Passed by the membership on August 14th, 2024

Resolution in Support of App-based Worker Minimum Wage 

WHEREAS the Washington State Democrats have called for “Legislating respect for workers [with] Government protection for workers in the gig economy” and, consistent with this value, the 34th District Democrats support ending the wealth gap and income inequity, living wages tied to the area’s median market housing rate, promoting healthy, harassment free workplaces, whistleblower, and workplace organizer protections, a $15 per hour federal minimum wage and local adoption of living wage standards in line with area median income, ensuring that every Seattle worker can support themselves and their families is a critical tool in reducing homelessness by ensuring that workers can remain housed and afford their other basic needs; and

WHEREAS federal minimum wage laws were developed with exclusions for certain industries and categories of workers, resulting in racialized disparities in earning power and incidents of workplace abuse that drive down working conditions for all workers and weaken the local economy, every worker in Seattle should have minimum wage protection with no exceptions; and

WHEREAS Seattle and the State of Washington have a proud legacy of strengthening labor standards to improving working conditions, including leading the national movement to increase the minimum wage, and passing the Seattle Domestic Worker Ordinance in 2018 thereby creating the right to minimum wage for all domestic workers in the city regardless of classification as an employee or independent contractor, and having a substantial positive impact on a previously unregulated industry; and

WHEREAS app-based workers:

• organized for the right to minimum wage and the law was approved unanimously by the council and supported by Mayor Bruce Harrell in 2022; the law is the product of good governance, shaped thoughtfully and deliberately by a workforce that is largely made up of immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, working parents, and young people; enacting this law, 
• “face unique barriers to economic security and disproportionately must accept low-wage, unsafe, and insecure working conditions” and Black and Latinx workers are “disproportionately deprived of core employee protections” because corporations treat them as independent contractors;
• in Seattle were paid nearly $14,000,000 in settlements with Postmates, UberEats, GrubHub and Instacart for alleged violations of Seattle labor standards to date; and

WHEREAS, when the law went into effect, the regulated corporations responded by imposing substantial new fees on customer orders in a coordinated effort to undermine the law,  making delivery cost-prohibitive for customers and hindering workers’ and local businesses’ ability to support themselves; and, at the Seattle City Council Governance Committee meeting on March 28, 2024, the public learned that the Seattle City Council has been considering amending or repealing this new law, and that negotiations on the proposed policy to date have only included gig corporations and Drive Forward, an Uber controlled and funded lobbying group, and have excluded workers and their representatives; and that proposed changes would cut worker pay, eliminate legal protections for workers from retaliation, and make it much harder for workers to enforce their rights,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats support the minimum wage and other protections for low-wage, app-based workers.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats call on all Seattle City Councilmembers to maintain support for this important law; to commit to open and transparent policymaking that includes all stakeholders, particularly workers; and to affirm that Seattle must continue to be a city where working families are able to thrive and support themselves with living wages. 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats urge its membership to take action and communicate their support for gig worker minimum wage.

Submitted by Rachel Glass, Vice Chair and PCO, 34th District Democrats, April 2024

Passed by the membership on August 14th, 2024

Resolution in Support of the City of Seattle Development of Low Income Housing on Surplus Fort Lawton Land

Whereas the original name of Fort Lawton and Discovery Park for time immemorial was PKa’dz Eltue, “thrust far out,” in Lushootseed and were part of the ancestral lands of kinship bands of Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, Tulalip Nations prior to the Point Elliot Treaty of 1885; in the 1960s and 1970s the United States deeded a large portion of Fort Lawton in the Magnolia neighborhood to the City of Seattle (City) leading to the creation of Discovery Park and the Daybreak Star Cultural Center in response to indigenous community interests; and 

Whereas, Bernie Whitebear of the Colville Confederated Tribes and his fellow United Indians Of All Tribes Foundation (UIATF) advocates, successfully negotiated a 99 year-lease on 20 plus acres in November of 1971 of lands the United States government had previously used as the 

historic Fort Lawton, with the options to successive 99 year-plus lease renewals in a legally-binding agreement; Daybreak Star Cultural Center and the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation began building structures to support environmental security and sovereignty for Urban Indians on September 27, 1975; the United States government retained for military purposes approximately 34 acres at the northeast corner of Discovery Park; and

