HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole - 15 Jul 2024 - Agenda - Pdf
CITY OF RENTON
AGENDA - Committee of the Whole Meeting
5:45 PM - Monday, July 15, 2024
7th Floor Council Chambers/Videoconference
1. LABOR STANDARDS DISCUSSION
a) Presentation
b) DRAFT Ordinance
If you would like to attend this week's meeting remotely, you can do so by going to
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86753290028?pwd=M2pOc09HWWNrY05uVnlIWnpGS1E4UT09
Zoom Meeting ID: 867 5329 0028, Passcode: 881839
You can call through Zoom at (253) 215-8782 and use the Meeting ID.
City of Renton
Labor Standards Discussion
JULY 15, 2024
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City Council referred to Administration to
bring forward potential changes to:
Remove nonwage related labor
standards
Clarify wage requirements and
exemptions
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Areas of Focus
Clarifying
Covered
Employers
Aligning
Nonwage
Requirements
with State Law
Clarifying
Renton Wage
Calculation AG
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Feedback Received
Size of Business
◦Small businesses defined elsewhere to be 50 or less employees
◦Franchisees should be based on number employees
Nonwage related labor standards
◦Confusing/contradictory with state laws
◦Cumbersome/expensive
Businesses are concerned about additional increased costs
◦May have to close or move business
◦Not including tips in increased minimum wage
Without the full initiative text on the ballot, voters didn’t
realize the initiative included other requirements other
than the minimum wage.
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Suggested Changes
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Adjust
Definition of
Size of
Business
Small Employer: 50 or less
employees
Medium Employer: 51-499
employees
Large Employer: Over 500
employees
Franchisees categorized by
its number of employees
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Minimum Wage Rate
No Change to Rate
State minimum wage + $4.00
Tips will be included in the City’s
higher minimum wage
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Nonwage Related
Standards
Remove restrictions on hiring
additional employees and contractors
Follow state enforcement laws
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Next Steps
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Approve Committee Report
Request staff to finalize
legislation that would send
proposed changes to the
November general election and
authorize the administration to
solicit pro/con committee
members
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Staff will finalize legislation
Any changes needed to the
current draft legislation would
need to be communicated by July
22nd council meeting
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Legislation proposed by August 5th
The legislation will be presented to
Council for adoption by the August
5th council meeting
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November General Election
If the legislation is passed, the
proposed legislation will be
submitted to King County to place
on the ballot for the November
general election
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CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON
ORDINANCE NO. ________
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, REPEALING INITIATIVE
NO. 23-02 AND ADOPTING A NEW MINIMUM WAGE WITHIN CHAPTER 5-28 OF
THE RENTON MUNICIPAL CODE, AUTHORIZING CORRECTIONS, PROVIDING FOR
SEVERABILITY, AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RENTON, WASHINGTON, DO
ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I. Initiative Measure No. 23-02, which is codified as Chapter 5-28 of the
Renton Municipal Code and Section 5-5-4, is repealed in its entirety and replaced with a new
Chapter 5-28 of the Renton Municipal Code to read as follows:
CHAPTER 28
RENTON MINIMUM WAGE
5-28-1: Minimum Wage for Hours Worked in Renton
5-28-2: Exceptions
5-28-3: Definitions
5-28-4: Enforcement
5-28-5: Future Law Changes
5-28-6: Rulemaking
5-28-1 MINIMUM WAGE FOR HOURS WORKED IN RENTON:
A. Starting January 1, 2025, every employer shall pay its employees wages for
all hours worked within the City at a rate of not less than $4 per hour more than
the state-wide minimum wage established pursuant to RCW 49.46.020, and
adjusted as the state minimum wage is adjusted annually for inflation.
B. For purposes of this Section, tips earned by employees within a work shift
or day of work may be counted towards the City’s minimum wage for that work
shift or day of work. However, this Section does not authorize an employer to pay
AGENDA ITEM #1. b)
ORDINANCE NO. _______
2
employees an amount less than would otherwise be required by Chapter 49.46
RCW or other applicable law.
5-28-2 EXCEPTIONS:
A. Small employers are exempt from the requirements of RMC 5-28-1.
B. Medium employers are permitted to pay two dollars $2 less per hour than
required by RMC 5-28-1 within the 2025 calendar year and one dollar ($1) less per
hour than required by RMC 5-28-1 within the 2026 calendar year.
C. Employees who are exempt or excepted from payment of the regular
statewide minimum wage established by RCW 49.46.020 are exempt from the
wage requirements of RMC 5-28-1.
5-28-3 DEFINITIONS:
For the purposes of this chapter, the below terms shall have the following
meanings:
A. “City” means the City of Renton.
B. “Employee” is defined as set forth in RCW 49.46.010, but is limited to only
apply to those employees who have reached eighteen years of age.
C. “Employer” is defined as set forth in RCW 49.46.010.
D. “Hours worked within the City” is to be interpreted according to its
ordinary meaning, including all hours worked within the geographic boundaries of
the City, excluding time spent in the City for the purpose of traveling through the
City from a point of origin outside the City to a destination outside the City, with
AGENDA ITEM #1. b)
ORDINANCE NO. _______
3
no employment-related or commercial stops in the City except for refueling or the
employee’s personal meals or errands.
E. “Small Employer” is defined to include any employer who employs 50 or
less employees worldwide.
F. “Medium Employer” is defined to include any employer who employs
between 51 and 499 employees worldwide.
G. “Tips” means a verifiable sum to be presented by a customer as a gift or
gratuity in recognition of some service performed for the customer by the
employee receiving the tip.
H. “Wage” is defined as set forth in RCW 49.46.010.
5-28-4 ENFORCEMENT:
Enforcement of violations of the minimum wage required by RMC 5-28-1 shall
be pursuant to all applicable state laws providing the enforcement of wages
including, but not limited to, provisions for penalties, attorneys’ fees, and interest.
5-28-5 FUTURE LAW CHANGES:
A. The City minimum wage adopted by RMC 5-28-1 shall be based upon the minimum
wage formula, including annual adjustments, adopted within RCW 49.46.020 as it exists
as of July 1, 2024. If amendments are made to RCW 49.46.020 that change the state
minimum wage, the City’s Finance Department shall calculate and update the wage
annually as though the state law had not changed.
B. The City Council is authorized to amend or recodify this Chapter, without voter
approval, to increase employee protections, add enforcement authority and/or reporting
AGENDA ITEM #1. b)
ORDINANCE NO. _______
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requirements, expand coverage to additional employees, clarify ambiguities, avoid
conflict with state or federal laws, or add exemptions for provisions found to be unduly
burdensome on employers. Any other amendments that result in a decrease in the
minimum wage for non-exempted employees require voter approval.
5-28-6 RULEMAKING:
The Administrator may adopt rules or procedures to determine applicability of
exemptions, and otherwise implement, interpret, or enforce this Chapter.
SECTION II. Upon approval of the City Attorney, the City Clerk is authorized to direct the
codifier to make necessary corrections to this ordinance, including the corrections of scriveners
or clerical errors; references to other local, state, or federal laws, codes, rules, or regulations; or
ordinance numbering and section/subsection numbering and references. The City Clerk is further
authorized to direct the codifier to update any chapter, section, or subsection titles in the Renton
Municipal Code affected by this ordinance.
SECTION III. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this
ordinance should be held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction,
such invalidity or unconstitutionality thereof shall not affect the constitutionality of any other
section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word of this ordinance.
SECTION IV. This ordinance shall be in full force upon King County’s certification of
election results with passage through a majority vote of Renton voters.
Date of Publication:
24BMO001
AGENDA ITEM #1. b)