SeaTac to Seattle march for $15 on Thursday

The following is from Good Jobs Seattle:

SEATTLE — Seizing on the momentum of the landmark for the $15 minimum wage in SeaTac, fast food workers and community supporters will mount a day-long, 8-hour march on Thursday, Dec. 5 that traces the $15 movement’s path from its first big victory in SeaTac to its next destination — Seattle City Hall. The event is happening the same day that fast-food strikes are anticipated in about 100 cities across the nation.

Supporters march to turn in petitions for SeaTac Prop 1 in June.

UPDATE: The departure site from SeaTac at 9 a.m. Thursday is unclear. (Will update this story if we receive word in time.) At 4 p.m., marchers will be joined by additional supporters at Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S. in Seattle for final stretch before arriving at City Hall, 600 4th Ave., at 4:30 p.m. for a rally for $15.

TAKE A STAND! Join the final leg of the march and show your support for ending poverty wages in SeaTac and Seattle! Meet at Hing Hay Park at 4 p.m., or just attend the rally at City Hall.

Before the first Seattle fast food strike in late May, the $15 minimum wage sounded like an impossible dream. Just six months later, it’s more than possible: it’s set to become a reality for more than 6,000 poverty-wage workers in the travel and tourism industry, including the people who work at the McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s in our airport.

The victory for $15 in SeaTac shows that workers and community members can stand up to giant multinational corporations, turn the tide of income inequality, and kickstart the economy by ensuring thousands of workers are paid enough to afford basics like food, rent, and transportation.

Adding to the momentum from SeaTac, candidates who expressed support for fast food workers and the $15 movement won several key Seattle elections:

• Mayor-elect Ed Murray vowed to push for a $15-an-hour minimum wage, writing in his Economic Opportunity Agenda that “Seattle should not wait for state or federal action” to “move forward on achieving the goal of a $15/hour wage for large-scale industries like national big box and fast food brands.”
• Councilmember-elect Kshama Sawant said her victorious grassroots campaign was “as close as you can get to a referendum on a $15-an-hour minimum wage in Seattle.”
• Councilmember Mike O’Brien co-hosted a council briefing on issues affecting low-wage workers, called on city government to take wage theft seriously, and helped striking fast food workers return to work without retaliation.
• Councilmember Nick Licata went so far as to use a campaign ad to encourage fast food workers to report wage theft.

Sparked by this summer’s fast food strikes, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle’s economy from the middle out — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, SEIU Healthcare 775NW and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.