[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a Letter to the Editor, written and submitted by a verified Burien resident. It represents the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of South King Media or its staff.]
The Truth About Initiative 1 and Burien’s Minimum Wage
By the Vote No For Burien Committee
A recent letter in this paper raised concerns about Burien’s new minimum wage ordinance, but it’s important to set the record straight. Burien’s current wage law, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, sets the highest minimum wage in the nation—$20.16 to $21.16 per hour for larger businesses. This policy reflects Burien’s unique needs and was crafted collaboratively by local workers, small businesses, and the city council to balance fair wages with protecting our beloved small businesses.
The letter claims the ordinance excludes most workers, but this misrepresents the facts. Tips and healthcare benefits are part of the total compensation calculation above the state minimum wage, a practice that ensures workers receive comprehensive pay while encouraging businesses to offer healthcare. This approach has been embraced by tipped workers who value their gratuities as a significant part of their income.
Unfortunately, the supporters of Initiative 1, including the Transit Riders Union, have engaged in deceptive tactics. Their website claims Burien’s minimum wage is $16.66, showing it as the lowest in the region. This is false. Burien now has the highest minimum wage in the U.S., higher than neighboring Seattle, Tukwila, and SeaTac.
Even more perplexing, Initiative 1 would lower the minimum wage for large businesses, cutting it from $21.16 to $21.10 per hour. At the same time, it would force Burien’s smallest businesses—50% of which are owned by immigrants and people of color—to pay the same wages as massive corporations like Costco and Boeing. Yet, Tukwila, whose wage rates Initiative 1 would tie us to, exempts similar-sized businesses in their own city.
The initiative’s one-size-fits-all approach threatens to destabilize Burien’s local economy. By treating small, family-run shops the same as multinational corporations, it risks closures, job losses, and rising costs for residents. Local restaurant prices could increase by 10-15% as businesses struggle to absorb the burden, making dining out unaffordable for many.
Enrique Arias, a Burien restaurant owner, sums up the concerns well: “Initiative 1 was created by a group outside of Burien and would link Burien’s future minimum wage adjustments to the city of Tukwila. The City of Burien and the City of Tukwila are not the same. The residents of Burien are completely capable of creating policies and laws for ourselves which meet the needs of our citizens and small businesses alike.”
Moreover, Lori Glynn, co-owner of Sitka Living, highlights the harm to young workers: “As a small business owner and mother of two teenagers, Initiative 1 would make it so a small business would have to hire its employees at the same entry rate as a much larger employer. This fact alone would almost make it impossible for teens to get their first job because paying $20+ per hour, you would most likely hire someone with experience, not someone just starting in the work world.”
Burien’s existing law already achieves what Initiative 1 claims to do—guarantee fair pay for workers—while protecting small businesses. Unlike a blanket policy dictated by Tukwila, Burien’s law was designed by and for Burien residents. It includes annual cost-of-living adjustments and avoids expensive lawsuits by relying on state enforcement mechanisms.
The truth is, Burien’s small businesses are the backbone of our community, offering first jobs to young workers and economic opportunities to families. They deserve policies that support them, not mandates that threaten their survival.
We urge voters to reject Initiative 1, which would strip Burien of its ability to govern itself, harm our small businesses, and undermine the very workers it claims to protect.
– Eric Papczun
Burien Resident & Small Business Owner
Vote No For Burien, Chairman
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Excellent points. Thank you for the clarifying info. Seems like you’re being kind saying that the initiative website is being deceptive. It’s outright lying!
Voting No on this initiative for sure. Our family loves eating out at Burien’s small and diverse restaurants. Not sure why these out of towners are trying to off them.
I am a Burien resident and business owner. I helped put forward Initiative 1 as the right course for our working community.
Interesting. Which business do you own and how many minimum wage employees do you have?
Washington State Dept of Labor and Industries does not appear to list any accounts under that name. Which would indicate to me that he has no employees at all.
