Saint Martin's University offers research support for Workers' Bill of Rights initiative 

Saint Martin's University offered research support, as Olympia moves forward with the comprehensive research projects on the Workers' Bill of Rights.  

According to City Manager Jay Burney, Saint Martin's reached out to the city after the previous Finance Committee meeting in February, and expressed interest in participating in the research.  

Stacey Ray, assistant city manager, noted the university has an economist with expertise in minimum wage studies.  

The Finance Committee continued its discussion on Monday, March 17, about the proposed research on the Workers' Bill of Rights, which aims to examine minimum wage, fair scheduling and workplace safety for low-wage workers.  

Ray outlined a detailed approach focusing on evidence-based methodologies and collaborative research with academic institutions like Saint Martin's University and University of Washington.  

The project will conduct an in-depth analysis of local economic impact, including analysis of workforce demographics, impact on various labor sectors (state, nonprofit, health care, and others), small business experience and potential impacts, and potential code updates, implementation and outcomes.  

Ray enumerated the key objectives of the initiative, including defining the current economic landscape, evaluating the potential impacts on businesses and employees, and studying implementation strategies from other cities.  

The research will utilize peer-reviewed literature, local economic data, and expert insights to help understand workplace equity issues.  

The findings will be used by the city council to determine whether to move forward in considering potential Olympia Municipal Code updates in 2026.  

While the committee members were receptive to involving Saint Martin's in the research, Councilman Jim Cooper suggested reaching out to the Evans School at the University of Washington as well.

He said the institution is considered the leading expert in minimum wage research, particularly because ofits extensive work with the City of Seattle.  

However, Cooper acknowledged that Olympia might be "too small of a fish" for the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, but he recommended asking about its potential involvement.  

Finance Committee Chair Clark Gilman advocated for a worker-centric approach to the research. He saidthe employees' well-being and potential economic advancement should be the primary consideration in the initiative.  

"I hope that the economic analysis is … with equal weight on the impact on workers who would have their conditions of work and compensation changed. We keep focusing on what are the impacts on employers, but the impetus for this work is to positively impact the employees," Gilman said.  

The committee is interested in identifying sectors with large numbers of low-wage workers, and wants the research to focus more on the broader economic and community development potential of these workplace changes, rather than getting caught up in protecting specific employers or narrow industry sectors.  

The city plans to develop a communication strategy and initiate a request for qualifications process to further develop the research project.