-Good morning, everybody.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Excited for the energy in the room
but even more excited to go outside
into the 72-degree sun of Seattle spring,
which we know we don't want to miss.
So thank you so much.
This is an important day, a special day.
This is the first of May
and it is also a day that we at the Department --
at the Office of Labor Standards
have used to really activate our community.
And get out and talk about all
of the important labor standards and protections
that we have for our workers in the city.
And to educate our business owners about what those are
and how they can be in compliance with those laws.
So this is an important day.
We have a strong record of supporting
and working on behalf of labor and workers here in this city
and we're proud to be part of that tradition.
We've got a brief program with you --
for you today with the mayor, members of our City Council,
members from labor, and our community partners.
And so I'm excited to bring them up.
First, I want to just do a brief land acknowledgment
to acknowledge that we are on the lands of the people
who first worked this land.
The Duwanish, and Muckleshoot,
and Suquamish peoples who are here,
have been here for time in memoriam,
and continue to be part of our community.
The labor that they've performed and the labor of others
in our community,
including the labors of people of color, immigrants,
and others, are worthy of recognition.
And we just want to take a moment
to thank everyone who's been part of this work
to work this community land.
Thank you.
So today is a day that we're going to take it to the streets.
It's a day where we're going to go door to door,
talk to business owners and workers
about the importance of labor standards.
And the fact that we are here to support workers
regardless of their status, regardless of who they are,
because this is a policy and a priority of our city.
International Workers' Day has been recognized
since for 139 years since 1886.
And it honors the historic struggles of people
in the labor movement
and particularly for the fight of such protections
as eight-hour work days,
something that we take for granted.
Today, we continue as a department,
as the Office of Labor Standards,
to fight for equitable workplace.
This is also the tenth anniversary of two
of our most important ordinances,
the Minimum Wage Ordinance and the Wage Theft Ordinance,
both of which became law in April of 2015.
And we've had much success in enforcing those laws.
The department's been able to recover over $16 million
for workers as a result of enforcing those laws.
It is also the second anniversary
of the App-Based Worker Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance,
part of the suite of laws that were passed by the Council
several years ago to support gig workers.
And since the creation of our office,
which goes back to
as a separate part of the Office for Civil Rights in 2015
and as a separate cabinet agency in 2017.
We have recovered over $50 million for workers
in the city of Seattle.
-Whoo!
-And this is money
that goes directly into the pockets of workers.
It is going to help workers pay their rent,
buy their clothes, buy food, pay childcare,
take care of the necessities of life.
And that is the purpose for which we operate,
to really help elevate and -- elevate the dignity of work
and create an environment in this city
where we recognize the dignity of work as a community value.
And that speaks to the kind of city
that we have here in Seattle.
Now, more than ever, workers need to be supported.
We see a lot of change at the national political level.
That change isn't always positive for workers.
And what we need to remember
is that we have the ability here in the city of Seattle
to do work that will support workers
and support businesses in their efforts to comply
with our labor laws.
We don't have to worry
about being able to support our workers.
Because the source of law that we call on,
the city ordinances, is strong,
is present, and will be here as long
as we have the kind of political leadership
that we've enjoyed that will support labor standards.
So it's important also that we're doing outreach today.
It's a key component of the work that we do.
It's a key part of our collaboration.
We're in the space of one of our most important partners,
Chinese -- the CISC organization that is here
and been a community partner for many years.
Thank you for allowing us to be in your space.
Thank you for being an important collaborator.
We have other collaborators,
people who have been part of our Community Outreach and
Education Fund for many years and thank you for your presence.
I also want to thank the departments
that are here with their staff
that are supporting us in this effort to bring the word
about labor standards out into the community.
So now without further ado,
I'm honored to introduce our mayor, Bruce Harrell,
who has a long history of supporting labor standards.
Was on the council when a number of them were passed,
so his track record speaks for itself.
Thank you for coming today and joining us
and we're looking forward to hearing from you.
-Thank you, Steve. Thank you, Steve.
Taking it to the streets.
That -- isn't that a Michael McDonald song
or something like that?
I started to bob my head a little bit.
Taking it to the streets. I like the sound of that.
To OLS, thank you for doing this work.
Steve talked about
the $50 million of remedies to workers,
almost over 90,000 workers directly affected
with these remedies.
And probably equally important,
hundreds of thousands of workers, laborers,
benefiting from this work because employers recognize
how seriously we take employment rights.
As a young lawyer --
I don't know if that surprises you that I was young
or a lawyer, but as a young lawyer,
I took employment rights very seriously.