Same for the rest of the list of those who support this action, they are all non-profits or unions, not one, has to actually compete to sell a product or service.
So, end of the day, in my opinion they have no clue, they are just trying to push their agenda, and to heck with Burien. I think they could care less if Burien collapses, they just want what they want
It’s typical Socialist behavior, they all claim it works until they run out of everyone else’s money, and they are more inclined to sell out and push other’s ideals because none of them can function while alone.
Two thumbs up 👍 👍
He lives in shore wood the rich upper class area of burien and his business is in Sea-tac I don’t know if he has any employees maybe some volunteers most likely a 501 non profit tax exempt business
Vote No, this is why some people get elected and some do not. No foresight, Iniative 1 is poorly planned and would cripple Burien small businesses.
Stephen, just so you know, they are doxxing your personal information, which is actually against the law in Washington State under 4.24.792. They could be subject to civil penalties if you wanted to get a lawyer together. $5k per instance in statutory damages, plus attorney fees.
Seems like a pretty good way to shut some terrible people up, maybe even get them banned from this platform.
If Stephen had a issue with a comment he could easily ask editor to remove the comment in question . I don’t see any post of his exact address or information that is not open to the public. So trying to file charges for doxxing might be a little hard to do. This also a local blog not a social media platform if you can’t handle the comments then don’t post anything . Just because oh my god every body does not have the same thought as you does not make them terrible people .
And he should, but the damage is done. You broke the law.
How about you take some responsibility for yourself, acknowledge that you did harm to someone, apologize, and pledge to not do it again, like a reasonable human. Instead of doubling down and gaslighting. Is that just a common conservative trait now to not take responsibility?
It’s not the difference of thought that makes people bad, it’s their actions. Your actions.
Yeah, like whats going on over at 8th Ave SW in Burien off Sylvester road… Mid-late 40’s are tough for everyone though. I imagine their actions should reciprocate or else could be seen as someone who moved here from Bellingham but maybe that’s a difference of thought.
OH ND you lost your argument now your pulling at strings to start another one. Nice try I suggest you go find a reddit post to argue with someone at your same level of intelligence .
Initiative 1 was brought about thanks to the work of Burien workers who want a fair wage that matches other cities in our regions.
The following organizations who represent these worker and others living in Burien endorse #RaiseTheWageBurien’s ballot initiative…
VOTE YES to bring a real raise to Burien workers!
ACLU Burien People Power
Aerospace Machinists Union
Alimentando al Pueblo
Burien Arts
Community Visions
Economic Opportunity Institute
Highline Education Association
MLK Labor
NAACP
One Fair Wage
One America
PROTEC 17
Queer Power Alliance
Renton Education Association
Transit Riders Union
UFCW3000 Union
Weed Warriors
The Washington Bus
Washington CAN
Washington Community Alliance
Working Families Party
Working Washington
The Urbanist
Local 8, Hospitality Union of the NW
33rd LD Democrats
34th LD Democrats
https://www.raisethewageburien.org/endorsements (you can add your endorsement at the bottom of the page!)
So you post business’/organizations that are random left leaning that don’t primarily function in Burien nor were they founded in Burien nor do the majority of people in those organizations live in Burien either. (Except maybe 2 or 3 on your list?) Leave the outside governing outside of Burien. The residents of the city of Burien should always have more say than organizations outside of the city. Definitely vote NO on Initiative 1
LOL John. Ask the members of these organizations and unions who live in Burien if they consider them “outsiders”. Not one of these organizations was sitting around waiting to do this. They all hoped our city council would do the right thing for workers. When they didn’t, the decision was made to move ahead with a citizen’s initiative, that was signed by thousands of workers and voters.
Are you actually trying to claim that the “workers” you “consulted” requested that the Burien City Council redefine the word “wages” to include tips? The State of Washington doesn’t consider tips to be part of a wage, by definition, and no other city in the state does either.
