Burien’s new Minimum Wage Ordinance (Ordinance 855) took effect on Jan. 1, 2025, requiring businesses in the city to comply with updated workplace regulations.
The City of Burien was one of a very few cities in Washington to pass a higher local minimum wage through City Council action. The City then maintains local authority to make changes to the policy based on future needs and Council action.
The ordinance considers impacts on the local economy and supports our vital local small business community by defining three levels of employers and creating new minimum wage rates and effective dates by size of employer.
Employers with 20 or fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs) are exempt from the ordinance.
- “Level 1 employer” means all employers, including franchisees, that employ more than 500 FTEs in King County or franchisors who employ more than 500 FTEs in the aggregate. Effective January 1, 2025 at 12:01 a.m., Level 1 employers shall pay each employee an hourly minimum wage of at least $4.50 over the Washington State hourly minimum wage.
- “Level 2 employer” means all employers, including franchisees, that employ 21 – 499 FTEs in King County. Effective July 1, 2025 at 12:01 a.m., Level 2 employers shall pay each employee an hourly minimum wage of at least $3.50 over the Washington State hourly minimum wage.
- “Level 3 employer” means all employers with 20 or fewer FTEs. Employers with 20 or fewer FTEs are exempt from this ordinance.
As part of the ordinance, employers must display a Burien Minimum Wage Notice Poster in all workplaces or job sites to inform employees of their rights.
Employer Responsibilities
- The poster must be displayed in English and any additional primary languages spoken by employees at the workplace.
- For remote workers or job sites where posting is not feasible, employers are required to provide the poster electronically or physically in an accessible format and in the employee’s primary language.
Posters Available
The City of Burien has made posters available at this website in six languages – English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, and Amharic. Employers can download the required posters from the city’s website or request additional translations by contacting economicdevelopment@burienwa.gov.
As part of this ordinance, employers are required to display the Burien Minimum Wage Notice Poster (seen below) in a visible and accessible location at each workplace or job site where employees work.
How to Get Assistance
Businesses with questions about compliance or the ordinance can contact MinimumWage@burienwa.gov for further guidance.
Employers are urged to act promptly to ensure compliance and avoid potential penalties for failing to meet these new standards.
More info available here:
Just counting the days until your favorite restaurant/business closes because they can’t afford to stay open…
The minimum wage ordinance passed by council is riddled with loopholes and does not provide the increase that they say it does.
They redefine what wages are, so that now bonuses, commissions, medical benefits, and the rest of your total compensation is calculated into your “wage”
It also massively flawed in that it requires employees to provide a 45 day opportunity for employers to remedy before filing complaint with L&I, which severely diminishes employee labor rights, and allows employers to steal wages without ever facing penalties, as long as they remedy when discovered.
Burien city attorney failed us on this. This ordinance does more damage than just pretending to raise the wage, it actively harms labor rights for Burien workers.
They are hoping you don’t read the fine print.
VOTE YES ON MEASURE 1
This is like income tax for people making $200k. The bottom line it’s just a money grab by Burien. Employment taxes just went up a whole hell of a lot. Burien, you suck.
This new wage law takes into account the unique small business environment in Burien, raising wages just because others did it is not a valid reason. If you follow employment news from outside of Burien you will see how wage policies that went into effect elsewhere are already causing business’s to close. Workers in Burien would prefer to stay employed under the current guidelines, not lose jobs due to misguided ideals from outside interests. Vote No!
This new wage law takes into account the WORKING CLASS that have been overly burdened by rising costs of living. There is nothing unique about Buriens’ “small business environment” that would require these loopholes. What about Burien specifically requires that the city re-define what “wages” are to include bonuses, healthcare insurance, etc? What about Burien specifically requires that the minimum wage not apply to franchises of major corporation?
This new wage law enacts a REAL minimum wage increase, not this fake junk law that City Council passed.
If you can’t pay your employees living wages, then you don’t deserve to be in business. It’s as simple as that.
Vote YES on MEASURE 1 for a REAL minimum wage.
I would say everyone vote no until ND lets everyone know what he does as a job and where he works . You might think different of what he has to say if you find out he works in business finance for some major corporation selecting employees pay and 401k insurance what’s the over all cost’s to the corporation are. Then think which one of theses laws have a bigger cost effect for corporations .
Stop equating minimum wage with living wage, just because you earn it doesn’t mean it will be enough to live on. It’s a minimum and if you want more or a higher standard of living that’s on you to work for.