Washington Supreme Court Rules That $15 Minimum Wage Applies At Sea-Tac Airport

http://kplu.org/post/washington-supreme-court-rules-15-minimum-wage-applies-sea-tac-airport

In a long anticipated decision, the Washington State Supreme Court has ruled the $15-an-hour minimum wage law narrowly approved by voters in the city of SeaTac in fall 2013 applies at Sea-Tac International Airport.

The court's 5-4 decision means that about 4,700 workers ranging from restaurant employees to baggage handlers should now be paid $15.24 an hour.

“Luckily and thankfully, justice was made and it was approved, so I’m pretty excited,” said Socrates Bravo, 26, who works for Menzies Aviation loading luggage.

Bravo said he earns $12 an hour and often works 60-hour weeks to earn enough to help provide for his two-year-old daughter. He took a leading role in the minimum wage movement. Last November, he was arrested along with Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant outside Alaska Airlines’ corporate headquarters in SeaTac. They were protesting the airline’s legal effort to block the $15 minimum wage from taking effect at the airport.