The State also doesn’t consider medical benefits as wage, by definition. Do you know why? Because you can’t pay rent with medical benefits. You cannot eat medical benefits. You cannot buy childrens clothing with medical benefits. Medical benefits should NEVER be included as part of wage, and to for the City Council to trick everyone in the city is slap in the face.
How many “workers” did you consult? How many labor organizations did you consult?
It’s real rich to try to claim that the measure is using deceptive tactics, when the entire wage law City Council passed was engineered to trick and deceive voters.
The current law was crafted by business, for business. The current law, passed by Burien City Council as actually anti-worker. If you don’t own a business in Burien, the city council doesn’t care about you.
The truth is that the PEOPLE of Burien are the backbone of Burien, and the businesses of Burien are not entitled to their own success on the backs of the people of Burien.
The workers of Burien deserve an honest living wage, not the trickery the council passed.
VOTE YES on MEASURE ONE to protect the workers of Burien from the City Council.
ND – good questions. Here are honest answers.
1. Servers and bartenders at full service restaurants especially support defining wages to include tips. This is common practice around the US including in Dem cities like New York and Denver. And it’s been the law in Seattle for the last ten years. Seattle just did away with it and the result is servers making lower income and restaurants closing, as well as price increase of 7.5-15%.
2. In compensation packages negotiated by unions and non union businesses alike, benefits are considered part of compensation. Health insurance is a particularly important benefit as an employer can purchase it for less than an employee can get it in the individual market. And since everyone is mandated to have health insurance, it’s better for workers to get it as a benefit than to pay the higher price on the individual market.
3. Many workers weighed in on the Burien law and discussed with council members. I witnessed it first hand. How many Burien tipped servers and bartenders weighed in on the initiative ?
4. The Burien minimum wage law raises the minimum wage for most Burien employees to the highest in the country. This is no trick as most Burien employees work for our largest businesses. It then guarantees all employees at medium sized businesses make at least $20.16 per hour in income. And like Tukwila’s minimum wage ordinance it exempts the smallest businesses who must then compete for workers with the higher wage mandates for large businesses. This doesn’t mean they are paid less, but it gives the mom and pop restaurants and stores the ability to offer other benefits to make up some of the wage difference. They still must be paid at lease $16.66 per hour plus whatever benefits are offered, which is the Washington State minimum wage, the highest statewide minimum wage in the US.
5. Ironically, Initiative 1 actually lowers the minimum wage slightly for the largest corporations in Burien.
Initiative 1 is inflexible and requires changes to it to be made by another initiative. It also ties the wage level to Tukwila’s wage level for large businesses and applies it to our smallest businesses, which even Tukwila doesn’t do. The initiative also relies on class action lawsuits for enforcement which can be easily manipulated by ambulance chasing attorneys which then clogs up the courts and can put an innocent small business owner out of business. Burien’s existing minimum wage law relies on the state agency L&I for enforcement, which specializes in enforcing labor laws.
Bottom line is that Burien has a solid minimum wage ordinance in existence. The far left doesn’t like some elements of it, and outside groups are pouring money into Burien to pass their initiative but the Burien minimum wage law passed by our city council is what’s best for the whole of Burien.
Keep Burien local! Vote No on Initiative 1
“Servers and bartenders at full service restaurants especially support defining wages to include tips.” is a lie. There is no reality in which that is beneficial to tipped workers. “result is servers making lower income and restaurants closing” is a lie or a misunderstanding of restaurant economics, or the economic realities of the past 10 years.
“In compensation packages negotiated by unions and non union businesses alike, benefits are considered part of compensation.” This is more misleading language. You are now conflating compensation with wage, attempting to trick readers. Medical Benefits are not wages, and I think you know that, which is why you chose your words very carefully.
Medical Benefits don’t pay your rent, doesn’t feed your family, doesn’t buy school clothes. Medical benefits are not wage, and including them as wage is improper, insulting, and actually dangerous for working families.
