‘I can honestly argue both sides’: Jake and Spike debate Tacoma’s push for $20 minimum wage

Local labor and activist groups are suing both Tacoma and Pierce County, claiming that government officials illegally blocked a citizen-led initiative that would raise the city’s minimum wage to $20.

The initiative was expected to appear on the November ballot.

“The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 367, along with Tacoma For All and the Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America, are saying that the city did not act with the reasonable promptness required to ensure that residents could vote on an initiative this November; they think it’s fundamentally unfair what they did,” KIRO host Jake Skorheim explained. “What do you think is going on there in Tacoma?”

“Scary part of stories like this is I can honestly and truly argue both sides of the argument,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill answered. “I understand the value of both perspectives on this. You’ve got to have a living wage to be able to live. And we’re not talking about people getting rich. We’re talking about people who need to pay their bills. We’re one of the highest rental property per square foot prices in the country, and you’ve got to have affordable housing for them. That means you’ve got to pay them a wage.

“The other side of the argument is also valid,” Spike continued. “Businesses can only afford to pay so much before they can’t stay in business, and these mandatory minimum wage hikes drive so many businesses under. You start cutting hours from people. You have to let go of employees.”

The Tacoma Workers’ Bill of Rights

Known as the “Workers Bill of Rights,” the initiative would also establish several worker protections in addition to raising the city’s minimum wage. Protections include requiring large employers to provide schedules with at least two weeks’ notice.

Tacoma’s current minimum wage is set at $16.66 an hour, mirroring the state’s minimum wage.

“One side has a much more valid reason, which is you’re going to kill the business,” Jake said. “You’re going to kill the business, and then those jobs go away.”

To get the initiative on the November ballot, the Tacoma City Council was required to pass a resolution sending it to the ballot by Aug. 5, according to The Seattle Times. Instead, the council held a special meeting Aug. 8 to discuss the initiative. The council eventually approved sending the initiative to the ballot, but missed the cutoff to make the November election.

“It seems to me like the city council is just pushing this down the road; they did not deal with this problem,” Jake said. “I think they’re smart to do so, because this would again kill businesses in Tacoma. In California, they did this.”

Jake cited findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research, specifically from a study conducted in California. After California enforced a mandatory $20 minimum wage for fast food restaurants across the state, they lost 18,000 jobs since it went into effect in April 2024.

“It’s never that small businesses are exempt,” Jake said. “They’re always eventually going to be wrapped up in this. They just can’t afford it.”

The City of Tacoma does not comment on litigation, according to The Seattle Times.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.