Ballots are out and Renton voters will decide whether to raise the city’s minimum wage via a special election ending February 13. The measure would match Renton’s minimum wage to its neighbor, Tukwila, where wages are currently set at $18.29 for mid-sized employers and $20.29 for large employers, with an annual inflation adjustment.
Tukwila passed its raise the wage measure in 2022 with a landslide 82% victory, which provided a model for Renton organizers, with the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America and the Renton Education Association leading the way with support from the Transit Riders Union, who spearheaded the Tukwila effort. Advocates hope to repeat their past success in Renton this February.
However, while Tukwila faced no organized opposition campaign, Renton business leaders are mobilizing to campaign against the measure with more than $100,000 contributed to the effort to try and defeat the measure.
On a January 23 episode, Crystal Fincher’s Hacks and Wonks podcast hosted two leaders working on Raise The Wage Renton — organizer Maria Abando and Renton Councilmember Carmen Rivera. The co-hosts broke down the stakes and the debate.
Rivera has endorsed the measure and worked with advocates to advance the cause. The eighth largest city in Washington, Renton is 60% non-White and faces issues with poverty and rising housing costs, Rivera noted.
“We have about 21% of our population at or below two times the poverty level, 8% at or below the poverty level. And almost half of our city are renters, with the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment at about $2,195,” Rivera said on Hacks and Wonks. “But all that intertwines with having a livable wage – something that makes it just a little bit easier for people to not only just survive in Renton, but thrive.”
Describing the origin of the measure for the Hacks and Wonks audience, Abando gave a nod to the trail that been blazed before them with previous local wage campaigns that in turned inspired cities and states across the nation.
“We know that we are walking in the path that has been paved before us with the, of course, 2015 historic victories in SeaTac becoming the first city in the U.S. to adopt a $15 minimum wage,” Abando said. “And of course, Seattle following suit after that. And it was 2022, of course, Tukwila passing their ordinance mandating a $19 minimum wage after that as well. And, oh my gosh, being able to receive over 80% of the vote, which, again, incredible.”
