The November election might be over, but the February 11th special election is coming fast, and there are two critical local measures on the ballot. One is TRU-endorsed Seattle Prop 1A to fund social housing. The other is in Burien, where voters will vote on raising the minimum wage. For the past two years TRU has been coordinating the Raise the Wage Burien coalition, which ran the citizen’s initiative that brought this measure to the ballot. Whether you live in Burien or elsewhere in King County or Washington State, the outcome of this vote matters for you, because what happens in Burien will set a precedent that other cities could follow.

Last year, a majority of the Burien city council passed a business-backed ordinance that pretends to raise the minimum wage but actually excludes most low-wage workers. Our Initiative Measure #1 will fix the problems with the City’s law. Check out this brand new analysis by the Economic Opportunity Institute, and The Urbanist’s endorsement of Initiative Measure 1.

Corporate opponents and some city officials are doing their best to confuse Burien voters. We have to set the record straight and win. If we fail, industry-backed elected officials in other cities may follow Burien’s lead and pass Swiss Cheese minimum wage laws (full of holes!) to prevent residents and workers from winning real ones.

Ballots will be mailed to Burien voters on January 22nd, and we need your help. Every dollar donated will help us reach two voters to counter the misinformation they’re hearing from the opposition. You can also join us knocking on doors, making phone calls, and writing letters to voters. Visit RaiseTheWageBurien.org to learn more.

It’s been quite a year for TRU. The Raise the Wage movement we launched in Tukwila just three years ago has been spreading steadily across Washington State; we made strides here in King County with a big win in unincorporated areas, including Skyway and White Center, and hard-earned progress in Burien as we gear up for the ballot next February. We won victories for transit riders and advanced or defended renter protections in several jurisdictions. We fought against austerity budgeting in Seattle, and our camp outreach team continued supporting our unhoused neighbors.

Read our full 2024 Highlights report here.

It’s official — the TRU End of Year Party will be happening this year on Wednesday, Dec. 4th! We’ll be at a venue in Columbia City for an evening of celebration, community, and fundraising to support TRU’s work. Members attend for free, and tickets for non-members start at $25. RSVP here, and bring your friends and family!

We had so much fun last year with TRU in Space that we decided to double down on the intergalactic theme with TRU the Wormhole, celebrating all the new transit openings that have happened this year. Transit-themed costumes encouraged though not required. We will be celebrating not just transit but all the progress TRU has made in 2024, including winning a highest-in-the-nation minimum wage for workers across unincorporated King County, and qualifying for the Feb. 2025 ballot in Burien. And much more!

It’s going to be a great party, so get yer tickets now! If you can’t join us you can still contribute toward our $25,000 fundraising goal. (Prefer to donate by check? You can always mail one to P.O. Box 20723, Seattle 98102.) TRU accomplishes a lot with a little and we need your generous support to remain the feisty, independent, winning grassroots union you know and love.

Trick or Treat! Burien City Council has been hard at work trying to trick voters and workers, but we’ll have a treat on the ballot in February. Join us for an update and planning meeting Wednesday, November 13th at 6pm. We’ll cover the changes council has made to their ordinance and discuss what’s next on our to-do list to get a real minimum wage law passed. Join the Zoom here or join by phone by dialing 253-205-0468, Meeting ID 826 2479 4070, Passcode 679395.

Next February, Burien voters will have a chance to vote to raise the minimum wage to match nearby jurisdictions like Tukwila, Renton, White Center, and Seattle. TRU has been helping to lead the Raise the Wage Burien campaign because we can’t let Burien set a bad precedent. Earlier this year, a majority of the council passed a business-supported law that they claim raises the minimum wage. But it’s a trick! Here’s why:

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Yesterday TRU was proud to stand alongside our allies in the Raise the Wage Burien campaign as we turned in 6,000 petition signatures to the city clerk the minimum wage. You can read about it today in The Seattle Times and check out our press release below.

TRU is proud to be a leader in the movement to raise minimum wages and labor standards for workers across King County and beyond. Did you know that we’re inspiring action across the state? A citizen’s initiative in Bellingham inspired by our successful Tukwila minimum wage campaign won at the ballot last November, and now organizers in Tacoma and Olympia are gearing up for local minimum wage campaigns next year. And we helped to beat back the recent push to roll back Seattle’s landmark minimum wage law.

