By james art PHOENIX — Glendale residents have an opportunity to vote on Proposition 499, which would raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour for hotel and event workers, among other labor protections.
Prop 499, a ballot initiative from the city of West Valley, would also add a city labor department that would investigate employer violations of payroll, reporting, recordkeeping and overtime requirements.
Who supports Proposition 499 in Glendale?
Brendan Walsh, executive director of the trade union Worker Power, said the proposal was to give hotel and event workers a living wage and more protections. The current minimum wage for these workers is $14.35.
Worker Power submitted signatures for the initiative, which appears in Glendale’s bulletin after the city unsuccessfully fought it in court.
“I think in general, people who work 40-hour days very hard for a living, supporting key industries in Arizona, should be making a living wage,” Walsh said. “I think those who are complaining about this are not getting paid by the hotel industry.”
Walsh added that post-pandemic wage increases have not matched the hotel industry’s recovery.
Glendale is a hotspot for large-scale events and post-pandemic growth. The city has hosted a Super Bowl, a Final Four, increased its concert lineup and is working to become a resort destination.
“There’s a real influx of attractions in Glendale that makes it a market where an ordinance like this is needed,” Walsh said.
Who opposes Glendale’s Proposition 499?
Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, doesn’t believe Proposition 499 is right for Glendale.
“It creates an economic disaster for the city of Glendale, which hurts the overall economy of the state because of what its tourism hub has become for us,” Seidon said.
Seidon doesn’t believe Glendale needs to have a different set of rules than other Arizona cities when it comes to hospitality.
He thinks it could hurt business in the city.
“We want people to know that when you come to Arizona to do business, it doesn’t matter what city you’re in,” Seiden said. “You have one set of rules to follow, and you follow them.”
A tax increase of nearly $1 million a year would be needed to pay for the Labor Department, which would receive complaints, initiate investigations, handle law enforcement and more.
“It’s extremely expensive, extremely confusing, and it’s going to be unique to Glendale,” Seidon said.