Minimum wage hike to $15 qualifies for Tacoma ballot

TACOMA – A citizens’ initiative to raise Tacoma’s minimum wage to $15 an hour has qualified for the November ballot.

The Pierce County auditor’s staff has verified that petitions submitted by the 15 Now group contained 3,231 valid signatures of registered Tacoma voters, the News Tribune reported. Another 2,304 signatures were declared invalid for a variety of reasons.

The requirement is 3,160 valid signatures to get a citizen initiative on the ballot.

Under the city charter, the Tacoma City Council can approve Proposition 1 as written or forward it to voters. The council cannot modify the proposal.

The council has convened a task force to develop an alternative measure that could also appear on the ballot.

Alan Stancliff, a 15 Now volunteer, said Friday his group is moving ahead with its campaign.

“Speaking for myself, I don’t see any reason to abandon Proposition 1,” Stancliff said.

Under the proposed 15 Now measure, businesses making gross revenues of $300,000 per year or more would have to pay a $15 minimum wage, with no phase-in period or exceptions based on a business’s number of employees.

The task force plans to finish its work by June 30 and make a recommendation to the City Council.