-Hello and good morning.
I am Steven Marchese.
I'm the director of the Office of Labor
Standards here in Seattle.
And I have a question for you.
Who has their walking shoes on?
(cheering)
Who's ready to go?
I've got my comfy shoes on because today is
the kickoff of our door-to-door outreach.
We are going into community
with our partners, with our friends.
We're doing this because this is
the annual May Day outreach event.
This is the eighth time we're doing it,
where we get to talk
to people and businesses throughout the city,
but particularly in districts one, two
and seven,
because we are here to tell workers
you've got rights under Seattle's laws
and to tell businesses
we are here to help you make sure that those
rights are safeguarded.
So thank you for being here with us today.
This is going to be a brief opportunity
for us to hear from some of our
elected colleagues and friends.
We're going
to have some members of the council
and the mayor here with us.
So I want to acknowledge
our elected officials that are here.
Councilmembers Foster, Rinck and Lin,
we have representation
from MLK Labor, and then Mayor Wilson
will be joining us shortly.
So we're really excited.
Let's have a round of applause for our
(applause)
Our speakers,
you know, I've been really fortunate
to be leading this office
for the last five years.
It's a great group of people.
We are doing work
that I know we all passionately
believe is important to this city,
making sure that workers
are treated with dignity,
that they are paid for the work
that they've done and paid fairly,
that they have the opportunity
to take time off
with their families when they need it,
to take care of their needs in their lives,
that when they're sick they can stay home,
that when they actually
want to know
what they're going to get paid,
if they're working on a gig platform,
that they know
what they're going to get paid
and if they're going to get deactivated,
that they know what the process is.
All of our laws here in Seattle
are designed
to make sure that our city
is working for the people who work for us.
So let's give the workers a round of applause.
(applause)
So I'm proud of our staff,
many of whom you see here right now.
We're all wearing
the blue T-shirt, which is for the
Office of Labor Standards.
So please all staff, raise your hands
because you're the folks who are getting the work
done in the office every day.
Thank you so very much.
Proud to be with you.
And our partners are here today.
Many of them are in the room.
Please, if you are one of our community partners
and you're here to join
us, please put your hands up.
We want to thank you very much as well.
(applause)
So we're here to really empower workers
by giving them information.
We're here to empower businesses
to know
that they have information for them,
that we're here to support them,
to comply with those labor standards.
And we've been able to do this, like I said,
because we've had a rich network
of outreach partners in our business
and our community outreach programs.
And like I said,
many of them are here with us today.
So you're wondering perhaps also
why we're doing this on April 30th?
Because if you look at the calendar,
May Day is actually tomorrow.
And we did this
because we wanted to respect the fact that
there has been a call for no work
and no no consumption of business,
no nothing tomorrow for May Day.
And we're here to respect that,
but also do the work
that we need to do to inform the public
about the importance of workers
and labor standards.
So thank you for being here with us today.
We're going to start with some of our guests.
First, I'd like to introduce
Councilmember Dionne Foster,
who is a citywide Councilmember
and Position nine to say a few words.
Thank you, Councilmember.
(applause)
-Good?
Okay, fantastic.
How are you feeling?
Are you feeling powerful? -Yes.
-Are you feeling organized?
Are you feeling excited? -Yes!
-Same. I am Councilmember Dionne Foster,
and it is just my absolute
pleasure to get to be here today.
And first,
I want to extend
my appreciation to the team
at Chinese Information and Service Center.
Thank you so much for hosting us
for this fantastic event.
(applause)
And thank you for your organizing
and your leadership.
And you know, earlier this week, actually,
we as Council
and jointly with the mayor,
were able to actually proclaim
and do a proclamation for May Day.
And it's my understanding
that this is actually the first time
that we've done this together as a city.
And it was a really important opportunity.
Sometimes we just think about
May Day as the moment where we are
all together.
I'll see you guys
at Cal Anderson, but we're here
all together out in the streets.
But I think it's so much more than that, right?
It is the work that you guys do
when you're in your meetings.
It is the work that you do
when you're out talking to businesses.
It is the intellectual labor
to put together these important policies
that protect workers.
And it's the work that we do
every day at City Council.
And so I'm so proud and excited
to get to be a part of this important moment.
So, you know, this year
is the eighth annual May Day outreach event.
And for me, as somebody
who's got a career
that's been rooted in service
and now in public service,
I cannot think of a more important way
for all of the fantastic volunteers that are here
to be spending your time.
Workers are powerful,
but they are more powerful
when they have the
right information
and so when you go out and you talk to
a business owner and you talk to a worker
and you let them know about our labor
standards,
you let them know about the support
that the city is here to provide,
that work is
literally building power for everyday people.
And it only happens
because you all are here in the room
dedicating your time,
your energy and your talent.
You know, I also want to say for Seattle,
we rely on our small businesses.
They are places of culture.
They are places of community, of connection.
They are the places
that people come back to, right?
They are the places where we meet up for lunch.
And so when we have
these outreach opportunities
and when we build on those relationships,
we have an opportunity
to not just strengthen workers,
but to strengthen our small business community.
