As a resident of Seattle, I do business with and speak to folks making minimum wage in this city every day. These are the workers who prepare food, serve in retail sales, clean offices and homes, take care of the elderly and disabled and perform many additional jobs that make our city work. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics national numbers, 25% of these folks are parents, three-quarters are over 20 years old, and over half are the primary wage earners in their households.
As a matter of basic fairness, these responsible workers should be paid at a minimal level that allows them to live in the City of Seattle.
Currently there is no such guarantee. Even though Washington State's minimum wage is higher than the federal minimum, the State minimum is still below the very basic minimal costs of living Seattle for even a single person. For those with a child to take care of, the situation is worse: a singe parent with one child would need to work over 80 sate-minimum-wage hours every week to support the basic needs of her family. (see more on these statistics here:
http://livingwage.mit.edu/places/5303363000)
Let's establish a City-wide minimum wage that begins to correct this injustice.
If you work here, you should be able to live here!
