$15 per hour--Now the Law in Seattle
William Kaufman
Today, Seattle . . . tomorrow . . . ?
Movement wins $15/hr min. wage in Seattle!
Join the Socialists! www.socialistalternative.org
Read a socialist analysis of how we won: http://ow.ly/xA543
Support 15 Now and donate today: www.15now.org
Los Angeles Times_______________
Seattle raises minimum wage to $15, highest in the U.S.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-seattle-minimum-wage-20140602-story.html
"
The push for a $15 minimum transformed the November elections here and brought Seattle its first socialist elected official in nearly a century, City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant. During her grass-roots campaign, Sawant pushed for the purest form of the new wage -- $15 an hour, implemented immediately and granted evenly to everyone.
On Monday, she introduced several amendments to change the ordinance, seeking to force big businesses to pay the higher wage sooner and to strip out the training wage. As each amendment failed, the angry audience shouted: “Shame! Shame! Shame!”
"
Seattle is setting the stage for future movements,” Sawant said, “Seattle will be the place with the highest minimum wage in the country. But how will we expect workers in other cities to fight big business if we don't set the right tone?
“It is true that we will not win everything,” she said as her amendments went down to defeat. “But people's movements today are not being defeated by business. They are being defeated by the elected leadership of this city.”
"
The Guardian
: "
Seattle approves $15 minimum wage 'historic victory' for workers
"
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/02/seattle-plan-minimum-wage-hike-workers
quoted selection from this article:
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Kshama Sawant, the only socialist city councillor in the US, whose election campaign last year became a driving force behind the minimum wage legislation in Seattle, hailed the vote at a boisterous meeting before a packed council chamber as a “historic victory” for working people.
“A hundred thousand low-wage workers in Seattle will be seeing their wages raised to $15 an hour over the next 10 years. That would imply a transfer of roughly $3bn from the top to the lowest paid workers. Such a transfer has not happened in so many decades because mostly what’s happened is the flow of wealth has been from the bottom up. This is really raising the confidence of working people around the country,” she said.
"
Council Member Sawant's Speech at $15 Minimum Wage Vote
TV COVERAGE
:
•KING 5
Seattle Council passes $15 minimum wage
http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Seattle-council-expected-to-OK-15-minimum-wage-261511791.html
•KIRO TV
Seattle to get $15 minimum wage -- nation's highest
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/seattle-city-coucil-make-historic-vote-15-minimum-/ngB5K/
•KOMO News
Seattle City Council unanimously passes $15 minimum wage
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Seattle-City-Council-unanimously-passes-15-minimum-wage-261589691.html?tab=video&c=y
•Q13FOX
Seattle City Council unanimously approves $15 minimum wage plan
The Nation, John Nichols: "$15! A Great Big Wage Hike in Seattle, a Great Big Movement Nationally"
New York Times: "Seattle Approves $15 Minimum Wage, Setting a New Standard for Big Cities"
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/03/us/seattle-approves-15-minimum-wage-setting-a-new-standard-for-big-cities.html?_r=0
"“We did it — workers did this,” said Kshama Sawant, a socialist who campaigned for a $15 minimum wage when she was elected to the Council last year. Ms. Sawant sought to accelerate the carrying out of the measure and to strip out a lower youth wage training rate, but the council rejected her proposals."
Reuters: "Seattle approves hike in minimum wage to $15 per hour"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/03/us-usa-seattle-wage-idUSKBN0EE04B20140603
""We have worked alongside organized labor in Seattle who have campaigned vigorously for $15 (an hour)," said socialist council member Kshama Sawant, a supporter of the measure.
"We forced the establishment to lift the wages of 100,000 low-wage workers in Seattle, to transfer $3 billion from business to workers at the bottom of the pay scale over the next 10 years. We did it. Workers did it," Sawant said."
BBC: "Seattle votes for $15 minimum wage"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27674474
Capitol Hill Blog: "Seattle finalizes plan for $15 minimum wage — eventually"
http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2014/06/seattle-finalizes-plan-for-15-minimum-wage-eventually/
“Today’s first victory for fifteen will inspire people all over the nation,” said Council member Kshama Sawant, largely credited with being the the architect of Seattle’s move to address wage inequality.
“Today, workers in Seattle have made history.”
KPLU: "Seattle City Council Unanimously Approves $15 Minimum Wage — Highest In Nation"
http://kplu.org/post/seattle-city-council-unanimously-approves-15-minimum-wage-highest-nation
Seattle Pi: "Seattle enacts $15 minimum wage, a phased-in big dream"
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/06/02/seattle-set-to-enact-15-minimum-wage-a-phased-in-big-dream/#23925101=0
On 2 June 2014 16:05, Stephan Kimmerle <s...@socialistworld.net> wrote:
Seattle Times, "Seattle City Council gives final OK to historic $15 minimum wage",
http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023753163_wagevotexml.html
"The election of socialist City Councilmember Kshama Sawant in November provided pressure from the left. Her organization, 15 Now, made raising the minimum wage a political rallying cry and convinced many business leaders to work for a compromise proposal on Murray’s Income Inequality Advisory Committee."
Kiro TV, "Seattle to get $15 minimum wage -- nation's highest", http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/seattle-city-coucil-make-historic-vote-15-minimum-/ngB5K/
"Socialist City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant wanted higher wage in January."
"A big question is whether 15Now will continue its signature gathering campaign to bring forward a charter amendment to Seattle voters -- possibly in November -- to bring in a straight $15 an hour minimum wage."
KOMO News, "Seattle City Council unanimously passes $15 minimum wage"
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