Olympia: Council to revisit Workers' Bill of Rights proposal and public engagement plan at January 2025 retreat 

Though the Olympia City Council has yet to determine a clear path forward on the Workers' Bill of Rights and minimum wage increase proposals, councilmembers agreed to have a more in-depth discussion about it at its annual retreat in January.  

At Tuesday's work session, the city council was supposed to discuss a public engagement process to consider how to address minimum wage, fair scheduling, and workplace safety.  However, they have yet to establish a public engagement process, which would be part of the conversation in the retreat next year.  The city has not published the date of the council retreat, which is usually an all-day meeting on a Saturday in January.

The discussion unveiled many complex issues surrounding workers' protections and wage increases. Many councilmembers expressed concerns about the potential impact on small businesses.  

Councilmember Robert Vanderpool said these small businesses often operate with tight margins and may struggle to absorb higher labor costs while local workers are dealing with wage and scheduling issues too. "We need to have a clear understanding of what the community needs are." 

Vanderpool added that the public engagement process could surface additional factors beyond minimum wage and scheduling, such as the impact of commercial leasing costs on small businesses. "We have to be aware that we may end up with a different type of package policy, and that may affect the amount of work that staff is doing… whatever good policy we create, we need to ensure that it involves both parties, including nonprofits." 

Councilmember Yen Huynh questioned whether wage increases are the best long-term solution. She suggested exploring more systemic changes, such as tax reform, to address the root causes of economic instability.  

"It's heartbreaking to see people in the community fighting with each other," Huynh said, adding that they need to find ways for everyone in the community "to thrive, not just survive." 

"We are already working in a system that is not setting us up for success," said Huynh, adding that she wanted to work collectively and figure out what are the long-term solutions for everyone in the community to thrive. 

Councilmember Lisa Parshley suggested exploring B&O (business and occupation) tax exemptions as a potential way to help stabilize and support small businesses, which could, in turn, allow them to better provide for their workers. 

Parshley shared examples of small business owners in Olympia who went above and beyond to support their workers during the pandemic, including one who ensured employees maintained their pre-pandemic income levels. "These are the types of small business owners we have in our town, and we need to protect them." 

Councilmember Dani Madrone advocated for a balanced approach to addressing both workers' needs and the city's existing initiatives. She feared that by prioritizing new initiatives, other city goals and priorities could be pushed to the back burner.  

While the Olympia Strong plan addresses many community challenges, Madrone said that the Workers' Bill of Rights may not directly benefit all workers. She believed that any new initiatives should be clearly positioned as complementary to, rather than replacing the existing Olympia Strong priorities.  

Madrone noted that the city is facing budget constraints and potential staffing cuts. "We really need a good sense of what our capacity is to take on something like this. I just want to make sure that we're all working together and balancing the many things that we want to do with our limited capacity to do it." 

As the city council looks ahead to 2025 work plan discussions, Mayor Dontae Payne said they will need to take the Workers' Bill of Rights proposal into account. He said the council will be examining the proposal and doing their "due diligence" to determine what is feasible and doable for the city to take on.  

"That doesn't mean that we will end up adopting something at all, simply because what's on the work plan means that we are committing ourselves to working on something to eventually introduce a policy, and then we make a decision as to whether or not to adopt it," Payne clarified.  

The mayor added they need to decide first what specific aspects of the Workers' Bill of Rights proposal the council will focus on, before discussing a public engagement process. Only after determining the scope of their work on the Workers' Bill of Rights should the council then discuss how to structure a public engagement process around those specific elements.