David Rolf, International Vice President of the Service Employees International Union, stands in his downtown Seattle office. Rolf led the campaign to bring a $15 minimum wage to Seatac, Washington in 2013.; Credit: Ben Bergman/KPCC

As Los Angeles mulls a law that would raise the minimum wage above the current California minimum of $9 an hour, it's the latest city to jump on a trend that started as the by-product of a failed labor negotiation in the state of Washington.

The first city to enact a $15-per-hour minimum wage was SeaTac, Wash., — a tiny airport town outside Seattle. "SeaTac will be viewed someday as the vanguard, as the place where the fight started," the lead organizer of SeaTac's $15 campaign, David Rolf, told supporters in November 2013 after a ballot measure there barely passed.

Rolf never set out to raise SeaTac’s minimum wage, much less start a national movement. Speaking from a sparse corner office in downtown Seattle at the Service Employees International Union 775, which he founded in 2002, Rolf told KPCC that his original goal in 2010 was to unionize workers at SeaTac airport.

When employers – led by Alaska Airlines — played hardball, Rolf put the $15 minimum wage on the ballot as leverage. “We had some polling in SeaTac that it could pass, but it was not at all definitive,” Rolf said.

That proved prescient: In a city of just 12,108 registered voters, Rolf's staff signed up around 1,000 new voters, many of them immigrants who had never cast a ballot. The measure won by just 77 votes.

It's an irony that the new law doesn't apply to workers at the center of the minimum wage campaign: The airport workers at SeaTac. That's because the Port of Seattle, which oversees the airport, challenged the initiative, arguing that the city's new minimum wage should not apply to the nearly 5,000 workers at the airport. A county judge agreed. Supporters of the $15 wage have appealed.

Still, Rolf said, "I think people are proud that that’s what happening. There are leaders of the movement in Seattle, including our mayor, that said shortly after the victory, 'Now we have to take it everywhere else.'"

The $15 minimum wage spread to Seattle last June and to San Francisco in November. 

Why $15 an hour?

The $15 figure first came to people’s attention in a series of strikes by fast food workers that started two years ago in New York. 

“I think it’s aspirational, and it provides a clean and easy-to-understand number," Rolf said. "You can debate whether it ought to really be $14.89 or $17.12, and based upon the cost of living in different cities, you could have a different answer. But in the late 19th and early 20th century, American workers didn’t rally for 7.9 or 8.1 hour working day. They rallied for an eight-hour day.”

“What’s really remarkable about social protest movements in American history is that the radical ideas of one group are often the common sense ideas of another group in a matter of a few years," said Peter Dreier, professor of politics at Occidental College.

Rolf is hopeful the $15 minimum wage can spread to every state. But Nelson Lichtenstein, Director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is skeptical.

“I don’t think having high wages in a few cities will mean it will spread to red state America,” he said. 

Lichtenstein said cities like L.A. have become more labor friendly, thanks largely to an influx of immigrants, but that’s not the case in the South. Oklahoma recently banned any city from setting its own minimum wage, joining at least 12 other states with similar laws, according to Paul Sonn, general counsel and program director at the National Employment Law Project.

In November, voters in four Republican-leaning states — Alaska, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska — approved higher minimum wages, but they weren’t close to $15.

A $15 dollar wage would have a much greater impact in Los Angeles than Seattle or San Francisco because the average income here is much lower than in those cities. Post-recession, income inequality has become much more of a concern for voters, which has made $15 more palatable, Sonn said.

This fall, the Los Angeles City Council enacted a $15.37 minimum wage for hotel workers that takes effect next year. A similar law has been in effect around LAX since 2007. 

But even though California cities have been allowed to set their own minimum wages for more than a decade, L.A. has never come close to doing so.

Until now.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors visited Washington DC and New York City from 25 to 29 April 2016, where she explored opportunities to strengthen co-operation in conflict prevention, implementing early action policies and in fostering inclusion within diverse societies.

Thors met with officials from the United States and representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations Secretariat, Funds, Programmes and Agencies, as well as members of the academia, think tanks and human rights organizations.

During her visit, Thors welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of the Resolution 2282 (2016) on the Review of United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture as renewed meaningful support to conflict prevention worldwide. In discussions, it was also noted that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the data provided during their implementation are very relevantpertinent for building just and inclusive societies.

“I am pleased with the strengthened partnerships with the wider international community achieved during my trip, in particular in thematic areas such as access to justice and education, both highly relevant to national minorities and conflict prevention,” Thors concluded.

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OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors visited Washington DC and New York City from 25 to 29 April 2016, where she explored opportunities to strengthen co-operation in conflict prevention, implementing early action policies and in fostering inclusion within diverse societies.

Thors met with officials from the United States and representatives of international organizations, including the United Nations Secretariat, Funds, Programmes and Agencies, as well as members of the academia, think tanks and human rights organizations.

During her visit, Thors welcomed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of the Resolution 2282 (2016) on the Review of United Nations Peacebuilding Architecture as renewed meaningful support to conflict prevention worldwide. In discussions, it was also noted that the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the data provided during their implementation are very relevantpertinent for building just and inclusive societies.

“I am pleased with the strengthened partnerships with the wider international community achieved during my trip, in particular in thematic areas such as access to justice and education, both highly relevant to national minorities and conflict prevention,” Thors concluded.

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• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

Piensa para reformar la Justicia en alguien que fue investigado por sexo con menores y tráfico de personas y al que el Congreso le ha abierto un expediente por conducta sexual inapropiada, consumo de drogas o uso inapropiado de fondos de su campaña Leer

Trump returns to Washington for meeting with Biden, promises smooth transition

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That was the scathing headline by Hitch over at Slate magazine about the anti-war protests last Saturday. Has anybody had anything good to say about the protests? I'm still looking.

