Friends,
Recently the masters of the universe gathered for a weekend of backslapping and high-fives at the Word Economic Forum in Davos. To greet them, Oxfam released a new report on the calamitous global wealth gap.
And the results are shocking.
Over the last 2 years, the 1% increased their wealth by $26 TRILLION dollars! - gorging themselves on 75% of all new wealth created.
In 2014 under pressure from a movement led by socialists and the local labor movement, Seattle City Council passed the $15 minimum wage - the first major city to do so. This set off a prairie fire of other minimum wage struggles, most recently in Tukwila. It’s been estimated that the 2014 Seattle minimum wage victory will transfer $2.5 billion over ten years from some of the biggest corporations in the world to 100,000 workers, disproportionately people of color, women, LGBTQ, and Black people.
We have an opportunity to strike a blow against the billionaire class through a grassroots movement of working people and youth that can win a higher wage in Renton. First and foremost we need to help gather the 10K+ signatures to qualify for the ballot. This will take resources.
Will you kick down $25, $50, $100 for Seattle DSA to support the grassroots movements for a higher minimum wage in Renton?
The low wage, no benefit corporations that dominate Renton will fight tooth and nail to prevent any infringement on their ceaseless flow of profits. They will spare no amount of money to defeat our movement.
In October our chapter voted to hire two part-time staff members – a major milestone for Seattle DSA. This month, Guillermo Zazueta began work as our new Campaign Organizer and Ty Moore stepped in as our new Communications Organizer. The two staff will help activate our 1,500 members, build in South King County, and ramp up our chapter’s communications and media.
With its multi-racial working class, the need for socialists to root our movement in South King County is clear. Raise the Wage Tukwila winning by 82% showed there is an opening, and we’ve established points of support during the Gallardo campaign.
But to build DSA in South King County will take serious resources.
Please chip in $25, $50, $100 to strike a blow against the billionaire class!
