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!

At TRU’s September Membership Meeting, we voted on candidate endorsements for the upcoming general election. Election day is Tuesday, November 7th, but ballots will arrive in the mail a couple weeks before that. We encourage you to support and vote for the following candidates. If you want a voice and a vote in future endorsements, join TRU today!

King County Council:
District 2: Girmay Zahilay
District 4: Sarah Reyneveld
District 8: Teresa Mosqueda

Seattle City Council:
District 1: Maren Costa
District 2: Tammy Morales
District 3: Alex Hudson
District 4: Ron Davis
District 5: ChrisTiana ObeySumner

Bellevue:
Position 3: Mo Malakoutian
Position 5: Janice Zahn

Bothell:
Position 2: Mason Thompson
Position 4: Carston Curd
Position 6: Amanda Dodd

Burien:
Position 2: Cydney Moore
Position 4: Patricia Hudson
Position 6: Krystal Marx

Issaquah:
Position 6: Victoria Hunt

Kenmore:
Position 1: Melanie O’Cain
Position 7: Corina Pfeil

Kent:
Position 3: John Boyd

Kirkland:
Position 2: Kelli Curtis

Position 4: John Tymczyszyn
Position 6: Amy Falcone

Redmond:
Mayor: Jeralee Anderson
Position 1: Osman Salahuddin
Position 3: Jessica Forsythe
Position 5: Vanessa Kritzer –
Position 7: Angie Nuevacamina

Renton:
Mayor: Kim Monroe

SeaTac:
Position 1: Senayet Negusse
Position 3: Elizabeth Greninger
Position 7: Joe Vinson

Shoreline:
Position 6: Betsy Robertson

Tukwila:
Mayor: Kate Kruller
Position 2: Armen Papyan

Northshore School District:
Position 3: Han Tran

At TRU’s June Membership Meeting last week, we voted on candidate endorsements for the upcoming primary elections. Election day is Tuesday, August 1st, but ballots will arrive in the mail a couple weeks before that. Races appear on the primary ballot only if there are at least three contenders. We did not weigh in on all primary races, and (apart from three early endorsements) we only considered candidates who returned a completed questionnaire. TRU will do a second round of endorsements in September for the general election. We encourage you to support and vote for the following candidates:

King County Council:
District 2: Girmay Zahilay
District 4: Sarah Reyneveld
District 8: Teresa Mosqueda

Seattle City Council:
District 1: Maren Costa
District 2: Tammy Morales
District 3: Andrew Ashiofu
District 4: Ron Davis
District 5: Tye Reed

Other Cities:
Burien Position 2: Cydney Moore
Issaquah Position 6: Victoria Hunt
Kenmore Position 7: Corina Pfeil
Kirkland Position 2: Kelli Curtis

Earlier this year, TRU asked renters who recently received notice of a rent increase to fill out a short survey. This week, we’re publishing a report on the results! Here’s a summary of what we found, and you can read or download the full report here.

• 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.

Monday night, we delivered a coalition letter and a petition signed by hundreds of Burien residents, workers, and community leaders to the Burien City Council, urging them to raise the minimum wage to match neighboring cities like SeaTac, Tukwila, and Seattle. The public comment period was packed with testimony about why passing this legislation is urgent. Here’s what Olivia had to say:

“I’m 19 and I’ve lived in Burien for about ten years. I graduated from a local high school and I’m currently a fast food employee. I’m lucky enough that I’m able to stay with my mom and help out when I can but currently I can only pay a quarter of the $2,000 we pay for rent. I help with groceries and gas, and even with two sources of income we’re having trouble trying to make ends meet. We make too little to go on trips or visit family, but we make too much to apply for certain financial aids for college. I’m having to look for work outside of Burien just so I can help out more in my household. Please see the need that Burien workers are sharing with you and raise the wage!”

Supporters shared stories about how hard it is to miss your children’s school functions because you have to work multiple jobs to pay the bills. About how low wages force families to move, impacting their kids’ well-being and education. About how raising the minimum wage will level the playing field for employers who want to do the right thing.

Let’s make Burien the fourth city in King County to raise the wage! Now we’re waiting for the council to put this topic on the agenda & direct staff to start drawing up legislation — stay tuned for next steps, sign and share our petition with anyone you know who lives or works in Burien!

