Meeting the Moment with the Seattle Shield Initiative

Washington workers have shown the rest of the country time and again that we believe in fair pay, safe workplaces, and uplifting fair businesses – and when we fight for those things, we win. 

That is under threat, not because we are failing, but because the city is grappling with a huge budget deficit. This shortfall is occurring at the same time as the federal government recklessly slashes funding for programs that families need to survive, like food banks, housing assistance, and workers’ rights enforcement. Working Washington stands in strong support of the Seattle Shield Initiative by Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, which would sustain funding for labor standards enforcement while providing relief for small businesses by making the wealthiest corporations in the city pay more of what they owe.

In Washington, we’re used to fighting back against our homegrown billion-dollar corporations like Amazon and Boeing and Microsoft, but now the United States is under the thumb of billionaires and wealthy corporations too. The billionaires in charge of the corporations are pulling the strings from the shadows and in some cases calling the shots in plain view to disrupt our safety and take from our communities, and those funding cuts threaten everything we fought for. They’re also using their shadowy influence to try to push harmful budget cuts while giving themselves huge tax breaks.

Seattle is rejecting that path and showing the leadership we should expect from our elected officials at every level of government. We’re showing the rest of the country that leaders don’t need to undermine workers’ rights in order to support small businesses and help them thrive. Fairness is good for workers and fairness is good for business. We’re choosing to lay the foundation for a stronger local economy that allows us all to flourish.

Councilmember Rinck and a coalition of workers, housing advocates, and small employers are championing the Seattle Shield Initiative to raise taxes on the wealthiest corporations that will generate $90 million for our region’s services and programs that workers rely on. This includes making sure we have the resources to fight wage theft and other workplace abuses – abuses that weaken our economy and make it harder for Seattle’s working families to stay housed and fed.  

By funding the Office of Labor Standards, we’ll make sure workers get the money we are owed. We’ll continue to put millions of dollars back in the hands of Seattle workers, and we’ll be able to spend that money right here at home – supporting our local businesses and growing our city’s economy. OLS ensures that we all have real protections on the job and that employers have what they need, particularly high-road employers who are harmed when bad bosses try to cheat workers and the system.

This proposal does what we’ve always said a fair economy should do. It helps both workers and small businesses. It eases the pressure on small businesses while making sure the biggest and wealthiest corporations in the city pay what they owe. We ensure sustained funding for workers’ rights enforcement, uplift small businesses, and protect our city at a time when we are under threat from the far-right regime in the White House.

Let’s make sure the Seattle City Council votes to approve the Seattle Shield proposal for the November ballot where Seattle workers can use our power to pass it into law.

Seattle: no matter where you live in the city, who you are, how much you make, or how long you’ve been here – you have the chance to help workers and small business owners by making the wealthiest employers here contribute what they owe us. Join us in telling our councilmembers to approve the Seattle Shield proposal. Sign up to our mailing list to find out how, and find us on socials at Working Washington on all platforms to connect with other Seattleites in the fight.

Seattle Shield can protect what matters, but it's only a strong first step toward fairness. We need to keep fighting for the bold and ongoing investments that Seattle needs and we do that pursuing more progressive revenue to fund it. 

Seattle’s Minimum Wage Increase is Changing Lives—Let’s Celebrate This Win!

For years, restaurant workers in Seattle struggled with unpredictable wages due to the tip penalty, where tips were used to make up their base pay. But thanks to worker organizing, that era is over.

Seattle’s new minimum wage of $20.76/hour—one of the highest in the country—means that restaurant workers finally have stable, predictable pay. A recent Working Washington survey found that before the increase:

✅ More than half of surveyed restaurant workers made less than $20/hour

✅ The vast majority saw a real raise when the new wage took effect on January 1

This isn’t just numbers—it’s real, material change. Brianna Martinez, a longtime hospitality worker, told Eater Seattle:

“I’m really happy about the extra pay… It feels a lot more stable and predictable on a weekly basis.”

Her coworker Lara Tkachenko shared how the boost in pay made this the first winter she hasn’t been financially strapped—a season when slow business often leaves service workers struggling.

While some restaurant owners and right-wing media claim this wage increase is harming the industry, the reality is clear: workers are better off. No one should have to overwork themselves just to survive the winter.

Read the full article on Eater Seattle and share this victory—we’re proving that fair wages make a difference!

READ MORE - Eater Seattle

10 Years of Worker Wins: Seattle’s Fight for Fair Wages

Today, we celebrate a decade of worker power! In 2015, Seattle’s Minimum Wage and Wage Theft Ordinances took effect—raising wages, holding bad employers accountable, and setting a national standard for worker protections.

The Impact

✅ $16 million recovered for nearly 10,000 workers

✅ Minimum wage increased from $9 in 2014 to $20.76 today

✅ 6,000+ workers won back stolen wages through wage theft enforcement

These victories didn’t happen by chance—they happened because workers organized, took action, and fought for fairness.

Today, Seattle’s minimum wage stands at $20.76 per hour, showing just how far we’ve come in the fight for fair pay. But the work isn’t over—bad employers still attempt to undercut workers, and we must remain vigilant to defend and expand these hard-fought gains.

The Fight Continues

As our Executive Director Danielle Alvarado says:

“Winning the Fight for $15 was just the beginning. Strong enforcement ensures our victories keep putting money back in workers’ pockets and building a fair economy for all.”

Seattle’s worker movement is proof: when we organize, we win. This milestone is not just about celebrating the past—it’s about fueling the movement for our future. 

As we look ahead, we must continue the fight to strengthen enforcement, expand protections, and ensure that all workers—especially those in historically excluded industries like domestic work and gig work—are treated with the dignity we deserve.

Let’s keep pushing for justice in every workplace!

Read More Here