I litigated many matters throughout this country
and even against the city of Seattle recognizing
how important having a good job and being treated fairly is.
Many people come from different countries,
different parts of the country,
to be treated with dignity and respect.
That is part of the American vision or American dream.
They feel good about themselves. They have a skill.
Sometimes an educational background,
sometimes manual skills.
They have energy to do something
and they should be paid respectfully for that skill.
And so for OLS, the employees and the leadership,
you are enforcing rightfully the laws and the policies
to make sure that they could have that dignity.
Steve, you're a remarkable leader
and I appreciate the way
you inspire the employees every single day.
We are very proud of what we do here
on International Workers' Day.
We know our North Star.
I said yesterday, when talking about a women's hockey league
that's come to Seattle,
I said this reaffirms our notion that we are a welcoming city.
I will not whisper that. I will yell that.
We value our workers and our laborers here.
We partner with labor.
When they hear my voice,
I am doing nothing but echoing your voice.
Michael, thank you for having us here
in the Chinese Information Services Center.
We know the work that you do.
Right now, let's say, for example,
English is a second language for you.
Let's say you're citizenship status is of concern
to you as a human being.
Imagine the fear you must have right now.
Race and social justice -- and Derrick Wheeler-Smith,
thank you for being here.
Your leadership is phenomenal, as well.
I don't want to show to Steve all of the love.
Right now, we have to show a nation in crisis
what we believe in in Seattle in terms of civil rights,
and workers' rights, and labor rights.
My voice is just echoing this great community that we have.
I am very proud when we look at our history,
whether it's minimum wage or paid sick and safe time.
The Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights.
Our labor community here -- and I see you over here, Katie.
I see you mean mugging me over here.
No, Katie's a remarkable leader, partner, and friend.
The labor movement here,
the whole country needs to see what we do here.
And now I'm saying we're taking a victory lap?
Of course not.
What I see now is a phenomenal opportunity to double down,
triple down, quadruple down, on this tenacity that we have here.
I close by saying this.
We know we are getting very real attacks
from the Trump Administration.
They are real. They're not just words.
But here in Seattle,
with our labor partners, with our community leaders,
with OLS modeling what we must do, we have the morale.
We have the tenacity. We have the energy.
We have our North Star.
We have the clarity of moral purpose.
And we have a strategy.
And those three factors will allow us to win
in everything that we do. So thank you for listening to me
and I now present to you the president of the City Council,
who by the way,
holds the checkbook during the budget time.
So and Council Member Alexis Mercedes Rinck,
I want to acknowledge you here.
I don't see any other council members.
So we have -- we don't have a quorum but we got two.
Council President Sara Nelson.
-Thank you.
All right, well happy International Workers' Day,
everybody. Let's get -- thank you for being here.
Thank you for taking it to the streets.
Thank you, OLS, for organizing and CISC for hosting us, today.
All right, so today,
as we watch the Trump Administration gut our
national labor protections and workers' rights
while simultaneously throwing businesses into a tailspin
through tariffs and uncertainty.
We are joining forces in Seattle between labor and businesses
to protect our workers
and educate their employers about what's right.
Seattle's small businesses form the fabric of our neighborhoods.
They drive innovation and they create jobs.
And I'll go out on a limb
and say that the vast majority of small business owners
want to do the right thing by their employees,
by their workers.
They just need to know what is the right thing.
And so that is why today is so important
from the perspective of the economic development chair
and also a small business owner in another life.
So the best way
to ensure that employers comply with our labor regulations
is to make -- is to do outreach to them, to educate them.
And this is especially important what we're doing today,
what you all are doing today, thank you.
It's especially important
when small business owners don't necessarily speak English
as a first language. So this -- we are --
we're educating today, and outreaching,
and also overcoming many barriers that are --
that can get in the way of everyone
in the business community wanting to do right by workers.
Proactive outreach is extremely -- I'll always say --
you said that I hold the checkbook.
I'd write a bigger check for more outreach,
so thank you very much.
Bottom line is we must take every step
as a city and business
community to help our workers and businesses
through an onslaught, an onslaught from Trump
and the federal government.
I'm proud to be joined by you and by business owners
that you're going to be talking to out there in the streets
and also by the workers
that you're going to be interacting with.
Proud that we serve as an example of what is
right in our country.
And so thank you very much.
This is an incredibly important place
to be doing this work in the Chinatown
International District.
Thank you and let's all have a great day.
-Now I want to invite another member of our City Council,
Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Council Member City at Large.
Thank you.
-All right. We'll make it work.
-Tilt it down a little bit.
-Okay, fabulous. Good morning, everybody.
-Good morning. -Good morning.
