Summary
Executive Zahilay announced funding to create a new Office of Labor Standards to strengthen labor standards and support an empowered workforce in unincorporated areas.
Story
King County – Yesterday at the Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council’s monthly delegate meeting, King County Executive Girmay Zahilay announced that his administration is proposing $500,000 to establish a new Office of Labor Standards within King County. This investment will be included in the Executive’s second omnibus budget, which will be proposed next week.
Once established, the office will focus on strengthening labor standards and expanding worker and business outreach and education in unincorporated King County, supporting an informed and empowered workforce and robust regional economy.
“Working people are the backbone of King County. We are proud of our nation-leading policies that uphold strong labor standards and worker protections including the minimum wage ordinance that I sponsored as a councilmember,” said Executive Girmay Zahilay. “With a focus on education and outreach, this new office will support healthy workplaces and provide workers and businesses with the tools and resources they need to understand and implement worker rights. This investment fulfills one of the recommendations from my transition committee and delivers on a commitment I made to support good jobs for all King County residents.”
Unincorporated King County is home to nearly 250,000 residents and 25,000 businesses that are not served by municipal governments. Changes in county policy, including the minimum wage ordinance, have a direct impact on the daily lives of working people and the stability of local businesses.
The launch of the Office of Labor Standards marks the beginning of a collaborative process to shape a modern, effective framework that reflects the needs of our region. Over the coming months, workers, employers, and stakeholders will be fully engaged to help build an Office of Labor Standards that serves as a forward-looking model for fairness, transparency, and accountability.
If the budget is approved by the King County Council, the new funding will allow for the hiring of a lead position within the Department of Local Services (DLS) who will be responsible for engaging with the Executive’s Office, other County departments, labor partners, employers, workers, and community organizations to advance modern and culturally relevant labor standards across unincorporated King County.
Two additional full-time positions are expected to begin in 2027 and will support the office’s work; responsibilities and priorities will be developed in collaboration with workers, businesses, labor partners, and other stakeholders as the office is established. The office will also develop a survey to better understand the needs and experiences of workers in unincorporated King County.
Executive Zahilay’s proposed budget includes other key investments in workforce development, including $400,000 for a union-backed dispatch platform for temporary work and $150,000 to support a virtual hiring hall that connects job seekers to open union-represented jobs at more than 250 employers in the region.
What People Are Saying:
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda
“This investment marks a critical advancement for workers and employers across unincorporated King County — from White Center to Vashon-Maury Island — where many have long faced barriers to fair wages, safe working conditions, and clear labor protections. Establishing the new Office of Worker Justice will not only strengthen existing laws, but also expand education, outreach, and support to ensure more equitable, safe, and fair workplaces those in our unincorporated areas and beyond.”
Leon Richardson, Director, Department of Local Services
“As the city hall for unincorporated King County, we work to promote the well-being of residents and communities. A dedicated Office of Labor Standards will help support workers and workplaces, and it will strengthen our economy by lifting up the people who keep our communities thriving.”
Katie Garrow, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, MLK Labor
“Working people in King County deserve strong labor standards and a voice in shaping the policies that affect their lives and livelihoods. We appreciate Executive Zahilay’s leadership in establishing the new Office of Labor Standards and creating a structure where workers, unions, employers, and community partners can help shape its work. MLK Labor looks forward to engaging in this process and ensuring that the new office advances strong protections for working people throughout our region.”
Danielle Alvarado, Executive Director, Working Washington
“We were proud to stand with Executive Girmay Zahilay in 2024 when he championed a strong minimum wage for Unincorporated King County. It is exciting now to be able to work together designing a new Office of Labor Standards that will support workers across the county, especially those most vulnerable to wage theft.”
Terri Gerstein, Director, NYU Wagner Labor Initiative at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
“Counties and cities are increasingly playing a critical role in protecting workers’ rights and helping create high road jobs, which is important at any time and especially amid harsh anti-worker federal rollbacks. In many cases, localities have become national leaders and trailblazers on worker protections. By creating this new office, King County can ensure that it uses its powers to build economic justice and a fair economy.”