Labor

Seattle's proposed police union contract once again fails to deliver even the meager reforms and accountability promised eight years ago, opines Howard Gale. With Seattle City Council set to vote on the contract this month, here's the case for rejecting it.

The $433 million contract with MV Transportation extends through 2032, and includes full start-up costs for the three Stride lines. It's the first time that Sound Transit has contracted with a private operator for core transit services.

While the Seattle Police Officers Guild scored a big raise and new benefits, the new labor contract negotiated by Mayor Bruce Harrell will continue to hamper the City’s new civilian crisis response department and its police accountability agencies.

Last week, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the City’s new AI Plan, which looks to harness the current artificial intelligence boom in the tech sector by integrating AI into the City’s operations, public services, and civic engagement. But critics worry about the ethical implications of AI use in public services, as well as its potential impacts on workers and environmental harms.

In the middle of a homelessness crisis, Seattle is still allowing employers to reject qualified job applicants simply because they don’t have a permanent address. That’s discrimination, and the Seattle City Attorney should lead the way in banning the practice.

Burien residents should vote for Measure 1 because it will actually raise pay for low-wage workers. The Burien City Council has sought to muddy the waters, but their alternative is riddled with exemptions and a tip penalty that will largely erase the benefit to workers.

Public defenders are warning that public defense as we know it is on course to collapse in King County and across the state if officials do not intervene with reforms and more resources.

The Fight for $15 has been won. Now housing affordability is Seattle’s biggest challenge. Repealing wage standards would be a setback.