It’s time to celebrate our first big victories of 2023! Yesterday, Seattle took a major leap toward reining in the punitive fees that more and more renters, especially those with corporate landlords, are facing in this housing market:

With a 7-2 vote, the city council passed legislation that bans 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. Read more about the problem of rental “junk fees” here.

And…. Drumroll… after plenty of contentious debate, Seattle joined the South King County cities of Auburn and Burien and capped late fees at $10 per month, one of the strongest standards in the nation!

But there’s more. Last week in SeaTac, after months of deliberation, with much testimony & pressure from renters and community members, the SeaTac City Council took a final vote on new protections for renters! Here’s what they passed:

• 120 days notice for rent increases greater than 3%
• 180 days notice for rent increases greater than 10%
• Move in fees are limited to the equivalent of one month’s rent, payable in installments
• Late fees are limited to 2 percent of the monthly rent
• Limits around requiring social security numbers
• Renters on a fixed income can adjust the rent due date
• Stronger protections from eviction without just cause
• Rent cannot be increased on uninhabitable rental units

These new protections for SeaTac renters will go into effect in mid-May.

THANK YOU to everyone who helped to make these victories possible! TRU and the Stay Housed Stay Healthy Coalition are proud to have championed this legislation in Seattle and SeaTac. Join us as we continue the fight for stronger renter protections and stable, affordable housing across King County!

It’s been a big year for TRU! Here’s some of what we accomplished.

We raised Tukwila’s minimum wage to $19 an hour!

Late last year, we began laying foundations for a workers’ rights campaign in south King County. We surveyed nearly a hundred workers at and around Tukwila’s Westfield Southcenter Mall, one of the largest retail shopping centers in Washington state. Through conversations with workers, local immigrant-owned businesses, and organizations rooted in Tukwila’s diverse communities, we decided to take on an ambitious campaign to raise Tukwila’s minimum wage to match the higher minimum wages in neighboring SeaTac and Seattle.

We built a broad community-labor coalition and mobilized our members and volunteers for a citywide door knocking operation, talking with Tukwila residents about their struggles and the need for higher wages, and gathering thousands of petition signatures to qualify for the November ballot. We did it! Tukwila voters passed our measure in a landslide, with over 82% voting yes. Tukwila’s minimum wage will rise to about $19 an hour in July 2023, more than a 30% raise from the 2022 statewide minimum wage of $14.49. Our measure also includes an “access to hours” policy that requires employers to offer available hours to existing part-time employees before new hiring, to prevent corporations from cutting workers’ hours to avoid having to provide benefits.

We’re now discussing how to continue organizing with Tukwila workers and residents next year to ensure the new law is enforced and to fight for further gains, and how to spread the movement to other cities across King County.

Organizing with renters for stronger tenant protections in King County

This year, TRU continued working with allies in the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition, which we helped to build in 2021. We organized with renters and fought for stronger tenant protections in cities across King County. This work is especially timely as median rents skyrocketed this year, in many cities rising 20-30% since before the pandemic. By door knocking at apartment buildings and mobilizing renters and allies to put pressure on elected officials, we’ve won crucial protections in five cities this year. Our work in the city of Kenmore was covered in The Seattle Times earlier this year. We plan to continue this vital work in more King County cities, including SeaTac and Tukwila, in 2023.

Continuing the Fight for Progressive Revenue

Washington state has long had the most regressive tax system in the country. After dramatic tax battles with Amazon and Seattle’s corporate class going back to 2017, in 2020 TRU played an instrumental role in winning a big business tax (“JumpStart Seattle”) targeting the tech sector, which raised over $250 million in its first year— revenue that helped Seattle weather the COVID-19 crash, is now funding affordable housing and other community priorities, and will be key to sustaining basic services during the coming economic downturn and budget crisis. Last year we won a commitment from the city council to continue making our tax system more just, and this year the city laid foundations for a new Progressive Revenue Task Force!  TRU has a seat on this workgroup, which convened this fall and will continue its work through spring of 2023.

Sustaining Our Unsheltered Neighbors

The pandemic has been brutal for people experiencing homelessness. This year, TRU’s camp outreach project has turned tens of thousands of dollars into food, propane, batteries, water and other basic necessities for our neighbors surviving outside. This project is powered by TRU members’ volunteer labor, cooking meals and visiting camps every weekend, and funded entirely by individual donations from TRU members and supporters.

