The Burien, WA City Council has adopted Ordinance 855 , which will increase the minimum wage for certain employees.
The details:
Effective Jan. 1, 2025, employers with 500 or more full-time equivalent employees (Level 1 employers) in King County must pay a minimum wage of at least $21.16 per hour.
Effective July 1, 2025, employers with 21 to 499 full-time equivalent employees (Level 2 employers) in King County must pay a minimum wage of at least $20.16 per hour.
Under the Ordinance, Level 1 employers must pay a minimum wage of at least $4.50 above the state minimum and Level 2 employers must pay at least $3.50 above the state minimum.
Employers with 20 or fewer employees (Level 3 employers) are not subject to the Ordinance and are required to pay the state minimum wage. The Washington state minimum wage is currently $16.28 per hour and is scheduled to increase to $16.66 on Jan. 1, 2025.
Washington state does not allow the use of a tip credit when paying tipped employees.
Next steps:
Burien, WA employers must pay at least the applicable minimum wages noted above in accordance with the above timelines. Further information on the Ordinance including FAQs, may be accessed at the following link.