Burien Community-Worker Coalition Submits Initiative Petition to Raise the Minimum Wage to Match Neighboring Cities

On Monday, August 12, a coalition of Burien residents and workers, community organizations, and labor unions delivered a petition with over 6,000 signatures of Burien voters to the city clerk. They aim to qualify for the February 2025 ballot.

“I believe raising the minimum wage will benefit the local community, especially seniors who are now in the situation where they have to work,” said Gigi Green, a Burien homeowner and pharmacy technician. “When I was a kid, seniors retired. They sat on the porch and talked about us. Now they’re working at McDonalds, they’re greeters at the big box stores.”

The proposed measure would raise Burien’s minimum wage to parity with nearby jurisdictions: White Center, Tukwila, Renton, SeaTac, and Seattle. Specifically, the new rate would match Tukwila and Renton, whose minimum wages are $20.29 this year, with a three-year phase-in for mid-size businesses and a seven-year phase-in for the smallest businesses. The minimum wage in unincorporated King County, including White Center, will rise on a similar schedule thanks to legislation passed by the King County Council earlier this year.

“A livable wage contributes to a thriving community,” said Sam Mendez, Vice Chair of the 33rd LD Democrats. “Raising the minimum wage is a longstanding principle of the Democratic Party, and I wholeheartedly support this effort to bring Burien’s wage in line with its neighbors. We want Burien to continue to be a place where people of all income levels can live, work, play, and thrive.”

The measure also includes an “access to hours” policy, similar to the Tukwila and Renton initiatives, requiring that large and medium-size employers offer available hours to qualified part-time employees before hiring new employees. This is intended to give workers access to full-time work when practical.

“As a teacher my experience was working with families who were always struggling to bring food to the table or pay the rent,” said Sandra Aguilar, a retired teacher (and current substitute teacher) in the Highline School District. “They could not wait for their kids to grow up so they could bring income to the family. Over the years I saw them again and they’d tell me ‘Oh now they’re working at McDonalds, at Walgreens.’ I ask are they still at home, and they say ‘Yes maestra, yes teacher, because it’s impossible for them to get their own apartment so they’re still living at home, and we need the money.’”

“As an educator who advocated for the minimum wage increase in Tukwila I have seen first hand how it has an impact on the whole family,” said Burien resident and Tukwila educator Jennifer Fichamba. “My families have shared that they no longer need a second job and are able to go to their kids’ events. Increasing the wage had a ripple effect! Wages for workers throughout the community increased.”

The Raise the Wage Burien coalition originally hoped that the Burien City Council would pass strong minimum wage legislation, but the ordinance the council passed in March is so full of carve-outs and loopholes that it will give very few workers a raise, leaving Burien a low-wage island surrounded by higher-wage cities. It is also complicated, confusing, and unenforceable; workers will have to take their bosses’ word as to what wage they are supposed to be paid. In fact, the ordinance was applauded by business interests and opposed by labor unions and worker organizations. For these reasons, the coalition is going to the ballot.

“Burien is an incredible place to live, filled with hardworking families who deserve to earn a living wage, stay in their homes, raise their kids here, and contribute to our vibrant community,” said Rashell Lisowski, a Burien resident and business owner as well as Organizing Director at the Washington Community Action Network. “As the co-owner and operator of a locksmith business in Burien, I take immense pride in the fact that the employees we contract make well above minimum wage. A higher minimum wage builds our city, strengthens our community, and puts money in the pockets of local business owners like myself.”

The Raise the Wage Burien coalition includes the 33rd and 34th LD Democrats, Alimentando El Pueblo, Burien Arts Association, Burien People Power, Community Visions, Highline Education Association, Queer Power Alliance, MLK Labor, NAACP Seattle-King County, Transit Riders Union, UFCW 3000, Weed Warriors, Working Families Party, and Working Washington.

“Working Families Party has been a proud partner in this campaign working with our partners to collect signatures,” said Vanessa Clifford, Pacific Northwest Regional Director of the Working Families Party. “We believe that people should be able to earn a living wage and not have to work multiple jobs to sustain themselves and their families.”

As we prepare to welcome a new year, we’re looking back at all we’ve accomplished in 2023, working with renters and workers and allies across King County. Here are some of the highlights:

Continuing the Fight for Progressive Revenue & Against Austerity 

In 2020, TRU played a major role in winning JumpStart Seattle, a progressive payroll-based tax on our city’s largest corporations—notably Amazon—which now raises over $250 million annually for affordable housing, equitable development, Green New Deal programs, economic resilience, and emergency used related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we’ve fought alongside allies to defend this robust progressive tax, and the integrity of the community-supported spending plan, from multiple attempts to dismantle it.

