An agreement between the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), Hertz and Thrifty over back pay owed under SeaTac's minimum wage law will mean checks for thousands of dollars for numerous workers at the car rental companies' SeaTac locations.

A total of 157 workers filed L&I claims for wages owed between Jan. 1, 2014, when the $15 minimum wage took effect, and Sept. 30, 2015. The latter date is when the state Supreme Court ruled the ordinance covered companies at the airport.

"People have a right to get paid what they've worked hard for; when they don't, L&I can help," said L&I Director Joel Sacks. "Now that this agreement is in place, we're moving ahead to get this money into the hands of the people who worked hard for it. The funds will make a real difference for these workers and their families."