The City of Olympia could become the next jurisdiction to raise wages and strengthen the local economy, now that Councilmember Jim Cooper has introduced new legislation which would phase in a $15 wage, and establish minimum standards for paid sick days and access to hours.
We've gotten this far because workers in Olympia have been coming together and raising their voices over the past year to demand a $15 minimum wage and workers' rights. We've gone on strike, marched in the streets, and met with politicians. With the new ordinance being introduced, the city council needs to continue to hear from us.
“Taking care of people is what I do. It’s what I’ve done my whole life and we deserve better. We deserve to have a living wage. We’re taking it one city at a time and Olympia is next! I support the $15 for Olympia!”
“$15 an hour is really striking it right in the middle. It’s a reasonable ask. It’s not money that’s going to be going into stocks and bonds and yachts either. It’s money that’s going to go directly back to our economy, to local businesses. $15 is a living wage.”
“We have very beautiful and vibrant local businesses here that are really suffering because the common person doesn’t have enough money to go shop at those places. There are so many little restaurants and little boutiques that I would love and go be a patron of, but I don’t have the extra money at the end of the month. I barely have enough to pay my bills.”