On Sunday we joined with Washington Community Action Network and Seattle Transit Riders Union to release an open letter calling for 4 big steps to address the coronavirus crisis. We’re already starting to see movement.
Read Morewe are calling on WA state political leaders to take 4 bold steps to address the coronavirus crisis: preserve healthcare
Preserve medical benefits, moratorium on evictions, halt utility shut-offs, and provide emergency income assistance. Read the letter and add your name.
Read MoreWhat gig economy companies and government agencies can do to protect workers’ health during the coronavirus response
The single most valuable thing gig companies can do to address the crisis is to pay workers more money. Improving workers’ economic security is the best long-term solution to ensuring everyone can make thoughtful decisions weighing potential risks to health and potential loss of income. There also additional immediate steps gig companies can take to slow the spread of the virus and mitigate the potential impact on workers:
Read MoreWhat Washington employers and state government can do to protect the health of service sector workers during the coronavirus response
As coronavirus (and associated panic) spreads, it is expected that increasing numbers of people will be placed in quarantine, and that schools may close. While service sector employers alone do not have the power alone to halt this epidemic, there are things they can do to slow the spread of the virus and mitigate the impact on workers, especially provided that government takes action as well.
Read MoreSeattle PayUp Campaign Kickoff - March 4th
Join us in Seattle on Wednesday, March 4th as we launch a bold campaign to win new local laws that raise pay, protect tips, increase transparency, and ensure that gig workers have a voice in the future of work.
Read MoreNew statewide poll finds 63% of likely voters support secure scheduling, with only 15% opposed
Voters support secure scheduling by large margins all across Washington, with support especially strong in more working class areas of the state and areas which typically see more contested legislative races. Most notably, the poll finds 63% - 15% support for secure scheduling statewide, 75% - 8% support on the Olympic Peninsula, and 63% - 25% support in Pierce County.
Read MoreA message from restaurant workers across the state on why it’s time for the state legislature to pass secure scheduling (SB 5717 / HB 1491)
Too often in the service industry, we get no notice for our work schedule. There is no reason restaurants need to operate this way. Management could and would put out schedules with reasonable notice if they felt the need to. We feel the need - from arranging child care to scheduling school or a second job, there are many reasons we need reasonable notice.
Read MoreWhat Workers Want - Our 2020 policy priorities
Over the past several years, workers in Washington have won dramatic victories to raise wages & expand our rights, and the state’s economy is stronger than ever. This year we continue to call for bold legislative action to tackle income inequality, raise standards, and enforce the rights of low-wage workers, including secure scheduling, the Worker Protection Act, the domestic workers bill of rights, and more.
Read Morethere was no such organization
When the decade began, there were no local labor standards in Seattle. There was no organization in the state focused on organizing workers to stand up for their rights. There was nobody doing community-based outreach & education, and there were no civil legal clinics focused on workers rights. And then everything changed.
Read Morewhat have we done
From gig workers to strippers to domestic workers to overtime protections and more, here are ten huge things we accomplished together at Working Washington & Fair Work Center in 2019.
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