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AN ORDINANCE addressing income inequality through a requirement that a living wage be paid to county employees and to the employees of certain county contractors; amending Ordinance 12014, Section 53, and K.C.C. 3.15.100 and adding a new chapter to K.C.C. Title 3.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. This ordinance has its foundation in the King County Strategic Plan. One of the eight goals of the Strategic Plan is to "encourage a growing and diverse King County economy and vibrant, thriving and sustainable communities." The first listed objective toward achieving that goal is to "support a strong, diverse, and sustainable economy." One measure of progress toward achieving that goal is the "percent of jobs paying a living wage." Another Strategic Plan goal that would be advanced by the payment of a living wage is to "provide opportunities for all communities and individuals to realize their full potential." Finally, being paid a living wage is "fair and just," which is one of the guiding principles of the Strategic Plan.
2. According to The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington State 2011, a report prepared for the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, the Washington state minimum wage is insufficient to meet the basic needs of working families. The current minimum wage for Washington state, which is $9.32 per hour as of July 2014, is less than the 2011 "self-sufficiency standard" for a single adult by between twelve percent and thirty-four percent, depending on the individual's specific location within King County.
3. According to a report published by the Alliance for a Just Society on May 2014, the 2012 living wage for a single adult in King County was $17.55 per hour. By that measure, the current state minimum wage is forty-seven percent less than what a living wage was two years ago.
4. According to the Economic Policy Institute, from 1948 to 1979 the real hourly compensation of nonsupervisory production workers in the priva...
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