Statewide $13.50 minimum wage measure likely headed to ballot

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Workers in Washington could be in for a big pay increase.  Supporters of Initiative 1433 submitted over 350,000 signatures Wednesday  to hike the state's minimum wage to $13.50 an hour.

“It’s gonna be huge for the state of Washington,” said Ariana Davis, citizen sponsor of I-1433.

Several cities in Washington, including Seattle, Tacoma, and SeaTac, have raised the minimum wage, but now the plan is to do it statewide through a ballot measure. The state’s current minimum wage rate is $9.47

On Wednesday, as they helped turn in signatures, low-wage workers expressed their strong support, citing the rising costs of housing, child care and food, among other expenses.

“Too many moms like me have to work full-time and are struggling to make ends meet,” said Tanika Aden, a home health care worker.  “Let’s face it, all people who work full-time like myself should be able to make living wages here in this state and still have a little money left over for their families.”

Here are the highlights of I-1433

Many business groups have been quick to respond to the signature milestone, arguing that such a big increase in pay will be bad for the state.

The Washington Restaurant Association said:  “Reducing staff, or cutting staff hours, will likely be an unintended consequence of higher labor costs, followed closely by an increase in menu prices, which could price restaurants and hotels out of businesses and the jobs that they support.”

The signatures that were dropped off Wednesday still need to be validated, but with a cushion of an extra 100,000 names, it’s very likely that this measure will make it onto the November ballot.