Why will Proposition 1 hurt Olympia?

Proposition 1, also called the “Workers Bill of Rights,” may sound good at first. But when you look closer at what it really does, it becomes clear that Prop 1 will make life harder for everyone in Olympia. 

Families are already dealing with high prices, new taxes, and rising costs. Prop 1 would make things even more expensive—like housing, groceries, childcare, and healthcare. This would hurt families, seniors who live on fixed incomes, and non-profits that help people in need.

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A study by the Thurston County Economic Development Council (EDC) shows that Olympia cannot handle higher wages right now. The report says, “Our area has a cost problem, not an income problem.” Raising the minimum wage to $20 per hour, as Prop 1 suggests, would cause serious problems for our local economy.​

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The minimum wage is only a small part of this measure. Other components are even more problematic than the minimum wage increase:
 

• Prop 1 does not provide funding to pay for the many positions this measure would require, so that means city leaders would have to make tough choices on funding allocation, which could lead to cuts in services that people depend on. The measure, as written, is vague and nearly impossible to implement, according to Steve Hall, the former City Manager of Olympia.
   

• Predictive scheduling and the penalties for last-minute changes on the worker's or employer's behalf will add a significant cost burden, which will result in either higher prices or reduced services in health care, schools, non-profits, childcare, and housing. Olympians cannot afford this across-the-board inflation, along with tariffs and increasing taxes.

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Prop 1 would make our challenges worse, not better. We know many people are struggling, but this is not the right answer. Instead, we need to work together as a community to find fair, balanced solutions that actually help everyone.