Olympia workers visit the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce
Earlier this month, the Washington Restaurant Association and the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce revealed they are teaming up to try and fight the growing and popular movement for a $15 minimum wage in the city of Olympia.
So when Chamber gathered for their annual meeting today, workers were there too. Check out what happened:
Alaska Airlines CEO Brad Tilden was advertised as the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce’s keynote speaker at this year’s event. With a star attraction like that at an event like this, it all sounded like an anti-$15 revival meeting. To top it off, it was all happening on the 10-year anniversary of the day Alaska fired 500 ramp workers and replaced them with poverty-wage subcontractors.
But Tilden didn’t show. The Alaska Air executive who subbed for him told the crowd it was so he could receive an award — but also said that “You all came to hear Brad Tilden, and some other folks came to see him for another reason.” (Bet we know who he’s talking about.)
It always says a lot when CEOs are too embarrassed to even be in the same room as the people who serve their customers every day.