a judge
ruled on Friday.
King County Superior Court Judge Andrea Darvas ruled that the city
of SeaTac does not have the authority to set workplace rules within
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport because the aviation hub is
owned by the Port of Seattle, a separate government entity.
Supporters of the law, who view it as an example for communities
elsewhere to emulate in their fight for a living wage, said they
will appeal the decision directly to the Washington state Supreme
Court.
"The Washington State Legislature has clearly and unequivocally
stated its intent that municipalities other than the Port of Seattle
may not exercise any jurisdiction or control over SeaTac Airport
operations, or the laws and rules governing those operations,"
Darvas wrote in her ruling.
Darvas is the same judge who in August ruled that the voter
initiative be struck from the ballot in a decision subsequently
overturned on appeal.
Under her ruling on Friday, the minimum wage and paid sick leave law
does not apply to roughly 4,700 airport workers but does cover about
1,600 workers at SeaTac hotels, rental car agencies and parking
lots. The law, which as written exempts small firms, unionized
workforces and airlines, is set to take effect on January 1.
Supporters of the law, which passed by a margin of 77 votes in
November with about 6,000 ballots cast and survived a subsequent
recount, said they expected the judge to rule against them but are
confident of prevailing on appeal.
"Full-time workers at the airport should be able to support their
families without public assistance," said Heather Weiner,
spokeswoman for the union-backed Yes for SeaTac campaign.
Plaintiffs in the case were led by Alaska Airlines, which has its
primary hub at the airport and which in 2005 terminated its roughly
500 unionized ramp workers there, some of whom were rehired as
lower-paid nonunion contractors.
"Alaska Airlines believes in fair pay and benefits for all workers,
and we respect every worker and the job they do," said Alaska
Airlines spokesman Paul McElroy. "This lawsuit isn't about $15 an
hour. It's about an initiative that violates state and federal law."
Washington state's hourly minimum wage is already higher than any
other state's, and is set to rise by 13 cents to $9.32 an hour in
January. The new wage in the city of SeaTac will be among the
nation's highest, just below a $15.38 rate mandated for city workers
and contractors in Sonoma, California.
The law is not without precedent.
Since 1994, when Baltimore instituted the country's first so-called
living wage ordinance, more than 120 local governments have followed
suit, according to the National Employment Law Project.
Four major California airports operate under ordinances similar to
the SeaTac law, including one guaranteeing workers at San Jose
airport $13.82 an hour plus health insurance, and another mandating
that Los Angeles airport workers earn $10.91 per hour plus health
benefits.
(Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky; editing by Steve Gorman and Jackie
Frank)