Whereas in 1975, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (ISDEAA). 43 Title I of ISDEAA authorized federally recognized tribes freedom from federal decision making, providing self-determination, governance, and revised boundaries for tribal sovereignty, which was reinforced by the TItle IV in 1994 for full funding and allocation of appropriations, to include housing; and

Whereas in the early 2000s, as part of a realignment of assets, the U.S. Base Realignment and Closure Commission designated the City as the entity entitled to repurpose the site; considering Seattle’s urban indigenous people are at high risk of homelessness and housing insecurity, the City prepared plans for development of the site to accommodate low income housing and additions of green space to Discovery Park, with completion of environmental review (FEIS) of a Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan in 2019; the Seattle City Council in June 2019 (Resolution 31887) confirmed “the City’s commitment to further fair housing” in support of the Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan; during project planning in preparation for site development the City determined that the infrastructure cost per unit of housing under the 2019 Plan is too high; and

Whereas, as a result of extensive reassessment of the Plan, the City has determined that an increase in the density of housing on the 34 acre site can be done that will:

• Increase the quantity of accessible low income house at a lower per unit cost,
• Not decrease the amount of open space that will be incorporated into Discovery Park,
• Improve the access infrastructure in a manner less impactful to forest canopy, and
• Further the goals of the City’s Equitable Development Initiative;

Now therefore be it resolved the 34th District Democrats enthusiastically support the City proceeding with the revised Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan as quickly as possible; and

Be it further resolved the 34th District Democrats urge the City to prioritize the project to provide housing for urban indigenous households; and

Be it finally resolved the 34th District Democrats convey strong support for this important project to the city council, the Mayor, and the involved federal agencies.

Sponsored by Ted Barker, 34th District Dems, PCO and State Committee Member

Adopted by the membership on April 10, 2024

Resolution Condemning Seattle City Attorney’s Filing of a Standing Affidavit of Prejudice against Municipal Court Judge Pooja Vaddadi

Whereas the Seattle voters duly and independently elected Judge Pooja Vaddadi, a municipal court judge, to a four-year term in November 2022; and

Whereas on Friday, March 1, 2024 the departing criminal division chief Natalie Walton-Anderson of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office issued a standing affidavit of prejudice against Judge Vaddadi, effectively preventing Judge Vaddadi from hearing any new criminal case against defendants within the City of Seattle and thereby preventing her from fulfilling her duties as an elected judge; and

Whereas this action is extreme and negates the election of Judge Vaddadi by denying her right to hear cases that would be within her jurisdiction and puts added pressure on other judges and a system already dealing with workload issues; and

Whereas, according to Judge Vaddadi, she was not presented with any evidence of the accusations of biased rulings, failure to find probable cause where there was clearly probable cause or any of the other stated reasons for the action disqualifying her and, in fact, none of her previous decisions have been reversed on appeal; and

Whereas the actions of Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison appear to be based on policy differences with the judge rather than a legitimate legal foundation, none of which have been acknowledged by the City Attorney,

Now therefore be it resolved the 34th District Democrats reaffirm their support for Judge Vaddadi demonstrated by endorsement of the judge in 2022; and

Be it further resolved we call on Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison to withdraw the Standing Affidavit of Prejudice that is preventing the judge from doing her duly elected job; and

Be it finally resolved we call upon Mayor Bruce Harrell, District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka and other councilmembers to condemn the actions taken by the Seattle City Attorney’s office and uphold the values of an independent judiciary.

Sponsored by Kelsey Vanhee,34th LD Democrats Member, March 2024

Adopted by the membership on April 10, 2024

Resolution in Support of House Resolution 227 Recognizing the Sovereignty of Ukraine and the Unbreakable Spirit of the People of Ukraine 

WHEREAS on February 24, 2022, the Government of the Russian Federation launched an unprovoked, full-scale, military invasion against Ukraine in direct violation of international law;  and contrary to the expectations of the Russian Federation, Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv did not fall in a matter of days, thus preventing Russia from achieving its objectives of conquering Ukraine and installing a puppet government; and

WHEREAS  Russia’s invading forces have committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other atrocity crimes in Ukraine, including rape, torture, murder, the forcible deportation of children, and the targeting of civilian critical infrastructure; and

WHEREAS  Russia’s full-scale invasion has created immense humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and, as a result, there have been over 30,000 civilian casualties of which about a third have died, roughly 8 million people have been internally displaced, and 17,600,000 people are in need of humanitarian aid; and Russia’s war has also triggered an immense human and economic toll felt well beyond Ukraine’s border, including a massive influx of over 8,100,000 Ukrainian refugees in Europe and an exacerbation of global food insecurity; and

