Amazing news: The collective gig worker support petition signatures were the final, essential push for Seattle City Council to shield funding for workers’ rights enforcement.
As of late yesterday, the Seattle City Council has approved the budget that includes first-ever dedicated funding for enforcement and outreach about gig workers’ rights!
Despite a massive corporate campaign of blatant lies backed by endless resources, we pulled off what workers need. Now the game has been changed from an underfunded Office of Labor Standards to a fully funded, robust enforcement system that shows Seattle cares about building a more equitable, pro-worker economy.
Now gig workers will have both the protection of new laws in place and the teeth to follow through so that we’re treated with the dignity and respect we deserve. The app companies have proven time and again that they'll violate our rights if they can get away with it. Now we have the funding to make sure they can't.
Securing dedicated funding is a good first step -- next, we need to make sure every gig worker in the city knows about the rights we've won and continue the fight to protect funding for community-based education and enforcement. Follow us and stay updated as workers continue to level the playing field and show other workers, customers, and the gig industry nationwide what’s possible when we organize.
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