Now, Seattle anticipates a major structural shortfall in the City’s general fund starting in 2025, forcing tough choices to raise new revenue or cut vital programs and services. This year, TRU’s general secretary served on the Seattle Revenue Stabilization Work Group, tasked with exploring progressive tax options to fill the gap.

We formed our own internal committee of TRU members who did extensive research on tax options and compiled a report, “Progressive Tax Options for Seattle,” which we issued alongside the official work group report. This will be an invaluable resource for future efforts to right our unjust and regressive tax system and adequately fund vital public goods and services. 

We anticipate a major fight over the Seattle City Budget next year, as big business interests will attempt to divert revenue from JumpStart to address the general fund shortfall, effectively defunding affordable housing and Green New Deal programs. With our longstanding leadership on this issue, TRU is well-placed to play a major role in yet another defensive effort and to push for new progressive revenue—such as a CEO Pay Ratio Tax or a city-level Capital Gains tax—to fill the structural budget gap.

Candidate Forums on Transportation, Equity, and Mobility

This spring we collaborated with transportation and climate allies to host candidate forums for open Seattle City Council seats in advance of the August Primary elections. 

From transit reliability to safe places to walk, ride and roll, from smooth sidewalks to neighborhoods that can sustain and support us, mobility access and equity are part of all of our lives on a daily basis. And while our needs may be different, we all need to be able to get around our community safely, reliably and in ways that will lead us to a sustainable climate future.

We asked the candidates questions about their positions on issues of transportation, equity, and mobility. Forums were in person and virtual, and we posted recordings online.

Organizing for Renter Protections Across King County: Big Wins! 

TRU continued our work with allies in the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition this year, organizing with renters to pass stronger renter protection laws in jurisdictions across King County. In 2023, we won big victories in the cities of Seattle, SeaTac, and Shoreline:

This year, Seattle joined the South King County cities of Auburn and Burien and capped late fees at $10 per month— as far as we know, the strongest standard in the nation.

The same legislation banned Notice Delivery Fees. These arbitrary charges, often as much as $50 or $75, are tacked on whenever a landlord pins a notice to a tenant’s door. As far as we know, Seattle is the first city in the nation to ban these fees. This is an important step toward addressing the growing problem of rental “junk fees,” which TRU’s campaign coordinator wrote about in The Progressive magazine this year. 

With our organizing and advocacy, the South King County City of SeaTac and the North King County City of Shoreline also passed strong sets of renter protections in 2023, including:

• 120 days notice for rent increases greater than 3%
• 180 days notice for rent increases greater than 10%
• Move in costs are capped and payable in installments.
• Late fees are capped (2% in SeaTac, 1.5% in Shoreline).
• Social security number can’t be required to apply for a rental.
• Renters on a fixed income can adjust their rent due date.

SeaTac also passed stronger protections from eviction without just cause, and prohibited rent increases on uninhabitable units. Shoreline also banned Notice Delivery Fees and some other rental “junk fees,” and required that all fees must be disclosed in the lease for transparency.

This year, TRU has also been organizing extensively with renters in the City of Tukwila, where we ran a successful minimum wage ballot initiative in 2022 and where over 60 percent of households are renters — a higher proportion than any other jurisdiction in King County. We will continue this organizing next year, and we expect the Tukwila City Council to pass legislation in the first half of 2024.

TRU Survey: Renter Laws Work, but Landlords are Breaking Them 

Early this year, TRU asked renters who recently received notice of a rent increase to fill out a short survey. We analyzed the data, TRU’s campaign coordinator wrote about what we learned, and we analyzed and published a report on our results:

• New notice laws passed in Seattle and in other King County jurisdictions over the past few years appear to be working as intended to give many renters more time to adjust to a rent increase or find new housing.

• Seattle’s new Economic Displacement Relocation Assistance law may be causing many landlords to keep rent increases under 10 percent (wow!).

• Non-compliance is high. The landlords of about 1 in 3 survey respondents appeared to be breaking at least one law related to rent increases. More work is needed to ensure that renters and landlords are aware of these laws, and to improve compliance by landlords.

Progress on Raising the Minimum Wage Across King County!

