Minimum Wage and Fair Access to Additional Hours of Work

In 2022, voters in the City of Tukwila approved Initiative Measure No. 1, which concerns labor standards for certain employees who work in Tukwila.

This measure added Chapter 5.63 and 5.04.113 (the “Ordinance”) to the Tukwila Municipal Code. In addition to the Ordinance, the City has adopted the Tukwila Labor Standards, which are rules and procedures to implement the Ordinance.

Main Requirements

The Ordinance and Tukwila Labor Standards include five main requirements for affected employers:

Minimum Wage: If applicable, pay Tukwila’s minimum wage to certain employees. This requirement starts on July 1, 2023.
Additional Hours: If applicable, provide fair access to qualified, part-time employees to additional hours of work before hiring additional employees or subcontractors (including staffing agencies).
Notification: Provide notification to employees by distributing the Notice of Tukwila Labor Standards to specified employees and by displaying the Tukwila Labor Standards poster in the workplace.
Records: Retain records to confirm compliance with the Ordinance and allow the City to inspect the records.
Certification: Certify compliance with the Ordinance by January 31^st for the previous calendar year.

Minimum Wage

Starting July 1, 2023 affected employers are required to pay employees (as defined in TMC Chapter 5.63) not less than the minimum hourly wage of:

Affected Employers	2023 Minimum Wage Rate*
Large Employer	$18.99
Mid-Size Employer	$16.99
On January 1, 2024, and on every January 1 thereafter, the minimum wage will be adjusted for inflation. The City will post the 2024 minimum wage by October 15, 2023. 2023 Minimum Wage Notice*

The minimum wage requirements apply to affected employers and are phased in by size.

Affected Employers
Large	More than 500 employees worldwide and certain franchisees as defined in TMC 5.63.
Mid-Size	At least 15 but no more than 500 employees worldwide, or over $2 million of annual gross revenue in Tukwila.
Note: Employers who have fewer than 15 employees worldwide and earn $2 million or less of annual gross revenue in Tukwila and are not associated with a franchisor or network of franchisees that employ more than 500 employees in aggregate are not affected by TMC 5.63 but may still be subject to State minimum wage and other laws.

Phasing Minimum Wage for Mid-Sized Employers

The initiative provided a multi-year phase-in period for mid-sized employers:

Effective July 1, 2023, every midsize employer must pay an hourly wage that is $2 per hour less than that of large employers.
Effective July 1, 2024, mid-size employers must pay an hourly wage that is $1 per hour less than that of large employers.
Effective July 1, 2025, mid-size employers must pay an hourly wage that is equal to that of large employers.

Fair Access to Additional Hours of Work

Certain affected employers must offer additional hours of work to qualified, part-time employees before hiring new employees or subcontractors (including temporary agencies).

Enforcement and Penalties for Non-Compliance

Persons alleging a violation of TMC 5.63, including retaliatory conduct, may bring a civil action against the employer or other person violating the ordinance. Additionally, the City of Tukwila’s Finance Director may deny, suspend, or revoke any license for violations of TMC 5.63. Additional penalties may apply.

Rulemaking

The initiative required the City to adopt rules and procedures to implement and ensure compliance with TMC 5.63 by May 28, 2023. The draft rules were published on this website on March 14, 2023 and the City began accepting comments on the draft rules. The City hosted information sessions on March 22, 2023 and April 20, 2023. The adopted rules were posted on the webpage on May 25, 2023.

Schedule

The following is a schedule to help employers comply with the requirements.

Date	Event
June 30, 2023	Deadline for affected employers to distribute the new Tukwila Labor Standards Notice to Employees.
July 1, 2023	Tukwila’s 2023 minimum wage takes effect.
October 15, 2023	City of Tukwila will post the 2024 minimum wage on the City’s website.
December 2, 2023	Deadline for affected employers to distribute the 2024 Tukwila Labor Standards Notice to Employees.
January 1, 2024	Tukwila’s 2024 minimum wage goes into effect.
July 1, 2024	Minimum wage for midsize employers increases to $1 below the rate for large employers.
October 15, 2024	City of Tukwila will post the 2025 minimum wage on the City’s website.
December 2, 2024	Deadline for affected employers to distribute the 2025 Tukwila Labor Standards Notice to Employees.
January 1, 2025	Tukwila’s 2025 minimum wage goes into effect.
July 1, 2025	Minimum wage for midsize employers increases to equal the rate for large employers.

Documents

The following documents are available to assist employers:

TMC 5.63 and TMC 5.04.113
2023 Minimum Wage Notice
Tukwila Labor Standards (Administrative Rule 2023-1)
Notification to Employers (Letter of May 2023)
Notification to Employees (for employers to distribute to employees)
- English version
- Spanish version (coming soon)
- Vietnamese version (coming soon)
- Somali version (coming soon)
Tukwila Labor Standards Poster (for employers to display)
- Engish version
- Spanish version (coming soon)
- Vietnamese version (coming soon)
- Somali version (coming soon)

Questions

For additional information, please refer to the complete text of Tukwila Municipal Code Chapter 5.63 and 5.04.113 and the Tukwila Labor Standards. You can also submit questions via email to MinimumWage@TukwilaWa.Gov.

Information Session

The City will host an online information session in mid-June and will post the date, time, and link here as soon as it is available.

Stay Informed