"The protests were largely sponsored by two groups, the Answer Coalition, which embodies a wide range of progressive political objectives, and United for Peace and Justice, which has a more narrow, antiwar focus.

"International ANSWER," the group run by the "Worker's World" party and fronted by Ramsey Clark, which openly supports Kim Jong-il, Fidel Castro, Slobodan Milosevic, and the "resistance" in Afghanistan and Iraq, with Clark himself finding extra time to volunteer as attorney for the genocidaires in Rwanda.

Quite a "wide range of progressive political objectives" indeed, if that's the sort of thing you like. However, a dip into any database could have furnished Janofsky with well-researched and well-written articles by David Corn and Marc Cooper - to mention only two radical left journalists who have exposed "International ANSWER" as a front for (depending on the day of the week) fascism, Stalinism, and jihadism."

[Business Day Africa] Kenya and the United States have signalled their commitment to the Kenya-led mission in Haiti, dispelling concerns over a potential policy shift under incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Dawn’s Gentle Light, "Bickleton, Washington 1979," by Renee Riva (Pink Heart Press, 2017)

(Belga) Un Américain, qui avait été immortalisé les pieds sur une table dans le bureau de la cheffe démocrate Nancy Pelosi lors de l'assaut sur le Capitole, a été reconnu coupable lundi de plusieurs délits.

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(Belga) Quatre membres de la milice d'extrême droite "Oath Keepers" ont été reconnus coupables lundi de sédition pour leur rôle dans l'assaut du Capitole, à l'issue du second procès organisé sur ce chef d'accusation extrêmement rare.

Depuis l'attaque du 6 janvier 2021, plus de 950 partisans de l'ex-président républicain Donald Trump ont été arrêtés et inculpés pour avoir semé le chaos dans le siège de la démocratie américaine. Parmi eux, seuls 14 militants de groupuscules d'extrême droite - neuf membres des "Oath Keepers" et cinq "Proud Boys" - ont été accusés de "sédition", un chef passible de 20 ans de prison qui implique d'avoir planifié l'usage de la force pour s'opposer au gouvernement. Faute de place suffisante dans le tribunal fédéral de Washington, la justice a organisé le procès des Oath Keepers, accusés de s'être entraînés et armés pour l'occasion, en deux temps. Un premier procès s'est conclu fin novembre par un verdict mitigé: le fondateur de cette milice, Stewart Rhodes, et un responsable local ont été déclarés coupables de sédition, mais leurs trois co-accusés ont été acquittés sur ce chef. Lundi, à l'issue du second procès, les jurés ont jugé coupables les quatre derniers Oath Keepers, des hommes âgés de 38 à 64 ans décrits comme de dangereux "traîtres" par l'accusation, mais comme des "fanfarons" par leurs avocats. Le procès des Proud Boys, dont leur leader Enrique Tarrio, s'est ouvert en décembre et était toujours en cours lundi, dans le même tribunal. (Belga)

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This year's GEO Week will take place from 23-28 Ovtober in Washington, D.C. Main highlight will be the GEO’s Fourteenth Plenary Meeting, to be held  on 25 & 26 October, focusing on the delivery of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems.

The GEO Plenary is the annual meeting of GEO’s 104 Member governments and 109 Participating Organizations, such as the European Space Agency (ESA), JAXA, NOAA, NASA, USGS,, United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank and Observers such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Secretariat on Global Geospatial Information Management (GGIM).

The Plenary is preceded by Side Events organized through the GEO community and featuring global initiatives and activities to improve use of satellite, atmospheric and in situ Earth observations for better decision making.

Expect to see events focused on national and regional best practices to implement and measure the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as Disaster Relief and measuring and mitigating the impacts of Climate Change.

More information here: http://www.earthobservations.org/article.php?id=202

Tumwater, WA — The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has published a hazard alert on the risks of worker exposure to silica dust.

Tumwater, WA – Washington state is offering grants to fund innovative workplace safety and health or return-to-work programs.

Tumwater, WA — A new toolkit from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries offers employers resources they can use to help injured employees return to work as soon as medically possible, aid worker recovery and prevent long-term disability while reducing the financial burden of workers’ compensation claims.

Tumwater, WA — A new webpage from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is intended to help employers protect workers – both indoors and out – from the adverse effects of wildfire smoke.

Tumwater, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has released a hazard alert warning of the dangers of exploding tanks during metal recycling.

Tumwater, WA — In response to a labor union petition, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is working on new standards for reinforcing steel and post-tensioning in construction.

Olympia, WA — A new Washington state law will require construction and manufacturing employers who use temporary workers to identify and document workplace hazards, communicate those hazards to staffing agencies, and make sure workers are informed and properly trained.

Tumwater, WA — A proposed update to Washington state’s permanent rules on worker heat exposure would set the “temperature action level” at 80° F for most outdoor workers.

Energy-saving light control manufacturer Lutron Electronics announced that its Washington, D.C. Commercial Experience Center was awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy-efficient and high-performing buildings.

Tumwater, WA — A new guidance document from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is intended to help grocery store employers protect workers from contracting – and potentially spreading – COVID-19.

Tumwater, WA — Nearly 1 out of 5 janitors in Washington state say they were injured on the job in the past year, results of a recent survey show.

Tumwater, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries recently released tips for safely working outdoors in hot weather.

Olympia, WA – The Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention Program at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has released six industry-specific checklists and summary reports aimed at helping employers identify risk factors that may contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

Tumwater, WA — A new hazard alert from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries outlines the roles, responsibilities and procedures of erecting and dismantling tower cranes.

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Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a petition to preempt Washington state’s rules on meals and rest breaks for commercial truck drivers, determining that federal hours-of-service regulations supersede the state’s rules.

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