Fast food workers take minimum wage campaign to State Capitol on Tuesday, then City Hall on Thursday
Legislators and city councilmembers will hear directly from workers trying to survive on poverty wages
Fast food workers are taking the fight for good jobs & a stronger economy to state legislators and city councilmembers this week, as momentum behind the campaign to raise the minimum wage spreads from Seattle to Olympia to Washington, DC.
On Tuesday, fast food workers will testify before elected officials in Olympia who are considering a statewide proposal for a $12 minimum wage. Then on Thursday, they will bring the stories of their lives, their work, their families, and their struggles in one-on-one meetings with city councilmembers who are considering a $15 minimum wage for Seattle. (Fast food workers leading the Good Jobs Seattle campaign believe progress towards a $12 statewide standard is an extremely positive development, but remain committed to winning $15 for Seattle.)
Who: Poverty-wage fast food workers
What: Testify before the House Labor & Workforce Development Committee in support of HB 2672, the $12 minimum wage bill on Tuesday, then meet with city councilmembers Thursday in support of a $15 minimum wage for Seattle.
When & Where: - Olympia: Tuesday, February 4, 2014, 1:30pm, House Labor & Workforce Development Committee, House Hearing Room D, John L. O’Brien Building, Capitol Campus - Seattle: Thursday, February 6, 2014. Media availability beginning at 9:00 am — more details available tomorrow.
Fast food workers are taking their stories to lawmakers just a week after McDonald’s had its own lobby day in Olympia in support of the corporate interests of the multi-billion-dollar corporation and its major franchisees.
More information:
- New Federal data shows that 8 of the 10 the fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages — average wages of less than $15/hour. A ninth job pays just barely more.
- Wage stagnation is having a major negative impact on the whole economy, Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
- A survey of job data shows that less than 10% of people who work for certain low-wage employers ever land a living-wage job.
Sparked by the 2013 fast food strikes and the landmark victory of SeaTac Proposition 1, Good Jobs Seattle 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 pay enough for workers to support themselves and contribute to the local economy. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by Working Washington, SEIU Healthcare 775NW, OneAmerica, Teamsters 117, Washington CAN! and hundreds of workers and community members across the city.
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Contact: Sage Wilson, Working Washington: sage@workingwa.org