A King County Superior Court Judge yesterday severely curtailed the reach of the recently passed SeaTac $15 minimum wage initiative, saying it could only be enforced outside the boundary of Seattle Tacoma (SeaTac) International Airport.
The result is that 1,600 transportation and hospitality workers employed outside the airport's territory will be covered by the law. The 4,700 who work inside the airport grounds will not be affected.
Judge Andrea Darvas’s 33-page ruling says a decades-old state law gives the Port of Seattle exclusive jurisdiction over “all operations and activities occurring at the airport, its buildings, roads and facilities,” so the municipal ordinance cannot be enforced there.
After Friday's ruling, proponents vowed to appeal to the State Supreme Court next week.