Coalition Passes New Minimum Wage Ordinance in Everett

Voters in Everett, Washington approved a new minimum wage ordinance backed by a coalition of labor and political activists that included a SPEEA Council Representative.

The measure was approved with a 58% yes vote on Nov. 5.

“It’s a victory for the workers in the city of Everett,” said Mike Berryhill, a Council Rep for SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001. “This is good. It’s a good feeling.”

Under the ordinance, large employers – those with more than 500 workers in the state of Washington – will be required to pay a minimum wage of $20.24 an hour starting July 1, 2025.

Employers with between 15 and 500 workers would be subject to a minimum wage requirement of $18.24 an hour on July 1, gradually increasing to the full minimum wage in the city by July 1, 2027.

Employers with 14 or fewer employees would not be affected and would still pay the Washington state minimum wage, which currently is $16.28 an hour.

SPEEA’s Northwest Council had endorsed the Everett minimum wage effort in September.