Marchers to leave SeaTac at 9:00am Thursday December 5th, arrive at Seattle City Hall 4:30pm Seizing on the momentum of the landmark victory for the $15 minimum wage in SeaTac, fast food workers and community supporters will mount a day-long, 8-hour march on Thursday, December 5th that traces the $15 movement's path from our first big victory in SeaTac to our next destination — Seattle City Hall.
Who: Poverty-wage workers who work in fast food, at the airport, and other industries, joined by faith leaders and other community supporters
What: Launch an all-day march for $15 and a better future, leaving from the site of our first big victory in SeaTac to our next destination: Seattle City Hall.
When & Where: Thursday, December 5th. (March route: International Blvd to Boeing Access Rd to Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to Rainier Ave to Jackson to 4th.)
- 9:00 am: $15 march kicks off at SeaTac Hilton (which is covered by the SeaTac Good Jobs Initiative), 17620 International Blvd, SeaTac
- 1:00 pm: $15 march pauses for lunch en route at Brighton Playfield, 6000 39th Ave S, Seattle
- 4:00 pm: All-day $15 marchers joined by additional supporters at Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave S, Seattle for final stretch to City Hall
- 4:30 pm: Rally for $15 from SeaTac to Seattle at City Hall, 600 4th Ave, Seattle
Before the first Seattle fast food strike in late May, the $15 minimum wage sounded like an impossible dream. Just 6 months later, it's more than possible: it's set to become a reality for more than 6000 poverty-wage workers in the travel & tourism industry in SeaTac, including the people who work at the McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's in our airport.
The victory for $15 in SeaTac shows that workers and community members can stand up to giant multinational corporations, turn the tide of income inequality, and kickstart the economy by ensuring thousands of workers are paid enough to afford basics like food, rent, and transportation.
Adding to the momentum from SeaTac, candidates who expressed support for fast food workers and the $15 movement won several key Seattle elections:
- Mayor-elect Ed Murray vowed to push for a $15-an-hour minimum wage, writing in his Economic Opportunity Agenda that "Seattle should not wait for state or federal action" to "move forward on achieving the goal of a $15/hour wage for large-scale industries like national big box and fast food brands."
- Councilmember-elect Kshama Sawant said her victorious grassroots campaign was "as close as you can get to a referendum on a $15-an-hour minimum wage in Seattle."
- Councilmember Mike O'Brien co-hosted a council briefing on issues affecting low-wage workers, called on city government to take wage theft seriously, and helped striking fast food workers return to work without retaliation.
- Councilmember Nick Licata went so far as to use a campaign ad to encourage fast food workers to report wage theft.
Sparked by this summer's fast food strikes, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the middle out — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, SEIU Healthcare 775NW and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
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Contact: Sage Wilson, Good Jobs Seattle: sage@workingwa.org