WHEREAS, as a share of a country’s defense budget, 12 countries have provided more military aid to Ukraine than the United States; and

WHEREAS House Resolution 227, “Recognizing the sovereignty of Ukraine and the unbreakable spirit of the people of Ukraine,” has been introduced in the US House of Representatives and a similar resolution has been introduced by Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell in the Senate,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the 34th LD Democrats urge US Representative Pramila Jayapal and all of the Washington State Democratic delegation to co-sponsor House Resolution 227:

(1) affirming strong support for continued United States assistance to Ukraine, specifically the transfer of aid to enable Ukraine to liberate its sovereign territory and win the war as soon as possible;

(2)  showing support for those United States allies and partners that have provided significant support to Ukraine and urging continued and increased assistance to Ukraine; and

(3) calling on allies and partners in Europe to increase national defense spending in order to bolster trans-Atlantic security; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED this resolution be sent to the Washington State Democratic Delegation in the US Congress.

Sponsored by Carla Rogers, officer and member of the 34th LD Democrats, January 2024

ADOPTED RESOLUTION

Adopted by the body at the November 8, 2023 monthly membership meeting. 

WHEREAS the 34th Legislative District Democrats’ platform supports a living wage tied to the median market housing rate; and

WHEREAS low wages contribute to housing insecurity, homelessness, and many other social problems that weaken our communities; and

WHEREAS, A full-time worker, putting in 40 hours per week at the minimum wage in unincorporated areas of King County, is required to allocate nearly 70% of their earnings to cover the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in King County, which stands at $1,896 (Washington-Apartment-Market-Report-Q3-2023.pdf (uw.edu); and

WHEREAS in 2013 and 2014 the cities of SeaTac and Seattle respectively established local minimum wages higher than the state minimum wage; and

WHEREAS in 2022 Tukwila voted by over 82% to raise their city’s minimum wage to approximately the level of neighboring SeaTac, with a phase-in for smaller employers and an exemption for the very smallest employers; and

Whereas, unincorporated areas of King County, like Skyway and White Center, require workers to be paid just the statewide minimum; and

WHEREAS raising unincorporated King County’s minimum wage would boost the income of many of these workers and their families, as well as encouraging other cities to do the same, raising the floor throughout King County;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats endorse the campaign to raise the minimum wage in unincorporated areas of King County.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats supports legislation that upholds the rights and benefits of workers, ensuring that no wage penalties are imposed on tips or healthcare coverage.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats advocate for legislation that prevents franchisers, solely determined by employee count, from being categorized as small businesses for wage tier determination.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats will work to urge the King County councilmembers to pass legislation this year to raise the minimum wage in unincorporated areas of King County.

Submitted to the 34th LD Democrats October 2023 by Rebecca Rego.

Adopted at the September 9, 2023 membership meeting.

A Resolution Supporting Ranked Choice Voting for the Presidential Primary in 2028

WHEREAS voter involvement in democracy is contingent on the belief that their vote means something; and

WHEREAS 25% of Washington State’s Democratic presidential primary voters effectively “wasted” their vote in 2020 because they cast their ballot for a candidate who dropped out of the race before election day; and

WHEREAS Washington state had the highest rate of “wasted” votes in the nation; and

WHEREAS Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) helps solve the problem of wasted votes by allowing voters to vote for multiple candidates in order of preference so that their vote may count for a candidate still in the race or achieving a threshold sufficient to be allocated delegates at the close of the primary; and

WHEREAS the Democratic National Committee approved every RCV delegate selection plan submitted in the most recent presidential cycle, and Maine is compelled by state law to use RVC in their 2024 state-run presidential primary.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats call on their representatives to support the passage of legislation to allow voters to rank their presidential preferences in the presidential primary in 2028.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats call upon the legislature to pass and the Governor to sign the RCV legislation for the 2028 presidential primary .

Submitted by Ann Martin, August 2023

Resolution adopted at the May 10, 2023 membership meeting.

