Tacoma Deputy Mayor Joe Bushnell plans to bring a minimum wage increase proposal to the city council before the end of 2026.

The move opens a second path to a $20-per-hour rate while a union ballot measure remains in court.

Bushnell, who also represents District 5 on the Tacoma City Council, told The News Tribune on Wednesday, Sept. 16, that he intends to have the full council review the proposal before year-end.

The proposal is taking shape while a separate fight over the Worker's Bill of Rights ballot measure plays out at the Washington State Court of Appeals. On Tuesday, Sept. 15, attorneys for UFCW Local 367 and the city of Tacoma delivered oral arguments before a three-judge panel. Court clerk Derek Byrne said the panel has up to 180 days to issue a ruling.

About 30 UFCW members attended the hearing.

Two tracks, one goal

The parallel paths trace back more than a year. UFCW Local 367 collected thousands of signatures to place the Worker's Bill of Rights on the ballot.

The measure would raise Tacoma's minimum wage to $20 per hour and add worker protections. But the Tacoma City Council voted to put the measure on the ballot after Pierce County's deadline for the November 2025 election had passed.

UFCW 367 sued, alleging the city and county deliberately blocked the measure.

A judge ruled in September 2025 that it should appear on the February 2026 ballot. The city appealed, and the case has been at the Court of Appeals since October 2025.

At the Sept. 15 hearing, Knoll Lowney, the attorney representing UFCW 367, argued the union followed proper procedures. Shelby Lemmel, the attorney representing the city, countered that the trial court overstepped by ordering the measure onto the February 2026 ballot.

A city spokesperson declined to comment, citing a policy against discussing ongoing litigation.

Bushnell's council route

Bushnell has been building a separate proposal through the council's Economic Development Committee. He presented a stakeholder engagement report to the committee on July 8, summarizing months of feedback from businesses, labor groups, nonprofits and child care providers.

Options his team examined as of July included an immediate jump to $20 per hour, gradual increases, or setting a rate above the state minimum wage. Washington's current minimum wage is $17.13 per hour, according to the state Department of Labor and Industries. Tacoma has no local rate above that.

Council Policy Analyst Lynda Foster told the committee on July 8 that state law prevents a traditional tip-credit approach at the local level. The council is instead examining a total compensation model similar to one previously considered in Seattle.

The July 8 discussion ended without committee action. Some council members have since expressed support for approving a wage measure outright, according to The News Tribune.

Union presses for ballot measure

Zaid Velasco, staff director for UFCW Local 367, said he supports Bushnell's council work but wishes the deputy mayor had been more vocal about the union's ballot measure.

"I do wish that he was more open in supporting the Worker's Bill of Rights because it just provides more for the working class," Velasco said.

If the union loses the appeal, Velasco said UFCW 367 would not be opposed to collecting signatures again but would hold internal discussions about whether to spend member resources on another attempt.

Bushnell is also running for the state House of Representatives in the 29th Legislative District. He led a six-candidate primary and will face Patrick Stickney in the November general election, according to the Washington State Standard.

The 180-day window from the Sept. 15 hearing means the appeals court ruling could come as late as mid-March 2027. Bushnell's proposal, if it stays on his timeline, would reach the council first.