Thank you.
Today, as we mark International Workers' Day here in Seattle,
I want to take a moment to recognize the vital work
that the folks in this room do every day.
In our city that is built by labor,
your efforts in upholding our nation-leading labor standards
carry forward a profound legacy.
Seattle has been on the forefront of worker protections.
When we passed the $15 minimum wage,
when we established secure scheduling,
when we passed
the App-Based Worker Minimum Payment Ordinance.
And when we created protections for domestic workers,
we didn't just change policy.
We changed lives. And you are the ones
who give those policies meaning through your
diligent enforcement and education efforts.
In my first job as a waitress,
the owner of the restaurant that I worked in
told me that I couldn't receive my credit card tips
because she didn't know how to add my tips to my paycheck.
It was wage theft, pure and simple,
and I knew it was wrong but I didn't know what to do.
I didn't know who to call.
I didn't know that recourse was even possible.
I needed an Office of Labor Standards.
I needed to know that something
like an Office of Labor Standards even existed
and that is why today's event is so important.
Workers and businesses
need to know that the Office of Labor Standards exists
and is a resource for them.
And under this new administration,
working people and working immigrant workers
are under attack.
And as the Trump Administration and his oligarchs try
and rollback workers' rights, try to undo labor protections,
we must do everything we can as a city to stand against them.
And that starts with fully supporting, fully empowering,
and fully funding our Office of Labor Standards
so they can carry forward this critical work.
Now we know that workers' rights have always been a fight,
but even when all of the odds have been stacked against us,
we have still won because when we fight, we win.
When we fight?
-We win.
-And when we fight?
-We win.
-And we're going to keep fighting.
Thank you, everyone, for being here.
Now let's get to work.
-Thank you so much, Council Member Rinck.
And now I'm going to ask to come forward Katie Garrow
from the MLK Labor Council,
MLK Labor and the labor movement instrumental
in the creation of our ordinances
and the founding of our office.
So thank you for all of the work
that labor has done to support the work that we do.
-Thank you, Steve. Good morning.
As Steve said, my name is Katie Garrow
and I have the best job in the world.
I lead MLK Labor AFL-CIO.
MLK Labor is a coalition organization of unions
across King County.
We are construction workers.
We're bus drivers. We're nurses. We're teachers.
We're hotel housekeepers. We're firefighters.
And we make this city run.
We wear white collars, and we wear blue collars,
and some of us wear no collars at all.
The labor movement in King County is incredibly diverse
and labor standards, like unions,
give working people dignity
where they might not otherwise have any.
And at this moment,
that is in short supply. I'm here today with you
before I join my union family up at Cal Anderson Park
for International Workers' Day.
A day to celebrate the progress of the labor movement
and to fight for a better quality of life
for all people who work. It is also a day to celebrate
and recognize the contributions of immigrant workers.
One in five workers in this country was not born here
and one in four children have an immigrant parent.
Because of a sustained campaign by President Donald Trump
to terrorize, incarcerate,
and deport immigrants regardless of their legal status.
The work you are doing to inform workers,
in particular immigrant workers,
of their rights, is so important.
It cannot be overstated.
Seattle has long been recognized as a center
for innovation and technology,
but we haven't stopped there.
We have been on the forefront innovating workers' rights.
A minimum wage for gig workers,
a domestic worker bill of rights,
domestic workers
who were left out of the National Labor Relations Act,
scheduling protection laws.
This is a place that respects workers,
not with pretty words but with real policies.
That takes lawmakers who are willing to lead.
Thank you to the elected officials who have stood with us
when it was hard.
You have done right by us and we will not forget.
It is hard to be a working person in this country
even in the best of circumstances.
Choices like,
"Will I get my kids braces this summer
or will I send them to summer camp?
Who will pick up my kid
if I am mandated to work an extra overtime shift tonight?"
These are the choices that regular people face every day
and those are some of the lightest problems that we have.
"What do we do if my wages got stolen?
What do we do if my boss is threatening
my immigration status against me
when I ask for more hours at work?"
So the situation is bleak, but there -- we are not powerless.
There is not nothing that we can do.
We have laws that protect workers.
We're going to get out there today
and we're going to educate workers.
And we are also going to bend the arc of justice
in the direction of progress here in Seattle
and try to call for a better quality of life
for all people who work.
Thank you.
-Thanks so much, Katie,
and thank you for the ongoing partnership that we have.
I want to also now have next come forward one
of our community outreach and education partners
and the representative of the host of our event today
at Chinese Information Service Center,
Executive Director Michael Itti.
Thank you.
-Good morning, and welcome to CISC.