Last year, TRU coordinated Raise the Wage Tukwila, a citizens’ initiative to raise Tukwila’s minimum wage that passed with 83 percent of the vote! This year, we participated in the rule-making process and succeeded in winning major improvements to the City’s proposed interpretation and implementation of the law. We also did outreach to Tukwila workers to identify violations of the new law and ensure that workers are paid the new, higher wage. In 2024, Tukwila’s minimum wage will rise with a cost-of-living adjustment to $20.29— as far as we know, the highest in the country. 

This year, we built on that victory by organizing for higher minimum wages in several other King County jurisdictions. Working with labor and community allies, we pushed for legislation similar to Tukwila’s in unincorporated King County—including White Center, Skyway, and Vashon Island, among many other regions—and in the City of Burien. While neither of these bills have yet been passed into law, we expect the King County Council to take action early next year for unincorporated areas. We are working with allies and community members to decide next steps in Burien. 

We also supported Raise the Wage Renton, a campaign inspired by our success in Tukwila and led by the Seattle Democratic Socialists of America and the Renton Education Association. Our organizers and members helped with signature gathering, we contributed some funds, and we gave the campaign’s leadership team advice based on our experience last year. The campaign gathered enough signatures to qualify for a February special election in 2024! We plan to help get out the vote to win another big minimum wage victory early next year.

Encampment Outreach & Direct Mutual Aid to Houseless Neighbors  

Throughout 2023, TRU’s volunteer camp outreach team continued bringing home-cooked meals and life-saving supplies to our neighbors surviving outside every week. This project is supported by donations from individual TRU members and supporters specifically to our camp outreach fund, and also by a one-time pandemic-related grant from King County. This project is totally volunteer-run, so all funds go directly to purchasing food, propane, batteries, water and other basic necessities.

“I’m not sure how I am going to be able to afford to move to a cheaper place, since my current rent is so high and they have thousands in deposit…I can’t save enough to be able to afford to move. So instead, I’ll have to continue to struggle to pay all my bills and keep paying more rent than I can afford at this time.”  — Samantha, Shoreline renter

Last night, after many months of advocacy by TRU and allies in the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition, the Shoreline City Council listened to renters like Samantha and took action. Despite aggressive mobilization by the landlord lobby, in a 6-1 vote, they passed a strong set of renter protections:

• 120 days notice for rent increases greater than 3%
• 180 days notice for rent increases greater than 10%
• Move in costs are capped and payable in installments
• Late fees are limited to 1.5 percent of the monthly rent
• A social security number cannot be required for a rental application
• Renters on a fixed income can adjust their rent due date
• Notice Delivery Fees and some other rental “junk fees” are banned, and all fees must be disclosed in the lease

Shoreline is the second city, after Seattle, to begin to address the growing problem of arbitrary and punitive rental “junk fees.” This is another major step taken to improve housing security for renters all across King County. We are continuing to organize with renters in other cities including Tukwila— stay tuned for updates in the new year!

Get Yer Tickets Now!

The King County Metro 8 bus is among Seattle’s most popular routes, yet it’s also one of the most delayed. Serving as an essential east-west link, it connects neighborhoods like Lower Queen Anne/Uptown, Belltown, South Lake Union, Capitol Hill, Madison Valley, and the Central District. Every day, over 5,000 individuals rely on it for commuting, running errands, and various other journeys. However, these trips are becoming more and more delayed. TAKE ACTION NOW

During weekday peak hours, eastbound Route 8 buses are often delayed by more than 30 minutes by the time they reach Capitol Hill. This transforms a scheduled 17-minute journey into almost 50 minutes. Given that these buses are usually at full capacity, thousands of passengers face extended wait times both for the bus to arrive and for their trips to conclude in both directions. This consistent delay has even earned the route a nickname: the “L8”.

We can fix this! It’s clear that the majority of delay on this route occurs on Denny Way in SLU, as car drivers funnel onto the I-5. Regular riders of the 8 know that they can typically walk faster than the bus until just after Fairview Ave, where a short stretch of bus lane provides some relief. This bus lane clearly works — let’s expand it!

We urge the Seattle Department of Transportation and King County Metro to prolong the eastbound bus lanes throughout Denny Way. A simple addition of red paint from 1st Ave to Fairview could ensure smoother transit for thousands of passengers and dozens of drivers/buses along this vital route. Importantly, the anticipated improvements in reliability and speed from these extended lanes could encourage many to switch from cars to the more efficient Route 8.

You can help! Email the city and King County officials to make this happen!