The COVID pandemic has left so many in economic crisis, and it has hit Black, brown, and immigrant workers especially hard. But we all know the struggle was real since long before COVID—the pandemic simply revealed the depth of the inequality at the core of our economy. Now, as corporations and landlords jack up prices on everything from groceries to rent to gas, we urgently need to elect people who will put workers before the wishlists of the wealthy.
We can’t chart a just recovery without addressing the underlying inequities that made the virus hit so hard and the economy crash so unevenly. That means:
Increasing economic security: repairing our broken unemployment system, creating an income replacement system for undocumented immigrants who’ve lost work, and putting cash directly into our pockets so we can make ends meet.
Strengthening labor standards and closing racist loopholes: passing new legal tools so we can enforce our existing rights, increasing penalties for labor rights violations, making it easier for workers to file retaliation complaints, and eliminating loopholes in state law that exclude domestic workers and other workers from basic labor protections.
Funding an equitable recovery & economy: closing corporate tax loopholes to ensure Amazon, Boeing, and other huge companies pay their share in taxes, and taxing the ultra-wealthy by enacting an excess compensation tax, billionaire wealth tax, and additional similar sources of progressive revenue.
Endorsements are a good way to get candidates to take positions on issues before they take office — a chance to ensure they’ll truly follow our lead and fight for transformative changes. So we asked candidates in a few important races around the state—seats that are crucial to building our political power—to tell us what they think we should do about the crisis we’re facing.
And now, we’re excited to endorse the following 9 candidates for office across the state. Each of these candidates showed a strong commitment to fighting for new rights, advancing racial and economic justice, and following our lead on the issues that affect our lives.
HERE’S WHO WORKERS WANT IN 2022:
Note: In the race for 37th Legislative District Representative, Position 2, both candidates have shown they’ll put workers first when they head to Olympia. We are endorsing both Emijah Smith and Chipalo Street:
MORE INFO ABOUT THE 2022 WA GENERAL ELECTION:
Help us Raise the Wage Tukwila! We’re supporting Raise the Wage Tukwila, an initiative on the ballot this November that would raise Tukwila’s minimum wage by $3/hour. Passing this initiative will boost pay for thousands of workers at Southcenter Mall, who are currently paid far less than people doing the same work just a few miles away in Seattle and SeaTac. Let us know here if you’re available to join us for a shift knocking doors to reach voters.
Need to find out your legislative district? You can do that here.
Need to register to vote? You can do that online until October 31st, 2022. You can also register in-person at a voting center or county elections office until 8pm on Election Day.
And remember, Election Day is Tuesday, November 8th. Ballots will be mailed out soon. For your ballot to count, it must be be put in a dropbox by 8pm or postmarked by the end of the day.