Throughout my career I’ve led coalitions to major victories that put money back in the pockets of working families, from higher wages to lower transit fares. But we need to do more. Seattle has become less and less affordable, as costs like housing and child care have skyrocketed. Families with young children too often move out of the city, contributing to our school enrollment and funding crisis and making our neighborhoods and communities less vibrant.

 

Seattle has been a national leader in passing a $15 minimum wage (now $20.76 with cost-of-living adjustments) and other pathbreaking labor standards, from secure scheduling to protections for gig workers. We must build upon this leadership, because working families continue to struggle in our high-cost region.

 

As the U.S. Department of Labor is under attack, Seattle and Washington state must hold the line, finding new ways to protect and strengthen workers’ rights to organize and form unions. And as federal programs like SNAP food assistance and Medicaid are threatened, we must do more to ensure that working families can support themselves and thrive in our city.