Raise Up Washington, an organized labor front group, appears to have gathered enough signatures to put Initiative 1433 on the ballot this fall. I-1433 would raise the statewide minimum wage to $13.50 per hour and require employers to provide up to seven days of paid sick leave per year.
According to reports, the union-funded group managed to submit more than 360,000 signatures. With a requirement of 250,000 valid signatures, the number submitted essentially guarantees the initiative will make it onto the November ballot.
Democrat State Sen. Dean Takko recently called I-1433 a “social experiment.” Takko is right. I-1433 is an experiment that would impact the livelihoods of working families across Washington State.
Small businesses across the state have responded to I-1433 by expressing concern over how many employees they could afford to retain. Simply put, it’s a job-killing measure.
Raising the minimum wage to unprecedented levels is a social experiment, but not the kind small businesses — or working families — can afford to be part of.