House Our Neighbors Coalition & Initiative 135 for Social Housing 

TRU is part of the House Our Neighbors coalition, which collected signatures this year for a Seattle Social Housing initiative and qualified for the ballot! Next February, Seattle voters will decide whether to create a Public Development Authority to build affordable mixed-income housing on the model of Vienna and other cities worldwide with large non-market public housing sectors.

Organizing for a Solidarity Budget

TRU is a proud member of the Seattle Solidarity Budget coalition, which grew out of the 2020 uprisings in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. This year the coalition’s priorities included fighting for living wages for human services workers, opposing police-based responses to the homelessness crisis, transportation investments to end deaths and injuries due to vehicle traffic, massively increasing the pace of affordable housing construction, and fully funding Seattle’s Green New Deal.

Defeating an Amazon warehouse near the Mt. Baker Transit Center 

Last year, we learned that Amazon was scoping sites in Seattle for new warehouses, including two sites near a light rail and bus station in the historically Black and Asian neighborhood of Mt. Baker. As Consumer Reports recently showed, Amazon opens warehouses in low-income and Black, brown and immigrant communities, with disastrous effects on their health and safety. We helped to build and support a coalition opposing these plans. In July, when news broke of a planned rally, Amazon announced that it no longer intends to build warehouses in South Seattle! Now the coalition is pushing to get those sites dedicated to neighborhood-supported uses such as affordable housing to prevent Amazon from changing its mind in the future.

Let’s get out there and knock some doors! Sign up to volunteer.

The Transit Riders Union made the following endorsements at our September Membership Meeting. Ballots are mailed on October 19th. Remember to Vote by November 8th!

City of Tukwila Initiative Measure #1: Yes

King County Charter Amendment #1: Yes

Seattle Measure 1B (Rank Choice Voting): Yes

11th LD, Pos. 1: David Hackney

30th LD, Senate: Claire Wilson

34th LD, Senate: Joe Nguyen

34th LD, Pos. 1: Leah Griffin

36th LD, Senate: Noel Frame

36th LD, Pos. 1: Julia Reed

37th LD, Senate: Rebecca Saldaña

37th LD, Pos. 2: Emijah Smith

42nd LD, Senate: Sharon Shewmake

43rd LD, Pos. 1: Nicole Macri

43rd LD, Pos. 2: Frank Chopp

46th LD, Pos. 2: Darya Farivar

47th LD, Pos. 2: Shukri Olow

48th LD, Senate: Patty Kuderer

King County Prosecutor: Leesa Manion

Seattle Municipal Court Judge: Pooja Vaddadi

Tuesday evening, the Redmond City Council heard testimony from renters in crisis and members of the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition. They debated and finally voted 6-1 to pass these important protections:

• 120 days notice required for rent increases above 3%, 180 days for increases above 10%.
• Move in fees are capped at the equivalent of one month’s rent, payable in installments.
• Late fees are capped at 1.5% of monthly rent.
• Social security number cannot be required to apply for a rental home.
• Renters on a fixed income like social security can adjust their rent due date.

There’s much more we want them to do, but this is a really great start! Enormous rent increases and displacement are happening now all over King County, and these protections will help to mitigate the harm to Redmond families and communities.

What’s next for the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition? We are expecting the Kirkland City Council to vote on a similar set of protections on Wednesday, August 3rd. And we are expecting Kenmore (which already passed the above protections) to vote on a second ordinance next Monday, July 25th, including a local Just Cause Eviction law that applies to all lease types, closing some gaping loopholes in the statewide law.

TRU and the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition will continue working to pass strong permanent renter protections in cities all across King County!

Photo by Tri Pham

Over the past three months, we’ve been hard at work gathering signatures to win a living wage for Tukwila workers. As you may have seen in The Seattle Times, last week we learned that we submitted more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot!

Thank you so much to everyone who helped with this achievement: all the volunteers who knocked doors, entered data and made phone calls; our hard-working TRU organizers; allied groups that endorsed the campaign & gathered signatures; everyone who’s donated so far— and, of course, all the Tukwila residents who signed the petition and all the Tukwila workers who spoke up about why it’s time for higher wages. Together we will win on election day!!!

