SEATTLE (AP) _ There won’t be a referendum this fall on Seattle’s $15 per hour minimum wage law.
The Seattle Times reports that King County Elections said Tuesday that two referendum attempts failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
One effort by business group Forward Seattle submitted 18,929 signatures, but only 14,818 were valid. The other referendum, by Save Our Choice, submitted 455 valid signatures.
The measures needed 16,510 signatures to make the ballot.
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously in June to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The plan gives businesses with more than 500 employees nationally at least three years to phase in the increase _ four if they provide health insurance. Smalleremployers get seven years.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com
