On February 19 2015, I attended a pretrial rally in defense of workers and fellow organizers who are standing up to Alaska Airlines and the corporation’s refusal to follow the law and pay workers the $15/hour minimum wage SeaTac voters approved more than fifteen months ago. I was proud to stand and speak with my fellow “jail mates,” […]

Seattle workers have won yet another milestone in the $15/hour struggle! Central Co-Op, a local not-for-profit organic grocery business, has agreed to pay all of its workers more than $15/hour, starting now:  After a sixty-day trial period, new employees will begin earning $15.36 an hour, up one dollar from the trial wage. Wages are tied to annual […]

This is the fifth part in our series, “Voices of the People’s Budget.” On the evening of October 30th, labor leaders, community organizers, social service providers, and engaged citizens came together for a People’s Budget Town Hall. Here they shared their concerns about the Mayor’s business as usual budget and began a conversation about what is necessary to make […]

This is the third part in our series, “Voices of the People’s Budget.” On the evening of October 30th, labor leaders, community organizers, social service providers, and engaged citizens came together for a People’s Budget Town Hall. Here they shared their concerns about the Mayor’s business as usual budget and began a conversation about what is necessary to make […]

One of the biggest questions Seattleites should be asking their elected officials this budget cycle is whether the Council will break with business as usual and set aside sufficient funding to enforce paid sick leave, our recently won minimum wage increase, and other laws designed to protect working people. Over the last six months, Seattle’s […]

A half century ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for a living wage at the March on Washington, where a quarter of a million people, mostly black workers, demanded their rights. They called for $2 per hour. In today’s dollars, that is the same number we have just won – Dr. King and his […]

Speeches as delivered by Kshama Sawant following the May 29th Minimum Wage Committee The Seattle City Council’s Minimum Wage Committee just voted for $15/hr (click here for streaming video). On Monday, June 2nd, we expect this will be voted on by the Full Council, and passed into law. Today is a historic day for low […]

It is truly historic that Seattle is getting close to a $15/hour legislation – a testament to the success that can be achieved through working class fightback. During yesterday’s Select Committee on Minimum Wage, the Seattle City Council began discussing in detail the draft legislation and potential amendments. Click here to watch the full meeting. […]

Today, Mayor Murray delivered his proposal for raising the minimum wage to City Council. The City Council will deliberate in public and it is important that low wage workers have their voices heard in this process. My staff has put together a few telling graphs that you can see below. Also included at the end […]

Today, Mayor Murray delivered his proposal for raising the minimum wage to City Council. The City Council will deliberate in public and it is important that low wage workers have their voices heard in this process. I have posted a separate blog post to talk more about this here. Also, the Seattle Channel records all […]