But… It’s going to be a fight. We expect to be far outspent by corporate interests that care way more about maximizing their profits than the well-being of their workers. They’ll try to scare Tukwila voters into rejecting a minimum wage increase— just like they tried to do when SeaTac and Seattle were fighting for the same thing. We need to run a super strong Get-Out-The-Vote campaign this fall to counter their misinformation, and for that we need to raise a lot more money than we have on hand right now. To help us off to a solid start, please consider making a donation of $10, $100 or $1000 now in honor of TRU’s 10th birthday!

The Transit Riders Union made the following endorsements at our June Membership Meeting. Remember to Vote by August 2nd, 2022!

11th LD, Pos. 1: David Hackney

30th LD, Senate: Claire Wilson

34th LD, Senate: Joe Nguyen

34th LD, Pos. 1: Leah Griffin

36th LD, Senate: Noel Frame

36th LD, Pos. 1: Julia Reed & Nicole Gomez

37th LD, Senate: Rebecca Saldana

37th LD, Pos. 2: Andrew Ashiofu

43rd LD, Pos. 1: Nicole Macri

43rd LD, Pos. 2: Frank Chopp

46th LD, Pos. 1: Hadeel Jeanne

46th LD, Pos. 2: Darya Farivar & Melissa Taylor

47th LD, Pos. 2: Shukri Olow

48th LD, Senate: Patty Kuderer

Congress WA-09: Stephanie Gallardo

Back in March, the University of Washington finally agreed to provide fully-subsidized, employer-paid transit passes to ALL its employees. This was the result of a multi-year pressure campaign that TRU was deeply involved in, bringing together UW workers, labor unions, community allies, and transit and environmental advocates. It took years of pressure, from the inside and the outside, to push the UW to fully adopt this common sense pro-climate, pro-worker policy. The new benefit goes into effect on July 1! Read about how we got here in The Stranger, and celebrate with us on June 30!

On Saturday, March 26, we launched a new campaign called Raise the Wage Tukwila! Tukwila is one of the largest job centers in the state, with thousands of low-wage retail and food service jobs at and around Southcenter Mall. The neighboring cities of SeaTac and Seattle have higher minimum wages of over $17, but in Tukwila many workers are still making the statewide minimum wage of $14.49. That’s just not enough.

We need to collect signatures of thousands of Tukwila voters before the end of June to qualify for the November ballot. Check out our campaign website and sign up to volunteer at RaiseTheWageTukwila.org, and read more in The Seattle Times and MyNorthwest. Together let’s Raise the Wage!

Kenmore Councilmember Corina Pfeil. Ellen M. Banner, The Seattle Times: click through to source article.

Rents aren’t just rising in Seattle, they’re going up fast all across King County. That’s a big problem. Where are low-income renters supposed to go?

TRU and our allies in the Stay Housed Stay Healthy coalition are rising to the challenge and organizing to pass stronger permanent renter protections in multiple King County cities. Earlier this month, the city of Kenmore took a huge step forward. Check out this great article in The Seattle Times that highlights our work.

On Valentine’s Day, council members heard testimony from Kenmore renters and members of Stay Housed Stay Healthy, and devoted hours to discussing a long list of possible protections. They agreed to move forward with a number of them, including requiring longer notice of significant rent increases and capping move-in fees and late fees. Others they decided to study further. We expect a first piece of legislation to be passed later this month, and hopefully a second later in the spring. The Seattle Times article features stories from Kenmore renters and also one of the champions of our legislation, Councilmember Corina Pfeil:

“Several years ago, homelessness knocked on Corina Pfeil’s door. When her landlord raised her rent $300, Pfeil couldn’t pay, nor could she quickly find a cheaper place in Kenmore, where she’d lived for three decades.

‘I thought I was going to end up in a shelter,’ possibly separated from her older son, who was 18 and who has autism, she recalled.

That didn’t happen, thanks to a last-minute negotiation. But the upsetting incident stayed with Pfeil, who now serves on the Kenmore City Council and is pushing to pass a batch of new tenant protections. She still rents, in a sprawling complex tucked behind pine trees.

