Judge rules against SeaTac $15 minimum wage at airport

A King County Superior Court judge has ruled the $15 an hour minimum wage measure passed by city of SeaTac voters in November does not apply to SeaTac Airport, but does apply for people elsewhere in the city.

The ruling by Judge Andrea Darvas means the minimum wage will increase Jan. 1 to $15 an hour for about 1,600 hotel and parking lot employees in the city but won’t change for airport workers as approved by voters. Judge Darvas ruled the Port of Seattle, which operates the airport, is an independent entity not bound by city laws.

“For those 4,700 people who are moving bags, cleaning up the air cabins, serving food, fueling the planes, those people are kind of in a rule free zone according to this judge because they are on Port of Seattle property,” says Heather Weiner with Yes for SeaTac.

Weiner says her group will immediately appeal the decision to the state supreme court seeking expedited review. But she has no idea when the case might be heard.

“This is just another step in the fight for fair wages and addressing income inequality,” she says. “The voters agreed and approved SeaTac Proposition 1 and we’re confident the state supreme court will eventually uphold this as valid.”

The ruling is a partial victory for Alaska Airlines and the Washington Restaurant Association, which earlier this year sued to stop the measure from getting on the ballot and has continued to challenge it in court after a judge ruled against them.