Working Washington issues the following statement in advance of this afternoon’s scheduled 2:00 pm vote by City Council to pass a $15 minimum wage for Seattle:
We did it!
A year ago, hundreds of fast food workers in Seattle went on strike for $15 and the right to organize, sparking a new movement to remake our poverty-wage economy.
Six months ago, SeaTac workers won the vote on Proposition 1, which sets a $15 minimum wage for transportation & hospitality workers in and around our airport.
And today, Seattle City Council is set to ratify the central demand of the fast food workers movement by passing a $15 minimum wage — becoming the first big city to commit to the principle that everyone should be able to support themselves, afford the basics, and contribute to the economy.
When Seattle fast food workers with Working Washington first called for $15, many thought it was well out of reach — an impossible dream, not a realistic demand. But the bold leadership of fast food workers, airport workers, grocery workers, and others transformed the public debate and changed what was possible.
A year ago, $15 was just a number on fast food strikers’ picket signs. Today it’s set to become reality for 100,000 Seattle workers.