As I anticipated, SeaTac loses most of the $15 hourly rip off.

A judge ruled today that the $15 minimum wage stupidity would not apply to the airport.

I had written on December 16th:

The Port of Seattle has filed suit to exempt itself from paying the increase: rightfully so, since the Port is not bound by municipal entities.

There was never any question that a city ordinance could infringe on the operations of a non-city entity.  This confirms most of that.

Part of SeaTac's $15 minimum wage measure struck

By MANUEL VALDES, Associated Press

Updated 7:41 pm, Friday, December 27, 2013

SEATTLE (AP) — A King County Superior Judge struck down the voter-approved $15 an hour minimum wage for the vast majority of workers the measure aimed to help.

Judge Andrea Darvas' ruling on Friday said the recently-approved measure applies to about 1,600 hotel and parking lot workers in the city of SeaTac, but that the city initiative does not have authority over 4,700 employees and contractors working within Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is operated by the Port of Seattle.

Darvas said the state Legislature has given municipalities like the Port of Seattle "exclusive jurisdiction" over their operations.

"The Washington State Legislature has clearly and unequivocally stated its intent that municipalities other than the Port of Seattle may not exercise any jurisdiction or control over SeaTac Airport operations, or the laws and rules governing those operations," she wrote in her ruling.

More:

With the law due to take effect on January 1st, I would shut my business down and fire everyone as a result

Fringe-left nutters like Molehill supporting this extortion from private business might have been giddy that it passed temporarily.  In the end, the workers would lose anyway: for example, if I have to eat in SeaTac at a restaurant covered by this nonsense, there is precisely zero chance I would leave them or any other worker shafting the business-owner with this scam a dime in a tip.

And I'm not the only one, by far.

So, as this law starts to fall apart, I would expect that the people of SeaTac will have no trouble throwing it out next November.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least.