Olympia council briefs on 'Fair Wages, Fair Schedules' petition; action set for July 22

Stacy Ray, assistant city manager, briefed the Olympia City Council on July 17 about a citizen initiative filed under the title “Fair Wages, Fair Schedules, a Workers’ Bill of Rights,” explaining the petition language and the city’s procedural timeline.

The initiative was certified sufficient by the Thurston County auditor on July 14; under state law the council must take action within 20 days. Mayor Payne and councilmembers used the study session to ask staff clarifying questions about coverage, timelines, enforcement and implementation, but the meeting produced no formal action. Councilmembers were reminded that public comment on the measure would be allowed at the July 22 regular meeting and that, if the council forwards the measure to the ballot, public comment on it at future council meetings would be restricted.

Why it matters: The initiative would set local minimum-wage floors and predictive-scheduling requirements for employers of different sizes, specify workplace safety requirements for large employers, create an enforcement structure that includes both city enforcement and private civil actions, and phase in different wage levels for small and medium employers. It could change wage and scheduling rules that affect thousands of workers in Olympia and trigger city rulemaking if enacted.

Certification, timeline and next steps

Ray told the council the Thurston County elections office reported 38,591 registered voters in the City of Olympia at the 2024 general election and that the petition sponsors submitted 13,764 signatures. The county examined 12,118 signatures and verified 5,796 — eight more than the minimum the county calculated would be needed to certify the petition as sufficient. Ray said the county stopped verification once it exceeded the minimum. The council was told the county rejected 6,322 examined signatures for various reasons.

Ray reviewed the city timeline: the auditor certified sufficiency on July 14, the council must act within 20 days, and council action is scheduled for the July 22 regular meeting. She said the council will have two resolutions to consider on July 22: to (1) pass the proposed…