On May 18, 2017, my office and the Trump-Proof Seattle Coalition brought together more than 200 people for a District 3 town hall to build a movement to Tax the Rich! For decades, poor and working class people in our state have paid far more of their income in taxes than the super-rich. Now with […]

Here are answers to common questions about Kshama Sawant and Nick Licata’s proposal to fund Metro transit with a progressive tax on businesses. For more information, check out this opinion column by Kshama and Nick in the Puget Sound Business Journal, and see below on how you can support this proposal. What is the current […]

I think it should be first of all noted that Councilmember Licata’s points [regarding widespread dissatisfaction at City Light] are very welcome, and I’m glad that the public has some access to the results of this survey. And I think at the very least, that information raises some valid questions about this so-called great performance by […]

Transcript of Speech as Delivered Councilmember Rasmussen’s amendment speaks to the track record of a CEO, and its correlation to pay increase, with the idea that if Mr. Carrasco’s record and accomplishments are great, then that justifies giving him up to $120,000 more, above the $245,000 he already makes. It is correct that pay should […]

There has been an outpouring of anger over the Seattle City Council’s decision to vote in favor of a $100,000 pay hike for the already highest paid City-employed executive. This would have passed quietly and smoothly if we did not have a voice on the council representing working people. Fortunately, as a socialist representative, I […]

On Wednesday, June 4th, the Seattle City Council’s Education and Governance Committee voted to grant the highest paid City-employed executive, Jorge Carrasco, additional pay of up to $100,000, retroactive to January 1st. Mr. Carrasco is the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle City Light, a publicly-owned utility. He is currently paid $245,000 annually. […]

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 […]

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 […]

Recently there have been questions about how to implement the $15/hour minimum wage. There’s been a lot of talk from business that workers should compromise. Here are some initial thoughts, we will be talking more soon: We are fighting for $15/hour for all low-wage workers in Seattle. I would estimate that there are close to […]