A new standard for Seattle stadium workers

UNITE HERE Local 8, Levy Restaurants announce $22 minimum wage at Lumen Field

SEATTLE (Oct. 21, 2021) — UNITE HERE Local 8 and Levy Restaurants are announcing a new minimum wage of $22 an hour for the food service workers at Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders. Many levy employees saw an immediate increase of $5.31 or more per hour effective Oct. 1, 2021.

Levy employs nearly 400 workers at Lumen Field who work as cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, warehouse porters, concession stand cashiers, suite attendants, and more. The workers are members of UNITE HERE Local 8, the Union of hospitality and food service workers for the Pacific Northwest.

City Council President and mayoral candidate Lorena Gonzalez praised the deal.

“This new contract with fairer wages for stadium workers is a victory for our working families and our local economy,” Gonzalez said. “When employers, like Levy at Lumen Field, recognize the value of treating Seattle’s workers with respect, fair wages, and better working conditions, we move one step closer towards an equitable recovery. As Mayor, I am ready to work with high-road employers like these, who invest in the dignity and prosperity of their workforce.”

Christy O’Shaugnessy has been a bartender at Lumen Field for more than 10 years, and saw her wage increase to $22 per hour.

“I almost cried when I heard what our new wage was going to be,” she said. “Workers deserve so much more in this city. Levy’s leadership is a game-changer for many of us who work in stadiums.”

Local 8 applauded the employer for coming to the new wage agreement.

“We hear so much about the labor shortage affecting the food industry,” said Natalie Kelly, the negotiator for Local 8. “It is heartening to see Levy, as an employer, respond to that shortage in the most effective way: agreeing to life-changing raises to make these the best-paying stadium jobs in the city.”

Dewayne Jamison, a Lead Warehouse worker at Lumen Field, saw his wage jump to $24.33.

“I’ve been stressed out about the rising cost of living,” he said. “I’d even started cutting back on food just to make sure we’d have enough to make ends meet. This new wage is going to give us a better quality of life and make such a difference to my family. With my union, I’m always fighting for working people to get a better deal, and this is a huge step in the right direction.”

Levy currently has positions open for job applicants. Interested candidates can click here to apply.

UNITE HERE Local 8 represents about 5,000 workers in the hospitality industries of Oregon and Washington state. Local 8 members work in hotels, restaurants, food service, and airport concessions. They include room cleaners, cooks, bartenders, bellmen, food and beverage servers, bussers, and dishwashers. Local 8’s parent union, UNITE HERE, represents hotel, food service, and gaming workers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Learn more here.