Voters approving Everett minimum wage, Snohomish River rights measures

EVERETT — Initial returns suggest voters in Everett are set to raise the city’s minimum wage to one of the highest rates in the country. A measure to provide legal protections to the Snohomish River was also leading as another minimum wage proposal was being voted down Tuesday.

Ballots will continue to be counted in the coming days. The next set of results will be released around 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Initiative 24-01

Known as Everett Deserves a Raise, 24-01 will raise Everett’s minimum wage to $20.24 per hour — one of the highest rates in the country — while providing protections for part-time workers. 57.9% had voted for the proposal, as of Tuesday night.

If both minimum wage initiatives would have passed, the one with more votes would have superseded the other. Initial returns show the opposing initiative is lagging by nearly 20%.

“We were kind of this underdog group, so it was extremely elating,” Everett Deserves a Raise volunteer Mike Berryhill said Wednesday. “Everyone was really excited about it.”

Proponents said 24-01 will improved pay for workers while closing loopholes for business owners looking to get out of paying a living wage. The measure will not have affected employers with under 15 workers. The wage increase will go into effect July 1, 2025, for businesses with over 500 employees, and by July 1, 2027, for businesses with 15 to 500 workers.

The measure has similar language to other municipal wage laws in Washington, which define large employers as those with over 500 employees and treat franchises as independent businesses.

Everett Deserves a Raise received just over $16,000 in campaign contributions, mostly from local retirees.

“To look at it as a ‘victory’ for us is not correct, this is a working class, working person initiative,” Berryhill said. “Everett voters looked at the two initiatives and made a choice that would benefit them. This was a victory for Everett workers and we’re happy to support it.”

Opponents said the measure will increase the cost of labor too much for small businesses to absorb, and lead to higher prices or reduced operating hours at local businesses. Supporters said 24-01 already has provisions to protect small business owners — as employers with less than 15 workers are exempt — and believed larger companies had a responsibility to pay higher wages.

Initiative 24-02

Known as Raise the Wage Responsibly, 24-02 had similar language to Everett Deserves a Raise, but allowed for tip credits and defined businesses differently to give more leniency to those shouldering the costs of a wage increase, organizers said. As of Tuesday night, 59.3% voted against the proposal.

The initiative would have raised the minimum wage in Everett to $20.24 per hour over time — the same as 24-01 — but would have allowed businesses to count tips, as well as health care and retirement contributions, toward a worker’s wage. Doing so would allow businesses to more easily absorb the costs of a wage increase, proponents said.

“Everett voters decided to give minimum wage workers a raise, but they also voted to do so in a way that will be unsustainable for the local small business owners who will pay those higher wages,” Jeff Reading, a communications consultant for Raise the Wage Responsibly, said in an email Wednesday. “The impacts will be felt not just by the business owners themselves but by consumers and workers alike. We continue to believe the best way to make any changes to labor law is through a thoughtful, open, and nuanced discussion at the city council rather the through the blunt instrument of the ballot box.”

Raise the Wage Responsibly received over $80,000 in campaign contributions, mostly from the Washington Hospitality Association, a trade and lobbying group that brought the initiative to the ballot in response to 24-01. A number of local and nationwide restaurants also donated.

Initiative 24-03

This initiative will give the Snohomish River legal rights, allowing city residents to sue those negatively impacting the health of the watershed. Those responsible would be liable for the damages and, if successfully sued, would be required to pay the city for restoration projects. It received 56% of the vote, as of 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“First and foremost, we extend our deepest gratitude to the voters of Everett for making a clear and powerful statement,” said Rachel Kurtz-McAlaine, who works with the Standing for Washington campaign which supported the initiative, in an email Wednesday. “Despite a modest campaign, the outcome underscores the community’s steadfast commitment to protecting the Snohomish River and its watershed. This victory is a testament to the collective effort to safeguard this unique ecosystem that sustains our region.”

The Snohomish River Basin watershed covers 1,856 square miles, spanning Snohomish and King counties, but the ordinance would have only applied within Everett city limits.

The measure will serve as a preventative measure against pollution or habitat destruction, advocates said. But opponents said the initiative’s vague language will encourage frivolous lawsuits. Litigation to protect the watershed has no financial incentive as money from lawsuits would go to the city.

Results will be certified Nov. 26.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.