Seattle, WA

Seattle wants to raise awareness about domestic workers’ rights

Published

3 years ago

June 10, 2022

Seattle wants to raise awareness about domestic workers’ rights

Seattle was the primary within the U.S. to undertake a home staff’ invoice of rights. 4 years later, the town is taking steps to lift extra consciousness concerning the legislation.

SEATTLE — Home staff like nannies, home cleaners, gardeners, and cooks grew to become the main target of laws in Seattle in 2018. The town was the primary in the US to undertake a home staff invoice of rights.

Now, 4 years later, the town is saying funding to lift consciousness concerning the legislation.

Within the final seven years, the town of Seattle has been capable of settle almost a thousand circumstances the place employers agreed to pay wages owed to their staff at a complete of greater than $24 million. That occurred, partially, due to the work on the Workplace of Labor Requirements the place Steve Marchese is the Director.

“We really are simply closing the primary case, first settlement relating to home staff,” stated Marchese.

Marchese plans to ship extra particulars about that settlement subsequent month.

This week, the Workplace of Labor Requirements introduced one-time funding out there to organizations within the Seattle space that may do the outreach and assist home staff perceive their rights. The $250,000 for home employee group organizing shall be used for as much as eight initiatives. Nonprofit organizations and grassroots teams which have fiscal sponsorship with a nonprofit group can apply for funding.

At Casa Latina, Cariño Barragán, the Co-Govt Director of Training and Neighborhood Organizing, sees a necessity for the funding.

“The vast majority of staff nonetheless do not know what their rights are. As a result of it is the circumstances beneath which they work, proper. It is remoted. It is very only one on one,” stated Barragán.

The Home Staff Invoice of Rights consists of minimal wage, relaxation break, and meal break rights.

“Round 33,000 is the estimate of staff which are impacted by the sort of laws,” stated Barragán.

Now the main target is on ensuring all these staff know their rights.

“As a result of we all know issues are happening, however they don’t seem to be getting reported. And so, we need to make it possible for people know what they will ask for, what they will count on,” stated Marchese.

Danielle Alvarado, Govt Director of Working Washington launched this assertion concerning the funding:

“Home staff are extraordinarily remoted on the job, which may result in frequent violations of their rights—and we all know home staff of colour are particularly more likely to face these labor rights violations. That’s why staff of colour known as on the Metropolis Council to ship this extra funding, which is able to allow community-based organizations to conduct widespread Know Your Rights outreach and function a trusted bridge between staff of colour and authorities. The cash displays a deep dedication from Metropolis leaders to ensure essentially the most marginalized staff in our metropolis are actually protected by our nation-leading labor requirements. We’re able to develop our schooling work amongst home staff with these assets.”

The Workplace of Labor Requirements is accepting functions for funding up till Monday, July 11 at 5:00PM PDT.

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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

4 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Re: “Diesel or hybrid ferries? How about simply reliable” (Jan. 7, Opinion): Gov. Jay Inslee, Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and The Seattle Times editorial board are asking the wrong question: diesel or hybrid ferries? Inslee and the majority of Democrats support…

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Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Manuhunt underway for Mason County assault suspect

Mason County deputies are looking for a man wanted in a shooting in Belfair on Monday.

MASON COUNTY, Wash. – The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for a convicted felon wanted in a recent shooting.

The sheriff’s office says Michael Allen Beyer is wanted for first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Deputies believe Beyer was involved in a shooting that happened in Belfair on January 6.

Beyer is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information regarding Beyer’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Helser at 360-427-9670 x657, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

21 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

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Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

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