Resolution in Support of Raising the Minimum Wage in Burien 

WHEREAS the 34th District Democratic platform supports living wage tied to the median market housing rate: and

WHEREAS low wages contribute to housing insecurity, homelessness, and many other social problems that weaken our communities; and

WHEREAS someone working full-time at the minimum wage in Burien has to spend well over half their income to rent a modest 1-bedroom apartment for $1,600 a month; and

WHEREAS in 2013 and 2014 the cities of SeaTac and Seattle established local minimum wages higher than the state minimum wage; and

WHEREAS in 2022 Tukwila voted by over 82% to raise their city’s minimum wage to approximately the level of neighboring SeaTac, with a phase-in for smaller employers and an exemption for the very smallest employers; and

WHEREAS according to data from the Employment Security Department, in 2022 more than 2,000 Burien workers were making less than the minimum wage in effect in the neighboring city of SeaTac, mostly working in retail, accommodations, and food services; and

WHEREAS raising Burien’s minimum wage would boost the income of many of these workers and their families, as well as encouraging other cities to do the same, raising the floor throughout King County; and

WHEREAS a petition urging the Burien City Council to pass legislation in 2023 to raise the minimum wage is circulating in Burien,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats endorse the campaign to raise Burien’s minimum wage through a law similar to the one Tukwila passed.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats will ask members to help circulate the coalition’s petition building support among Burien residents, workers, and local businesses, and demonstrating the strength of public support to the council.

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED the 34th District Democrats will work with the coalition to urge the Burien councilmembers to pass legislation this year to raise Burien’s minimum wage.

Introduced by: Katie Wilson, Transit Riders Union. 34th District Sponsor: Chris Porter, PCO.

Adopted by the membership on March 8, 2023 at the monthly membership meeting.

Resolution in Support of a Washington Tax on Extreme Wealth

(SB 5486 and HB 1473)

WHEREAS the 34th District Democrats platform supports wealth taxes and the Washington State Democrats have called for “fair and just tax system for all; by creating a progressive wealth tax;” and

WHEREAS Washington State has the most regressive tax system in the country, with the bottom 20% of Washington’s lowest-income residents paying nearly 18% of their income for state and local taxes, while those in the highest 20% income bracket pay less than 7% of their income for state and local taxes; and

WHEREAS Washington State is facing a crisis in funding for public schools, housing and homelessness, developmental disability services, climate change resilience, public transit and transportation, physical and mental health care, and more; and

WHEREAS Senate Bill 5486 and House Bill 1473, which are titled “Investing in Washington families and creating a more fair tax system by enacting a narrowly tailored property tax on extreme wealth derived from the ownership of stocks, bonds, and other financial intangible property,” propose a 1% tax on financial property in excess of $250 million, with revenue collected funding public education, housing, disabilities, and taxpayer justice; and

WHEREAS SB 5486 and HB 1473 would generate more than $6 BILLION per biennium for Washington (according to SB 5486’s fiscal note), and affect about 700 Washingtonians fortunate enough to have more than $250 million in wealth; and

WHEREAS Senator Nguyen and Representative Alvarado are co-sponsors of SB 5486 and HB 1473, respectively,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the 34th LD Democrats support the creation of a wealth tax as defined in SB 5486 and HB 1473 to fund needed services for Washingtonians, such as public education, housing, disabilities, and taxpayer justice; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the 34th LD Democrats call on all Democrats in the Washington State Legislature to wholeheartedly support passing these bills. 

Submitted to the 34th LD Democrats February 2023 by Bunny Hatcher.

Adopted by the membership at the August 10, 2022 meeting.

A Resolution Calling for Passage of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act 

Whereas the first amendment of the United States Constitution protects freedom of speech and of the press, cementing the importance of these rights to the foundation of this nation; and

Whereas the former president, like autocrats before him tried to erode that foundation by characterizing the press as an “enemy of the people,” thereby threatening the continuation and viability of our democracy; and

Whereas local newspapers, an important investigative and communicative resource for communities, both urban and rural, in this country, have been losing readership and advertising, which are primary financial resources supporting publication and staffing; and

Whereas Senator Cantwell’s office released a report stating that over the last 20 years the local newspaper industry has lost approximately 70% of its total revenue and newspapers have let go of more than 40,000 journalists accounting for 60% of the journalistic workforce; and

Whereas the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (LJSA), introduced by Senator Cantwell in the Senate and Representatives Kirkpatrick and Newhouse in the House (H.R.3940), is an effort to stabilize and reverse these losses by providing local media with tax incentives that support subscribers, advertisers and hiring of reporters, in total estimated to cost about $1.67 billion over ten years; and 

Whereas, in a floor speech, Senator Cantwell stated, “The tax incentives in this bill will help local newspapers and digital-only news journalists, and broadcast newsrooms remain financially viable to retain and hire local base journalists to cover local news stories;”

Now therefore be it resolved the 34th District Democrats thank Senator Cantwell for her leadership on this important issue and urge passage of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act by the US Congress; and

Be it further resolved copies of this resolution be distributed broadly to members of Congress and specifically to Washington State Representatives and Senators.

