Lawsuit filed to put Tacoma Workers Bill of Rights on November ballot
Tacoma and Pierce County officials face a lawsuit for allegedly blocking a worker's bill of rights from the November ballot.
The initiative aims to raise the minimum wage to $20 and require advance notice for scheduling changes.
Labor groups accuse officials of using delays to prevent the measure from reaching voters, seeking court intervention.
TACOMA, Wash. - Tacoma and Pierce County officials are now facing a lawsuit after being accused by labor rights organizations of illegally keeping a worker's bill of rights off the November ballot.
The lawsuit was filed by local union UFCW 367, Tacoma for All and the Democratic Socialists of America on Tuesday.
Organizers say they are asking the courts to put the initiative on the ballot in November.
What they're saying
They accuse city and county leaders of using a loophole and dragging their feet to prevent it from going before the voters in November.
"I have a 29-year-old daughter, and she can't move away from home because she can't make enough money," said Aria Joslyn, member of UFCW 367 and a long-time Tacoma resident.
Joslyn works as a cashier and was one of the workers rallying at Tacoma City Hall on Tuesday in support of a worker's bill of rights that was supposed to be on the ballot in November.
"It holds the employers accountable for making sure that hours stay stable," said Joslyn.
Supporters say Initiative 2 would have raised the minimum wage to $20 an hour, and required employers to give around two weeks notice prior to scheduling changes.
They now accuse city and county officials of dragging their feet for so long, it won't make it on the ballot.
"Essentially, the city council ran out the clock using an obscure legal loophole, and this is not in keeping with the spirit of democracy," said Ann Dorn, Chair of Tacoma for All.
Timeline
The group says in the lawsuit that they filed the signatures on June 24.
But, they allege the county auditor didn't begin validating them until around two weeks later, July 7.
After that, they say the Tacoma City Clerk took another day to validate it and send it to the city council.
From there, organizers say the city council didn't take action until August 8, and according to the county auditor, that was three days too late.
"They ran out the clock and kicked it down the road to February if we are lucky," said Michael Hines, President of UFCW Local 367.
This is an excerpt from the complaint that was filed with the courts:
"The County Auditor rejected Resolution 41733 for being three days too late to send a measure to the 2025 ballot, pursuant to RCW 29A.04.330(3). See Exhibit B (Resolution 41733, with rejection stamp). However, this timing was the direct result of Pierce County's failure to promptly validate the petition.
"It is uncontested that Plaintiffs submitted sufficient signatures on June 24th, but the County Auditor did not begin the validation process until July 7th. It completed that process in two days, and then there were further delays at the City Level. It is fundamentally unfair, and contrary to statutory requirements, for local government to delay the processing of an initiative and to use that delay to deny ballot access."
The mayor has expressed concern about the initiative at city council meetings, including the impact on non-profits, saying this during a special meeting on August 8th.
"While we have the obligation to forward to the auditors' office, I still have deep concern about its passing and its unanticipated effects on all of those who live in the community," said Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards.
The council did adopt a resolution Tuesday to appoint a 15-member task force to look at Tacoma's labor standards. It's something the mayor supports. It's also something that concerns Hines.
"I think it's a ruse to put something competing on the ballot," said Hines.
FOX 13 has reached out to the city council office for comment on the lawsuit, and we are waiting to hear back.
The Source
Information in this story came from the City of Tacoma, UFCW 367, Tacoma for All and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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