“The Burien minimum wage law raises the minimum wage for most Burien employees to the highest in the country.” but the actually wages that the workers see is not, because of all the tricks you built into the law. Anyone that has actually read and understands the Burien Minimum Wage law can see that the law is filled with loopholes to benefit business owners at the expense of wage earners.
The Burien law makes enforcement next to impossible, allowing for bad actors to escape without any punishment at all. With zero regard to determining whether wage theft occurring was malicious or accidental. Business owners can steal wages from their workers without any fear of legal harm. At most, they would just have to pay the wages they withheld, stole, or miscalculated. No fines or penalties, no added interest, no room for investigations or appeals.
I’ll take the worker protections in the MEASURE ONE over the Burien law BY FAR.
The bottom line is that the Burien wage law was not developed in good faith. It’s a gift to businesses at the expense of wage earning citizens.
VOTE YES ON INITIATIVE MEASURE ONE and keep Burien families healthy!
ND – I sincerely hope we can have a civil debate on this issue so voters can be more informed. I have over 30 years of experience working at, managing and owning restaurants.
I do understand it seems a but anti-intuitive to think that a higher wage could lead to a lower income. But it is true, I am not lying. The reason is that when prices increase, especially at the 7.5-15% that will result from Initiative 1, then sales volume decreases and tipping percentage decrease. Since tips make up about 2/3 of a server or bartenders income, when they decrease, even if their wage increases $4 per hour, their total income decreases more than $4 per hour. So they literally make less money. For anyone interested in hearing from servers and bartenders on this check out this video about a similar initiative in Washington DC and how when it did away with tip credit employee’s wages fell https://youtu.be/xtxE5X1Uj7E
Nowhere did I claim benefits are wages, but they are part of compensation and are an expense to the employer and a benefit to the employee. And when a benefit replaces something the employee would otherwise be required to spend money on, it increases the net income of the employee.
The current Burien minimum wage for employees that work for large corporations, which is the majority of employees in Burien, is currently $21.16 per hour under the Burien minimum wage law. There are no tricks to this. There is no tip credit for these workers. They make a flat $21.16 or more. This class of workers under the initiative will have their minimum wage lowered to $21.10. That’s just a simple fact.
There is nothing impossible about enforcement of the Burien minimum wage law. It is done by L&I and they are a very serious enforcement agency. Any business owner with employees understands this. It is how almost all labor laws are enforced in this state. L&I can close the business, impose penalties and fines. And they do this all the time for other violations. But they also help employers who might make honest mistakes to comply with the law.
Again, the Burien Economic Development Office worked with unions, workers and small business owners to develop a nuanced ordinance that works for Burien. The initiative was made by far left groups from outside Burien who don’t understand Burien’s economy. If you want to change the ordinance, win elections.
I regret my aggressive language in the first paragraph of my previous response. I honestly find your perspective to be completely immoral, borderline evil, but I will refrain from making unfair accusations.
I honestly don’t care about your restaurant management experience, and I think if anything, that makes you less likely to be informed on this issue.
Calculating medical benefits as part of the wage is the most anti-worker thing I’ve seen in a while. You can try to rationalize this as much as you want, but this is a TERRIBLE policy. It doesn’t save employees money. It doesn’t help working families. It just allows companies that are required to provide health insurance to rake back the financial cost to them from the employee.
Under the Burien law, L&I doesn’t come into play at all unless the business refuses to respond to a complain. A business could maliciously withhold as much wage as they want for as long as they want, and if the employee complains, the employer is only liable for double the amount taken out the past 45 days. No fines, no L&I, no paper trail, no fees.
THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH and Burien workers DESERVE BETTER
It’s funny that you keep insisting that protecting worker rights and looking out for the working class is a “far left” position, as these days, it seems you might be right. No one else is interested in protecting the working class.
ND – I sincerely hope we can have a civil conversation about this topic that will be informative to voters. I have worked in, managed and owned restaurants and bars for over 30 years. I understand the unique economy of these businesses very well.