And that is what I love about this event.
That is what I love about this moment.
It's not one or the other.
We are doing both of these jointly.
So thank you all so much.
Thank you for spending your time doing this.
I will tell you,
I saw Steve when I was walking
into City Hall today and I changed my shoes.
Before I came over here.
I saw his sneakers and I said,
I understand the assignment.
So thank you all so much.
I hope you have a fantastic day.
(applause)
-Thanks so much, Councilmember Foster,
and I appreciate your remarks.
And thank you
also to Councilmember
Lin, who I'm going to welcome up,
who represents District two where we are today.
So thank you so much, Councilmember
Lin, and looking forward to hearing from you.
-Thank you.
Thank you.
(applause)
Thank you all.
What a wonderful day.
Thank you all for organizing.
Thank you to CISE for
for walking us into this space.
You know, as I think about May Day,
I think about the struggle
that resulted in,
you know, standing up for workers.
I think about
how fortunate we are
to have an Office of Labor Standards
and what it took to organize and to demand
that we have strong labor protections,
that we fund strong labor protections, that
when we
invest in workers, we are investing
in our community.
And so I just want to give a shout out to
all the labor partners,
all the organizers, anybody who is out
supporting their community
that is giving back
that that is helping this critical work
go forward.
You know, I think about my father,
who is an immigrant from Taiwan and
the difficulties he faced, you know,
the cultural barriers, the language barriers
and the discrimination he faced.
And I think what an incredible resource
it would have been if he had CISC
where he lived at that time.
I just want
to again, thank you all for being here.
Thank you again to our labor partners for
for holding us accountable as electeds
to make sure that we are standing up
for workers' rights, that we are continuing
this hard work.
And next, I want to introduce the
amazing Michael Itti
and the incredible work of CISC.
We know that information and services
are at the heart of their work.
We know that when we give information
to our community, we are empowering workers
and that is what this is all about.
So thank you.
(applause)
-Thank you, Councilmember,
and welcome everybody to CISC.
I'm Michael Itti, the executive director
and we're honored to host today's
May Day outreach event
in partnership with the Seattle Office
of Labor Standards.
Since 2015, our partnership with OLS
has enabled CISC to advance workplace equity
by conducting community based outreach
and education
through community events and workshops.
This partnership allows us to bring accurate,
trusted information
directly to the community and in their languages.
As a result of this work, more community members
are aware of protections
such as minimum wage, paid sick and safe time
wage theft protections, fair chance employment,
hotel worker protections and more.
We're seeing that more
community members feel comfortable
talking about workplace inequities,
not only with our staff,
but with their family members and friends.
And we were
we were
receiving more questions and inquiries
about workplace concerns, which tells us
that workers are paying attention
and beginning to advocate for themselves.
Importantly, we're reaching out
to young people before they enter the workforce.
Youth are learning about workplace rights early,
which helps them set clear expectations
for fair treatment from day one.
Advancing worker justice requires education,
trust and strong community partnerships.
Together, we're committed
to standing with workers not just in words,
but with
but through action,
support and sustained collaboration.
Thank you all for being here
and for a continued partnership.
(applause)
-Thank you so much, Councilmember Lin.
And thank you, Michael, for your partnership.
We really we've been
working together with CISC for many years,
and your partnership and your hospitality
for us today is greatly appreciated.
Now, I'm going to invite a return
guest who was here last year at our last
kickoff event,
Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck,
to give us some remarks as well.
Thank you.
(applause)
-Good morning, everybody.
Thank you.
I am Alexis Mercedes Rinck, your Seattle City
Councilmember
representing the office of position eight,
one of the At-large, citywide Council offices.
And I am also your Human Services, Labor
and Economic Development Committee Chair.
And I want to start off by thanking again
CISC for hosting this event again
and hosting us
and bringing us into your space
and a
thank you to the Office of Labor Standards
and all of the partners that I see in the room
today to thank you for your continued work.
standing by and fighting for workers.
Tomorrow, we're going to mark
International Workers' Day here in Seattle.
And I
want to take a moment
to recognize the vital work
that the folks in this room
do every day to protect workers,
the workers that have built our city.
Your efforts in upholding our nation
leading labor standards
carry forward a profound legacy.
I want us to remember who we are because Seattle
has carried
a profound legacy of fighting for workers.
We've been at the forefront
of worker protections.
We passed the $15 minimum wage.
Yes, that's right.
(applause)
We think we established secure scheduling.
We passed the app-based worker
Minimum Payment Ordinance.
We have a domestic Workers Bill of Rights.
(applause)
We are changing policy and changing lives.
And you are the ones
who gave those policies
meaning through
diligent enforcement and education efforts.
You know, at
one of my first jobs as a waitress,
the owner of the restaurant
I worked at
told me that I couldn't get my credit card tips
because she didn't know how to add
those tips to my paycheck.
Thank you.
That's very validating.
I mean, wage theft, pure and simple.
I knew it was wrong, but I didn't
know what to do.
I didn't know who to call.
I didn't even know that recourse
was possible at the time.
And I needed an Office of Labor Standards.
