Seattle supporters of higher minimum wage hail judge’s ruling

SEATTLE – Supporters of higher pay for minimum wage workers hailed a federal judge’s decision clearing the way for Seattle’s new minimum wage law to take effect as planned next month.

U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones rejected claims by franchises of big national chains that the law discriminates against them.

“Although plaintiffs assert that they will suffer competitive injury, loss of customers, loss of goodwill, and the risk of going out of business, the court finds that these allegations are conclusory and unsupported by the facts in the record,” Jones wrote Tuesday night, dismissing arguments brought forth by the International Franchise Association, which represents national chains ranging from fast-food joints to hotels.

“This is a great day for Seattle’s fast food franchise workers,” Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement. “This ruling ensures that on April 1st, the minimum wage will go up for everyone in our city.

The president and CEO of the International Franchise Association said the group would continue to fight the parts of Seattle’s new wage law that apply to franchises.

“Yesterday’s decision is clearly a disappointment but it is not the end of this fight,” said Steve Caldeira, the association’s president and CEO, in a statement. “The ordinance is clearly discriminatory and would harm hardworking small business owners who happen to be franchisees.”

Lawyers for the franchise association, including Paul Clement, the former U.S. solicitor general, have insisted that they were not challenging the minimum wage itself. Instead, they were challenging how quickly their clients must adopt it.

The law, which will eventually raise the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, is phased in more quickly for big companies than small ones. Among those determined to be big companies under the law are franchises that are connected to networks that have a total of more than 500 workers.

On April 1, the large businesses and national chains must raise their pay to at least $11 an hour. Smaller ones must pay at least $10 an hour. Seattle’s current minimum wage is $9.47, the same as the Washington state minimum wage.