As striking fast food workers shut down restaurants across Seattle, Mayor Mike McGinn released a statement supporting their campaign for higher wages and the right to organize without retaliation:
“Seattle believes in shared prosperity for all of our workers, including those in the fast food industry. Too many of them are being left behind even as Seattle’s economy thrives. I support their organizing effort because our neighbors who work these jobs deserve to earn a living wage that can support their families and help them join a strong middle class.”
That’s fairly a liberally thing to do. McGinn’s office also says he plans to speak at the strikers’ rally in Denny Park this afternoon, which is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. Good for him.
By my count, at least eight restaurants have been shut down by today’s actions, with workers walking out from at least a dozen others. Some of this was organized and some of it was organic—at one point four Subways were shutdown as news of the strike spread to disgruntled workers by word of mouth.