I want to thank the leadership of Mayor Harrell
and the council members
for your dedication to workers across our city.
Since 1972,
CISC has been honored to be on the ground
here in the Chinatown International District
serving immigrant communities.
Our team of 140-plus bilingual staff
serve thousands of people in Seattle
and throughout King County through our preschool,
afterschool, family support, and senior services.
CISC has been a longtime partner
with the Office of Labor Standards
to reach immigrants through our diverse teams
who support the unique language
and cultural needs of the people we serve.
We're empowering immigrants by educating them
about labor standards and their rights.
And before, too often, we saw many immigrants
who accepted subminimum wages
because they were fearful of losing their jobs.
OLS' work with community-based organizations
across the city has made a significant impact.
And through our collaboration,
we have increased awareness,
understanding of hard-fought worker protections,
and we've conducted workshops through our participation
with the OLS Youth Academy.
The knowledge gained has empowered workers
and strengthened the community.
And CISC is grateful to be a partner with OLS.
Thank you all for your dedication
and for being here today.
-Thank you so much, Michael, and again,
appreciation, great appreciation for the continued partnership
that we have with your organization.
Now I want to bring forward one
of our new Business Outreach and Education Fund partners,
Growing Contigo, Founder and CEO José Manuel Vasquez.
José, good to see you. Thank you.
-Good morning. Buenos días. How's everybody doing?
Thank you for being here today.
Thank you for joining us in celebrating May Day,
International Workers' Rights Day,
a day that's very special to my heart.
Because six years ago,
when May Day started, the celebration of May Day
on behalf of the city of Seattle,
I was an outreach worker at a nonprofit.
So now being coming back as a business owner,
I've been able to see both sides of this coin.
I've prepared some remarks for today and I'll try to be brief.
But I am honored to stand here before you today
as we join the city of Seattle
to implement the Business Outreach and Education Program.
A collaboration that exemplifies the power of sharing knowledge,
education, and support to our local small business community.
Because as you've heard from other speakers,
small businesses make up the backbone of our community.
They -- we create jobs.
We provide essential services, feed our communities,
and we become cultural gems in our neighborhoods.
Seattle's known to be a vibrant and very innovative space
where people, entrepreneurs can create new ventures
and build a stronger community for all.
However, not everybody gets access
to the same education or information,
especially if language, culture,
or technology is a barrier for immigrant-owned small businesses
through the city.
Navigating new laws or ordinances
as a small business can be very overwhelming and scary.
So that's why the Business Outreach and Education Fund
was established to help us go out to our community
to educate our small business owners.
Educate our employers on how can we prepare for that hike jump
when the minimum wage gets increased next year, right?
So that January doesn't come around
and everybody's freaking out
that now we're not going to be able to afford
to keep our employees on payroll.
So proactive education,
proactive investments of sharing knowledge and resources
to our business community
is essential to help us become better prepared.
And I know firsthand.
I grew up in a small family business environment
in South Park
when my parents operated a small video store for over 15 years.
And now as I am here standing in front of you
today as CEO of my own business, Growing Contigo LLC.
We provide business outreach and education services
and technical support to small businesses across the city.
And I'm excited to be a partner here of the --
with the Office of Labor Standards
and the other partners
of the Community Outreach and Education Fund
and the Business Outreach and Education Fund.
Together, we are going to be providing educational workshops,
one-on-one technical support, and creating culturally-relevant
and linguistically-relevant content.
To help connect our small business owners
with the resources and knowledge
that they need to be successful
and thrive in this quickly-growing economy.
I'll end with saying I like saying Seattle's
the city of two tales.
Because we're one of the, I mean,
relatively speaking, one of the wealthiest cities in the world,
yet not everybody gets to participate
in that economic growth.
Which is why programs like this are so important to make sure
that everybody has their fair chance to build a good life,
provide livable wages for our families
and for our small businesses.
To help us get better prepared to sustain those jobs
that we're creating in our community.
Thank you for being here today. -Thank you so much, José,
and thank you so much for your organization's support and work
and the work that you're doing with our businesses.
Okay, so thank you to all of our speakers
who really I think have kicked us off in a great way
to get ready to go outside.
And now to the actually more important part of the day,
although this is always great to have our speakers
to get us energized,
but we're going to go and we're going to go door to door.
We're going to go talk about the work that we have
and the work that needs to be done.
We're going to spread the word about labor standards
and the importance of being involved in the movement
to educate our workers.
And educate our community about the presence of
labor standards in this city.
So thank you.
I want to invite up either Jennifer or Rivka
to talk a little bit about organizing for the purposes
of our day today.