Submitted by Ann Martin, member of the Resolutions Committee. 

Adopted by the membership on May 11, 2022 at the monthly membership meeting.

Resolution in Support of the Keep Our Care Act 

WHEREAS, mergers and acquisitions between health care entities, i.e., hospitals, hospital systems, and provider organizations are prolific across the country and in Washington State, negatively impact cost, quality, wait times, and access to legal health care services; and in Washington State these health care entity consolidations receive minimal oversight, allowing large health care systems to dictate patients’ access to care, including reproductive, end-of-life, and gender-affirming care while in other states such as Oregon, Massachusetts, and California they have regulations which require oversight of mergers & acquisitions of health care entities[1]; and  

WHEREAS, mergers and acquisitions have been proven to drive up costs for patients in Washington State and leaving communities without access to public health care as noted in 2017 when Washington’s Attorney General sued CHI Franciscan in a federal anti-trust lawsuit regarding consolidations that resulted in raised prices, increased wait times, and reduced services and locations[2]; and    

WHEREAS, A recent study by The New England Journal of Medicine found that hospital acquisitions are associated with moderately worse patient experiences. Washington hospital data indicates that our health system ranks poorly in quality measures, with patient satisfaction scores that are lower than independent hospitals; and 

WHEREAS, these consolidations restrict staff, in faith-based consolidated care centers, from providing legal, critical services, and yet they continue to take taxpayer dollars. Due to these consolidations and mergers, Washington State’s hospitals were in 2021 49% religious based[3];  and 

WHEREAS, mergers and acquisitions exacerbate systemic inequities. Private health systems’ efforts to increase revenues leads to worsening health care access and outcomes for Medicaid patients, disproportionately People of Color. About 30% of the population in Washington State identifies as non-white, but over 40% of WA State Apple Health patients are People of Color. 

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the 34th Legislative District Democrats urge our Washington State legislators to pass and the governor to sign the Keep Our Care Act, to join other states, such as Oregon, Massachusetts, and California: 

• To prohibit health care entity consolidations that diminish access to affordable quality care; 
• To require Attorney General oversight, compliance, and enforcement power to ensure health care consolidations do not negatively impact access to health care services  
• To institute a health equity assessment so that consolidations/mergers address the needs of marginalized communities; and  
• To institute public hearings and comment opportunities prior to proposed consolidations; and   

THEREFORE, BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution will be sent to the WA State Legislators and the Governor. 

[1] Oregon House Bill 2362  and Information About Material Change Notices/Cost and Market Impact Reviews | Mass.gov and Examining the Authority of California’s Attorney General in Health Care Mergers 

[2] Attorney General Ferguson: CHI Franciscan will pay up to $2.5 million over anti-competitive Kitsap deals   “Privately, in documents obtained during the Attorney General’s Office’s investigation, officials at CHI Franciscan and The Doctor’s Clinic (TDC) discussed the deals as a boon to their bottom line and harmful to patient care.  CHI Franciscan’s Chief Financial Officer, Mike Fitzgerald, wrote in an email: ‘I am all for taking advantage of hospital-based pricing. … It would be great to drop a couple of million more to our bottom line, if we think we can do it.’”

TDC’s former physician president succinctly summarized these effects …: “I can’t wait to hear how CHI [Franciscan] messages the addition of TDC to [Franciscan Medical Group]. ‘You can now get your outpatient care in a complex, relatively unsafe, and vastly more expensive location. You are welcome, Kitsap County…’”  

[3] [3] Hospital Merger in Washington State Stokes Fears About Catholic Limits on Care | Kaiser Health News  With the Virginia Mason Merger with CHI Franciscan on January 7, 2021, the number of Catholic Hospital beds in WA State increased from 48% to 49% placing WA State as the state with the 2nd highest number of Catholic based hospital beds with Alaska at 49.25%. 

Submitted by Roxanne Thayer, 34th District Representative to the WA Democratic Party and member of the 34th District Democrats Healthcare Caucus.