Seattle, WA
City Council proposal could lower delivery driver minimum wage law in Seattle
SEATTLE – Seattle City Council is considering a proposed ordinance related to app-based worker labor standards that advocates say would harm gig workers in Seattle.
CB 120775 would revise major parts of the PayUp bill passed by the previous Seattle City Council in May 2022.
The original PayUp bill guarantees a minimum wage for gig workers.
The new proposal would pay gig workers based on an hourly rate when making deliveries to keep the wage at $19.97, which is Seattle’s mandated minimum wage, as well as add a per-mile minimum of $0.35.
Advocates of the original PayUp bill say when you consider payroll taxes and other fees that gig workers have to deal with, CB 120775 misses the mark for meeting the minimum wage.
“At the end of the day, this proposal is to return this industry to sub-minimum wages, which is why we oppose it,” said Danielle Alvarado, Executive Director of Working Washington.
Alvarado blamed customer fees that app-based delivery companies tacked onto customers as soon as the PayUp bill started in January. In Thursday’s Committee meeting, Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson also pointed the finger at customer fees.
“The fee has to go away because no one is disputing that was a catalyst to this,” said Councilmember Nelson.
Councilmember Nelson cited data from Drive Forward, saying the customer fees have reduced customer demand, hurting income for drivers and restaurants in Seattle.
In the past 3 months, DoorDash says there has been an estimated 300,000 fewer orders made in Seattle.
The company sent us this statement:
“It’s painfully clear from listening to Dashers, merchants and consumers that this new law simply isn’t working. The latest numbers show that the longer this law remains in place, the more harm it causes. The compromise proposal presented by Drive Forward that the City Council is considering is a promising step toward increasing affordability for consumers and restoring millions in lost revenue for merchants and Dashers in Seattle.”
However, Alvarado says companies like DoorDash need to share data, especially when it comes to customer fees and that data from Drive Forward is coming from a group founded and funded by Uber.
“So, that tells us it’s an industry-drafted policy which didn’t include so many other stakeholders,” said Alvarado.
Alvarado wants to see data when it comes to customer fees.
“We feel like data really should be provided to explain why those fees have been imposed on customers,” said Alvarado. “What is the impact of those fees on workers? All of that, we think, should be explored.”
Alvarado says CB 120775 also lacks transparency. As listed here, this proposed ordinance would “Eliminate OLS’s ability to require affirmative records production from companies for purposes of administration, evaluation, and enforcement.”
If CB 120775 passes, its impacts could spill beyond the gig worker economy.
“If we have parts of our economy where they say all bets are off, there are no expectations with how businesses treat workers, that’s something that will never stay to one segment,” said Alvarado.
While amendments could be made to CB 120775, a vote on this proposed ordinance could come as early as May 21.
We reached out to Seattle City Council, but a spokesperson said members were not available for interviews on Thursday.
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Seattle, WA
National Championship Rivals Become Seattle Seahawks Teammates
The last time Michigan’s A.J. Barner and Washington’s Jack Westover stepped onto a football field, they were on opposite sides of the National Championship on Jan. 8. But now, they are teammates together in the tight end room for the Seattle Seahawks.
Michigan pulled out the win, giving Barner the championship. And he’s the one more likely to see the field first as a fourth-round draft pick, but he’s very excited to team up with the undrafted former Husky.
“Jack’s (Westover) my guy,” Barner said at rookie minicamp. “We were able to hangout during the pre-draft process too, just chop it up, talk ball and get to know each other too. He knows Seattle well and the state, he’s from here so even outside of football getting the lay of the land, it’ll be great to be with him.”
There is a world now where Barner and Westover can co-exist. Barner is more of a blocking tight end at 6-6, but Westover had more receiving yards and was used as a receiving weapon more often in college. In his last season at Washington, he had 46 receptions for 433 yards and four touchdowns. Only wide receivers Rome Odunze, who was taken No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bears, and Ja’Lynn Polk, the No. 37 overall pick by the New England Patriots, had more catches for the Huskies last season.
The fact that they already have a built-in chemistry gives them a head start as they navigate their first offseason together as pros in the NFL, and that could be what helps them to see the field alongside one another, instead of on opposite sidelines, this fall.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks 2024 NFL Draft Superlatives
Hitting the practice field for the first time, the Seattle Seahawks latest draft wrapped a much different looking rookie minicamp under new head coach Mike Macdonald on Saturday, debuting several newcomers including Byron Murphy II and Christian Haynes.
Looking at their new eight-player class holistically as the offseason programs revs into the third and final stage leading up to training camp in July, which player will prove to be the best value? Who is the wild card to watch? Which day three selection has the best chance to develop into a Pro Bowler or All-Pro caliber talent? What incoming rookie presents the best all-around scheme fit?
Hosts Corbin Smith and Nick Lee pull out their crystal balls to examine Seattle’s 2024 draft class and dish out their annual post-draft superlatives. They also take a close look at what went down at the first practice of rookie minicamp, including initial clues for how the coaching staff plans to deploy Haynes and fellow rookie guard Sataoa Laumea.
Capping off the show, Smith and Lee assess the Seahawks current salary cap dilemma and what options general manager John Schneider has at his disposals to free up much-needed financial relief to get out of the red in a jam-packed episode of Locked On Seahawks.
Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks in the video player above or subscribe for free to the podcast platform of your choice here.
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Follow Corbin Smith on X and Threads, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the Seattle Seahawks and talking with fans.
Seattle, WA
Escaped zebra captured near Seattle after gallivanting around Cascade mountain foothills for days – East Idaho News
SEATTLE (AP) — A zebra that has been hoofing through the foothills of western Washington for days was recaptured Friday evening, nearly a week after she escaped with three other zebras from a trailer near Seattle.
Local residents and animal control officers corralled the zebra named “Shug” in the community of Riverbend, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Seattle, the Regional Animal Services of King County wrote on its website.
“The zebra seemed to be in good condition despite her nearly week-long adventure in the woods,” the agency wrote.
Shug was one of four zebras that escaped as they were being transported from Washington to Montana last Sunday. The driver had taken the Interstate 90 exit for North Bend, in the Cascade mountain foothills about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of Seattle, to secure the trailer, when the animals got loose — surprising residents and drivers as they galloped into a rural neighborhood.
Three were quickly captured after being corralled in a pasture. But the fourth — a mare who was initially dubbed “Z” — hopped a fence and disappeared. Shug’s adventure quickly captured public attention, spawning social media memes that placed the animal everywhere from riding a ferry across Puget Sound to rounding the bases at T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners.
But there were more credible sightings elsewhere: Some area residents spotted Shug on their trail cameras, and that sparked some concerns since the cameras also recently captured cougars in the area.
Earlier Friday, King County officials closed off trail access points along the Snoqualmie Valley Trail in the Boxley Creek Natural Area, where the zebra seemed to be frequenting. People trying to see the zebra there may have been spooking it, making it harder to recapture, they said. Feeding zones were set up to help coax the animal out for a rescue.
Owner Kristine Keltgen previously told The Seattle Times she bought the zebras in Lewis County, Washington, and was bringing them to a petting zoo she runs near Anaconda, in southwestern Montana. She had been on the road for about two hours when she noticed one of the trailer’s floor mats was flapping and dragging behind her. When she opened the door to adjust the mat, the zebras ran out. Several people stopped to help corral the animals, including a rodeo clown and horse trainers, but Shug had managed to elude those attempts.
Shug will now be transported to Montana to join the rest of the dazzle, or group, of zebras, Regional Animal Services of King County said.
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