While it might seem anti-intuitive, mandating high minimum wages can definitely lower tipped workers’ incomes. The reason for this is that up to 2/3 of a server or bartender’s income is made up of tips. And when prices increase 8-15% due to a mandate and not the market (as they are in Seattle right now where total compensation just ended), the volume of sales will decrease and customers will also tip less. Other times hours will be cut which also means lower tips and wages. This decrease in tips for workers is more than the $4.00 increase in wages they receive. So their net income declines. For people who want to hear actual restaurant workers discuss this, please watch this video about what happened to restaurant workers in Washington DC when a similar initiative that did away with tip credit passed there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wvr0NhYfkO4
Nowhere am I saying benefits are wages. But they are compensation. And with a benefit like health insurance, where the employer can purchase it for less than the employee can on the individual market, it is a true benefit. And when the employee is required to have insurance, and the employer provides it, then it saves the employee money and their relative net income is increased. It is truly a benefit and a valuable part of compensation. So when you don’t have to spend money on health insurance you do actually have more money to pay rent.
And yes, the current Burien minimum wage law passed by city council that went into effect his January, does raise minimum wages to $21.16 per hour for the majority of Burien workers, who work at our large corporations. And there are no tricks. That is the hourly wage. no deductions etc. Ironically, Initiative 1 will lower minimum wages for these workers to $21.10 per hour.
As for enforcement, again, that is done by L&I. Anyone who owns a business, or has been hurt at work, understand L&I. It regulates almost all labor laws in this state and provides money to workers when they are hurt at work. It is a very serious department of the State of Washington.
The current Burien minimum wage law was crafted by workers, unions and small businesses IN BURIEN, along with our Office of Economic Development. It was designed for Burien’s unique economy and helps workers earn more while also helping our small businesses survive.
Keep Burien Local – Vote NO on Initiative 1
Burien workers deserve a fair, living wage, not trickery from management. The current law was crafted by business, for business, and is anti-worker. It includes loopholes that benefit business owners at the expense of wage earners. The businesses of Burien are not entitled to success on the backs of their employees. Some would have you believe that workers support defining wages to include tips, but this is a lie. Medical benefits are also not wages and should not be included as such. Vote YES on Initiative Measure One to protect the workers of Burien from the City Council and exploitative businesses. If you don’t value your employees, perhaps you shouldn’t be in business
Most of these jobs, fast food bus boy, dishwasher, are supposed to be done by their teenagers or young adults working their way through either trade school or college. Fast food is supposed to be cheap eats. All my coworkers when I was doing this back in my youth were all young like myself. We never talked about healthcare insurance at those jobs, we were young and everybody who was working there was just gonna be temporary in their life. You’re not going to buy a house, raise a family, all those things working at McDonald’s unless you are the manager or own the place.
The results of this is gonna be predictable, more people losing their jobs or the businesses closing their doors which has been happening in the Seattle area since it started increasing the minimum wage. Fast food in particular is supposed to be cheap eats. Too many people are acting like you’re supposed to be able to make a career working at the Line. That simply will not be possible as there will have to charge too much for the meals.
Adults stuck at those jobs have to find a way to move on from that if they’re gonna ever have a career that pays well, Unless you can become the manager.
The thing that upsets me more than anything is the left-wing politicians that push this know what is going to happen with everything I’ve put in my post and they don’t care. They have an agenda. They want to have universal basic income, so they would like a certain segment of our population to be unemployable.
Can’t decide which way to vote. maybe just do this, those little restaurants we all like to eat at, or the little shops, your car repair guy or whatever.
Just do this simple thing, go in look around, you be the judge, do the owners look they are getting filthy stinking rich? or like they are pretty much just getting by?
Then ask yourself do you like having them in Burien, or would you prefer empty abandoned buildings. If the first vote no, if the second vote yes.
Pretty much it in a nutshell