Washington Employee Compensation and Benefits Initiative (2021)
| Employee Compensation and Benefits Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 2, 2021 | |
| Topic Wages and pay | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Employee Compensation and Benefits Initiative (#1779) was not on the ballot in Washington as an Initiative to the People, a type of initiated state statute, on November 2, 2021.
This initiative would have required that employees not be paid less than 1/8th the pay of the highest-paid employee.[1][2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for this initiative would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
Initiative Measure No. 1779 concerns employment. This measure would require employers to compensate employees no less than one-eighth of the highest compensation paid by that employer, provide equal-value benefits to all employees, and adopt other provisions related to employment. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ] [3] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this initiative would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
This measure would require that no employee in Washington receive less than one-eighth the highest level of compensation being paid by that employer, that employers provide equal-value benefits to all employees regardless of compensation level, that wages or benefits reduced by the law be used to increase pay to lower-paid employees, and that employers disclose employee compensation rates. Employees would have a right to purchase any businesses closed, sold, or relocated because of the law. [3] |
” |
Full text
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Washington, the number of signatures required to qualify a directly initiated state statute—called an Initiative to the People in Washington—for the ballot is equal to 8 percent of the votes cast for the office of governor at the last regular gubernatorial election. Initial filings for direct initiatives cannot be made more than 10 months before the general election at which their proposal would be presented to voters. Signatures must be submitted at least four months prior to the general election.
The requirements to get an Initiative to the People certified for the 2021 ballot:
- Signatures: 324,516 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 2, 2021.
The secretary of state verifies the signatures using a random sample method. If the sample indicates that the measure has sufficient signatures, the measure is certified for the ballot. However, if the sample indicates that the measure has insufficient signatures, every signature is checked. Under Washington law, a random sample result may not invalidate a petition.
Details about this initiative
- Bryan Axelson submitted the initiative on January 5, 2021.[2]
- No signatures were submitted by the deadline on July 2, 2021.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Washington Secretary of State, "Initiative #1779 Text," accessed January 23, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Washington Secretary of State, "Proposed Initiatives to the People 2021," accessed January 23, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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State of Washington Olympia (capital) |
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