And that's 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.
I believe that workers
deserve that protection,
and I believe that many of our businesses
want to be good employers.
And we know that right now, working
people and specifically immigrant
workers are under attack.
And the Trump regime
and its oligarchs are trying to roll back
workers' rights, undo labor protections.
And we here in Seattle must do everything we can
to stand against them.
And that starts by fully supporting, fully
empowering and fully funding
our Office of Labor Standards
to carry forward this critical work.
(applause)
Now, we know that workers' rights
have always been a fight,
but even when
all the odds are stacked against us.
When we fight! -We win.
-When we fight! -We win.
And we're going to keep on fighting.
This May Day and onward.
Thank you, everyone.
Let's get to work.
(applause)
-Thank you so much, Councilmember Rinck.
Appreciate your remarks
and a rally to get us moving.
Our next speaker from MLK Labor, Pia
Rivera-Jones,
is the Deputy Executive Director
of the People's Organizing Center.
Come on up.
(applause)
-Hi. Good morning, everyone.
I really love the feedback from it.
So I am here today on behalf of MLK Labor,
but also the Seattle May Day Planning Committee.
Thank you to everyone at OLS
for heeding the call and honoring the no work,
no school, no
shopping demands for tomorrow,
International Workers' Day.
And thank you all for moving this
canvass day to today so we can still be out
in communities
talking with
employers and workers about the importance of
labor rights, workers' rights
and labor standards that we have to time
and time again defend and fight for and expand.
So we know that Seattle has a proud
history of workers and communities
taking action and this year made a
is going to be no different
except for it's going to be bigger and better.
Yeah,
working people all over the country,
across every sector,
whether they're union or nonunion, are facing
increasing attacks
on these labor standards and protections.
Exploitation is intensifying
and the billionaires just keep taking and taking.
And we need to say enough is enough.
We are coming together to fight back.
We have more than 100 years of proof
that when we fight, we win through
through collective action,
through workers coming together
to talk to each other
about what's going on in their workplaces,
about how we can improve things,
about workers going to other workplaces
and talking to each other.
That's how we were able to win
the eight-hour workday, weekends, OSHA
and we will continue that today.
So thank you all for taking this day
to go out and canvass and talk to people.
This is how movements begin.
This is how movements grow.
And I'm so excited to also see you all
at Cal Anderson Park at noon tomorrow
for our International Workers' Day rally.
Thank you.
(applause)
-Thank you so much.
And thank you so much for the support from our
labor of all of our labor partners.
Appreciate it.
Now we're going to hear from someone who knows
quite a bit about canvassing
and the importance of door to door outreach.
I'd like to welcome our mayor,
Katie B Wilson,
and have her give us a few remarks as well.
Thank you, Mayor.
(applause)
-Well, good morning.
Happy pre-May Day.
So I had the pleasure of starting my day
this morning
on a virtual press conference
with Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago,
and some other mayors from around the country
to really remember
the historical roots
of International Workers
Day in the Haymarket affair
and the fight for the eight-hour day,
and to really reaffirm together our commitment
to standing with workers,
to upholding our democracy
and to fighting to make our cities
affordable for working families.
So between that and this, I feel like
I'm getting my day in early and I love it.
So I'm
you know,
as Steve alluded to, prior
to becoming mayor of Seattle,
my work was really rooted in canvassing
and speaking directly
to people about what matters,
whether that was on their bus
or at their door or in their workplace.
And so it's my pleasure to be here
to help kick off the Office
of Labor Standards door-to-door outreach event.
And thank you to CISC
for hosting us today.
Seattle has established 16 labor standards
to ensure that workers
experience respect in the workplace
and can afford to live in our city.
And I will say that as someone who has done
a lot of work over the years
fighting for stronger labor
standards and renter protections
and other laws that protect working people,
I know very well from personal experience
that our laws are only as good as the education
and the enforcement that follows them.
So realizing the full impact
of that legislation requires
rigorous implementation,
and that starts with citywide
outreach and education.
So I commend OLS for getting out there
and hitting the streets
to help businesses
understand their responsibilities
under Seattle's labor laws
and to connect with workers
so that they know that they
have rights in our city.
Yes, the
city also deeply values our partnerships
with community and business
organizations, including those
that we find through our community
Outreach and Education
Fund and the Business outreach, business
outreach and Education fund.
So to those organizations who are here today,
your support strengthens
the awareness
of Seattle's
labor laws
and helps to build trust and meaningful
connections in the community.
You know, yes, you.
(applause)
Your language and cultural capacity
make outreach to our small businesses
and workers more accessible
and inclusive
so that the
right information actually reaches
the people who need it most.
We know that the foundation
of a healthy economy starts with workers
who are empowered with their workplace
rights and businesses that respect
those rights.
So working together,
we can make Seattle
an affordable and equitable place
for everyone to live and work.
It is my commitment to work in partnership
with you for toward those goals.
This is your city. Thank you.
(applause)
Thank you so much, Mayor.
And thank you so much
for your support for our work
and the support for workers and our community
and the commitment to workers and businesses.