Tell Patty Murray to ask tough questions before confirming anti-minimum wage fast food CEO Andy Puzder to run the Department of Labor.
Read MoreDid you expect locusts?
Remember when they said a higher minimum wage would spell disaster? Well the minimum wage for Seattle fast food workers reaches $15 on January 1st… and here's what we're seeing: the downtown Seattle McDonald’s is hiring.
And it’s not just Seattle. On January 1st, the statewide minimum wage rises to $11.00/hour, because we passed Initiative 1433 in November. We expect to see jobs and more hiring across the state, because when more people have more money, it means more customers for more businesses. That’s a big part of why Seattle is booming, and why Washington State’s job growth led the nation after we passed our last minimum wage increase back in 1998.
Of course, the national environment is a little unpredictable. So what do you think — what do you hope to see for workers in the year ahead?
Take the simple survey to let us know your hopes for workers in the year ahead. Then let’s make a plan to build our strength and make it happen.
Hey Amazon: $10/hour is not a living wage
Why is Amazon advertising a position that pays just $10/hour to do customer service… in two different languages… in a state where we just voted to raise the minimum wage well higher?
Read MoreYour messages of support
We asked for messages last week in support of the workers taking action on the four-year anniversary of the original fast food strikes that launched the fight for $15. And wow, did you deliver — with more than 500 thoughtful, encouraging, and inspiring messages…
Read More"I love my job and I love working at the airport but..."
Send a message of support to all the workers who continue to fight for good jobs and living wages in the year ahead.
Read MoreA lot can change in four years
Four years ago, in 2012, with minimum wage at $9.04/hour, anti-worker lobby groups pushed to carve out sub-minimum wages, tip penalties, and other exceptions. Four years later, $13.50 is on the way. A lot can happen in four years.
Read MoreSo...
Three days later, there's still a lot to process. When we look at the results here in Washington, we keep thinking about Initiative 1433. Our ballot measure to raise the minimum wage won majority support in 16 Washington counties (and 49% of the vote in two more counties) many of them far outside the Seattle metropolitan area. By contrast, Hillary Clinton only got a majority of the vote in 9 counties.
Read MoreHuh, they never go on vacation with us
National anti-worker lobby groups like the National Restaurant Association and the Koch Brothers had private getaways to discuss minimum wage ballot measures — including Washington’s Initiative 1433.
Read MoreWhere do they find these people? We found out.
Turn out that the face of the campaign against the minimum wage is a stock photo called "Two friends collecting money to paying in a restaurant.” Hot tip: they might be able to more easily afford the bill if they got a raise.
Read MoreIs there a precedent for trickle-downers being quite *this* wrong about the minimum wage?
Some opponents of Initiative 1433 to raise the minimum wage — including several newspaper editorial boards — have been trying to make the claim that lifting the minimum wage from $9.47/hour this year to $13.50 over the next four years is an “unprecedented” increase. It seems to be in some kind of anti-1433 opposition talking point. (They must think it makes them sound smart. Or maybe they're just kinda desperate?)
Because here's the reality: there is plenty of precedent for the minimum wage increase in I-1433. In fact, every single recent minimum wage increase at the state and federal levels back to 1977 raised wages by at least as much per year as I-1433 would. (And that’s not even mentioning Seattle and SeaTac.)
Some opponents of Initiative 1433 have been trying to make the claim that lifting the minimum wage from $9.47/hour this year to $13.50 over the next four years is an “unprecedented” increase. In fact, every single recent minimum wage increase at the state and federal levels back to 1977 raised wages by at least as much per year as I-1433 would.
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