Record No: CB 119687    Version: Council Bill No: CB 119687
Type: Ordinance (Ord) Status: Passed
Current Controlling Legislative Body City Clerk
On agenda: 11/25/2019
Ordinance No: Ord 125977
Title: AN ORDINANCE relating to transportation network company driver labor standards; concerning minimum compensation standards for transportation network company drivers; and adding a new Chapter 14.31 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
Sponsors: Sally Bagshaw
Supporting documents: 1. Summary and Fiscal Note, 2. Signed Ordinance 125977, 3. Affidavit of Publication
CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to transportation network company driver labor standards; concerning minimum compensation standards for transportation network company drivers; and adding a new Chapter 14.31 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
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WHEREAS, the Washington Constitution provides in Article XI, Section 11 that "[a]ny county, city, town or township may make and enforce within its limits all such local police, sanitary and other regulations as are not in conflict with general laws"; and
WHEREAS, the state of Washington, in Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 46.72.001, has authorized political subdivisions of the state to regulate for-hire drivers and for-hire transportation services, which terms encompass the regulation of transportation network company (TNC) drivers, TNCs, and TNC services, to ensure safe and reliable TNC services; and
WHEREAS, TNCs provide application dispatch services that allow passengers to directly request the dispatch of drivers via the internet using mobile interfaces such as smartphone applications; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the two largest TNCs accounted for over 24 million trips in the City; and
WHEREAS, at their peak in 2012, taxicabs in Seattle and King County provided about 5.2 million trips; and
WHEREAS, these two companies are also major hiring entities, accounting for most of the 31,676 TNC drivers issued permits by King County in 2018 as recorded by the King County Department of Licensing; and
WHEREAS, the City, TNC drivers, TNCs, and the public agree that TNC drivers should be compensated fairly and earn at least the equivalent of the "hourly minimum wage" established for Schedule 1 employers in Chapter 14.19 plus reasonable expenses; and
WHEREAS, the establishment of a minimum compensation standard better ensures that drivers can perform their services in a safe and reliable manner and thereby promotes the welfare of the people and is thus a fundamental...

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