‘We have to be willing to take a hard look at the inequities in our community,” she said. “We’re a community with haves and have-nots.‘”

TRU and Stay Housed Stay Healthy will be working over the next few months to pass strong legislation in Kenmore, which will help to propel forward our work in other cities later this year.

Organizing to Protect Renters

The COVID-19 pandemic left many thousands of King County households unable to pay rent and at risk of eviction. This year, TRU stepped up to build and lead a countywide coalition called Stay Housed Stay Healthy. We fought for emergency protections to keep renters in their homes, and for stronger permanent protections to shift the balance of power between renters and landlords for good. We organized with renters and successfully passed powerful legislation in jurisdictions around King County:

Emergency Renter Protections

• • Kenmore: Enacted a local eviction moratorium from July 1, 2021 through Jan. 15, 2022. Created a legal defense to prevent future evictions due to rental debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Burien: Enacted a local eviction moratorium from July 1, 2021 through Jan. 15, 2022.
  • Kirkland: Enacted a local eviction moratorium from July 1 through Sept. 30, 2021.
  • Seattle: Extended a local eviction moratorium through Jan. 15, 2022. Created a legal defense to prevent future evictions due to rental debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Permanent Renter Protections

Seattle: Closed the “lease loophole” in Seattle’s Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, ensuring that ALL renters are protected from arbitrary & unjust evictions. Supported legislation requiring six-months notice of rent increases and landlord-paid relocation assistance if a tenant has to move after a rent increase of 10% or more.

King County Council: Won a pathbreaking package of renter protections for unincorporated areas of the county like Skyway and White Center, including:

• ALL renters are protected from eviction or lease termination without a “just cause.”
• Move-in fees are capped at 1-month rent and renters can pay in installments.
• Late fees are capped at 1.5% of monthly rent.
• For rent increases greater than 3%, landlords must give 120 days notice.
• Renters on fixed incomes can change their rent due date.
• You don’t need a Social Security Number to apply for a rental home.

This legislation creates a high standard we’ll work to match in cities around King County in 2022.

Unmasking False Compassion 

TRU, together with the ACLU of Washington and the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, brought a successful lawsuit to knock the “Compassion Seattle” initiative off the ballot. In addition to being illegal and misleading, this measure was far from a good faith effort to address the homelessness crisis. Instead, it was a cynical unfunded mandate backed by big business interests that don’t want to pay their taxes. TRU also joined the House Our Neighbors coalition to put forward real solutions: housing, shelter & services at scale.

Taking on Big Tech

Amazon has accumulated enormous power over our economy and our lives. But what is a monopoly? What are its dangers and how are we impacted as residents, consumers and workers? And what can we do about it? TRU co-hosted a teach-in with Puget Sound Sage, with special guests from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office Antitrust Division, to dig into these timely questions.

State Legislative Wins

The remote legislative session allowed TRU’s members and supporters to participate as never before. We set up many virtual meetings with individual legislators, testified at hearings, signed in “PRO” or “CON” on bills, sent emails and made phone calls. Working with allies, TRU’s pressure helped to win big victories like renter protections, criminal-legal system reform, the HEAL Act, Working Families Tax Credit and a capital gains tax. 

Organizing for a Solidarity Budget

TRU is a core member of the Solidarity Budget coalition, fighting for a vision of an equitable city where all of us can thrive. Thanks to this powerful coalition work, Seattle is the only city in the U.S. to shrink its policing budget two years running. Our pressure helped to restore the JumpStart Seattle corporate tax revenue to its intended purposes, including major ongoing investments in new affordable housing and equitable development. With the MASS coalition, we expanded investments in safe streets for walking, biking and rolling. And more! 

Sustaining Our Unsheltered Neighbors 

The pandemic has been especially hard on homeless people, and homeless deaths are near a record high. This year, TRU’s camp outreach project turned over $50,000 into food, propane, batteries, water and other basic necessities for our neighbors sleeping outside. This project is powered by TRU members’ volunteer labor, cooking meals and visiting camps every weekend, and funded entirely by individual donations from TRU members and supporters.

ORCA Passes for Afghan Refugees 

When refugee families began arriving in the Seattle area from Afghanistan this fall, TRU stepped up. We raised over $2,500 from individual donations from our members and supporters, and used these funds to purchase loaded adult and youth ORCA passes for the Muslim Community Resource Center to give to refugees in need of transportation in their new home.