Check out Darrion Sjoquist's essay in Medium.com on why he and other baristas are calling on Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to sit down and meet with them to find solutions to scheduling issues.
Read MoreNo, this has nothing to do with the gum wall
At about 7:00 in the morning yesterday, coffee and fast food workers kicked off a statewide day of action by forming a human clock outside Pike Place Market, chanting “It’s Our Time” and calling for reliable schedules and access to hours. An LA Times reporter asked me if it had something do with the last days of the gum wall, but other than that the message seemed to get out pretty clearly.
Read MoreIf the Washington Restaurant Association is truly prepared to push for a statewide $15 minimum wage…
"If the restaurant association is truly prepared to push for a statewide $15 minimum wage without loopholes, carve-outs, or subminimum exceptions for their industry, let’s make it happen. But if it’s a stalling tactic, it’s not going to work."
Read MoreOn Election Night, Washington’s big business groups are running scared
Even before all the elections have been decided, one thing is already clear: big business interests are running scared. All throughout the election season, lobby groups like the Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Restaurant and Hospitality Association have been desperately retreating in the face of a statewide movement which has transformed the debate over living wages and workers rights.
Read MoreIf you had 1 minute to tell a politician in Washington State why we need higher wages...
What would you say?
Tell us in a one-minute video:
The movement is growing
It's time for big corporations, the business lobby, and politicians to recognize: The fight for a $15 minimum wage and workers’ rights is spreading across Washington State.
This year, we saw workers in Seattle get their first raises on the way to $15, workers in cities from Olympia to Yakima built movements that are demanding action, and new groups of people have joined the fight for higher wages and better working conditions—Starbucks baristas, Uber drivers, college students and professors, restaurant servers, workers at dollar stores, gas stations, and more.
Let's make our voices heard!
As Election Day comes & goes, we need to make all the politicians in our state understand that workers should be at the top of their agenda in the year ahead.
YOU CAN HELP:
Take one minute right now to add your voice to the fight, and let politicians hear us. Most politicians don't know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck, or the kinds of things we do to make ends meet. They don't have to go to work when they're sick or stay by the phone to be ready for an on-call shift. Their schedules don't change at a moment's notice or at their bosses' whim.
If you had one minute to tell a politician in Washington State why we need higher wages, what would you say?
Olympia, it's the data
In Olympia, a majority of workers employed in retail and hospitality are paid less than $15/hour. Together, these two industries employ a combined 19.1% of the workforce — a bigger share than government alone does. These industries also have high shares of part-time work.
Read More"I think he wants to go to Disneyland."
Crystal Thompson has worked at Domino’s for five years. She is a mother and shares an apartment with a roommate. Crystal has been on strike multiple times and has spoken to elected leaders and the press. She became a leader in the fight for $15 in Seattle.
Read More"Am I really doing this again?"
Jason Harvey has been involved with Working Washington since the very beginning. He worked at Burger King and went out on strike multiple times and became a leader in the victory of Seattle’s $15 minimum wage.
Read MoreA voice for the silencers, the whisperers!
Brittany got involved in the fight for $15 after her sister first went on strike. She is a mother who worked at McDonald’s. She has been involved in multiple fast food actions and even went down to Olympia to talk to legislators about raising the state minimum wage. She hopes to own a business in the restaurant industry some day.
Read MoreWork the Vote - Seattle
Work the Vote is Working Washington's Voters Guide for the 2015 Elections in Seattle. Each week, we'll send out a question to everyone running in each of the nine Seattle City Council races, and then post the answers here so voters can see out how the candidates make their case on workers issues.
Read More