Pacific Northwest Thread

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Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

glowing-fish posted:

Is state politics, rather than local politics, the reason why Seattle has lagged so far behind Portland on building a good mass transit system? There was a 25 year lag in getting the first light rail line in Seattle, even though it is a bigger city than Portland.

Unless the people voted in an income tax, funding mass transit with usage fees and consumption taxes is orthogonal, if not completely opposed; mass transit primarily benefits the public class that can't afford to fund it upfront.

glowing-fish posted:

Yes, there are counterexamples to Washington's solid-blue status. The 2004 governor's race was especially close, and I don't know why. Was Rossi a much better campaigner than Gregoire, or was it because Bush had coattails that year?

Gregoire was a mostly empty suit that had some talents wrangling the Washington legislature but was otherwise so milquetoast that she's been exiled to NGO boardmember status after being passed up by the Obama administration that made Gary Locke her predecessor into a name.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2014 23:50

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 16:51

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Beowulfs_Ghost posted:

The compound they built was eventually bought by a Christian group and turned into a summer camp. My sister worked there for awhile and I got to stay the night and get a tour of the place during the off season. The reason there was on off season tour was actually to show the place off to the locals. The people out there are so paranoid that they are suspicious of even an overtly Christian summer camp.

And the place is seriously in the middle of nowhere. The place has an airstrip, which isn't all the unusual for ranches out there. The cult upgraded it to handle small cargo planes, and the camp still maintains it because it is the only way to get people out for medical attention in a timely manner. It is hours of driving to get to a decent hospital.

The cult only paid for outside goods in silver dollars so that the locals would know how much he was pumping into the economy.

Theres a ghost town just outside of the site that I spent the night at during a trip. A bus full of kids from the camp broke down and I went from spooky ghost hotel to a loving funhouse of children that didn't like that I said the word "hell".

# ¿ Mar 13, 2014 00:05

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Mojo Threepwood posted:

What's the general opinion about Spokane?

Their roads are shiiiiiiiiiit. There are dirt roads within a mile of downtown and potholes all over the place.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 20:26

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Sock on a Fish posted:

Legal and capped at 150 drivers each, which is going to be ridiculous. Worst case someone dies when they get hit by a driver that's distractedly trying to sign in and grab an open spot.

Uh that's a little wild case there considering how the system works.

Murray is playing at being pitiful with the law, saying that its wrong and sucks but shucks guess he has to sign it hurr durr.

Say what you will about McGinn, at least he fought the council for giving him junk laws.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2014 03:08

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Rookersh posted:

So what's the chance this $15 minimum wage thing actually passes? I work at Union Square and it's this crazy mix of rich business types super furious about the very idea, and lawyers/politicians super stoked about the possibilities it opens up.

Not even counting how half the people are 100% sure it'll ruin Seattle forever and take away all of our jobs, and the other half are 100% sure everyone will only have to raise prices by 10-15c to cover it. I've never seen anything divide this city as much as this issue is.

There was the hilarious rumor that the SA was proposing a wealth redistribution between the mom-n-pop stores that would struggle to pay $15 and the large companies that would just write it off as the cost of doing business in every state of the union.

My view is that there doesn't exist a world where that taxation isn't abused and fought every step of the way, but gently caress if it isn't ironic.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2014 00:36

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Tigntink posted:

With the Darrington slide recovery still happening, it has come to notice that the developers who built most of the houses next to that slide - knew of the slide risks. There have been frequent slides there recorded all the way back to the 1940s with the most recent minor slide happening in 2006 while many of those houses were being built.

Is it possible that the developers could be charged with anything? In civil or criminal courts?

IANAL, but my Geo 101 professor made a point that things that are inherently 'Acts of God' require evidence of man-caused factors to show liability- and only the most ludicrously fraudulent claim would help you get any money back from buying in a landslide area. So basically never buy a house without a geology report.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2014 20:17

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Why is $15+tips considered high to you? Are you uncomfortable with the idea that a service-industry job might be paid too well?

# ¿ Apr 1, 2014 21:31

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Tigntink posted:

In 2006 I was in an apartment in greenwood for 750 a mo for a 2 bedroom but when we started looking for a new one in 2008/09 prices were about 1000 a mo in the same area. Amazon blowing up + new tech offices for every major company really just blew up prices in a short amount of time. Something like 14,000 new apartments are coming on the market this year to start drowning down the prices, hopefully.

The percentage of 2-bedroom apartments (aka 'family housing') that are being created is much smaller than the number of small families being created in the Seattle metro area; if you're willing to raise a kid in a single bedroom while sharing a kitchen with five strangers then more power to you, but the housing situation is not at all being 'fixed' by the developers.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2014 20:00

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Seattle Metro is part of the major 'Big Sort' zones where pretty much every post-college 20-30 year old is settling within the last five years. So there are more people coming in that are willing to live in 150²ft rooms with a single tiny oven shared between six people, because there are more rooms like that in Seattle, because there are more people moving in, because there are more rooms like that in Seattle, etc.

Its going to create a big conflict in a decade when the (now 30-40) adults get kids and try to decide where they are going to settle- because there aren't many places that have family jobs that also have family housing.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2014 20:23

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

In under-reported local-ish news:

http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/2014/04/01/news/decline-or-renaissance-stakeholders-and-policy-ma

quote:

Decline or renaissance? Stakeholders and policy makers address the state of the maritime industry

By Shane Harms
04/01/2014
March 27 -- Executives from the maritime industry gathered at the Port of Seattle Headquarters round table to talk about policy and the state of the maritime industry in the Puget Sound.

Council member Sally Clark, the Deputy Mayor, Andrea Riniker and the state�s leading stakeholders in the maritime sector were in attendance.

The discussion was held to assist the Port Commission in gathering opinions from stakeholders and policy makers about the nature of economic opportunities and challenges facing Seattle�s maritime industry.

�Growth� was a major question of interest, and the goal of the round table discussion was to walk away with a better understanding of how to facilitate proliferation of the maritime industry through policy recommendations.

Port of Seattle Commission Co-President, Stephanie Bowman, led the discussion and stressed the significance the maritime industry has on the economy of the State and conceded the urgency for the discussion.

Mayor Murray was unable to attend the event because he was at the Wage Inequality Symposium during the meeting, but the Deputy Mayor, Andrea Riniker spoke on his behalf. Riniker reaffirmed the Mayor�s commitment to the maritime industry and discussed how the city is a vital and dynamic part of Seattle's economy.

Brian Thomas, Kvichak Marine, raised three major challenges effecting growth in the industry that echoed throughout the meeting: regulation incursion, an aging workforce and recapitalization of the fleets, and the status of prevailing wage laws.

�Regulatory incursions by our fair city are a challenge to the manufacturing and maritime community. Initiatives around sick leave, initiatives around minimum wage have impacts to our businesses. � While we recognize the need for better income equality and opportunity for people to be able to come up through the ranks and climb the ladder of prosperity that we all think about and talk about � while we are in support of that, we are not terribly supportive of going to a $15 an hour minimum wage in any immediate future," said Thomas.

In the recent maritime economic impact study the average income for workers in the maritime industry was around $70 thousand a year. However, many jobs in the maritime industry are minimum wage, seasonal jobs.

�I appreciate the effort but the speed at which we are moving at makes most of us in business pretty nervous. � When the City steps in with regulations that really get into the heart of how we manage and run our businesses, it makes us all very nervous and uncomfortable, and when you make business nervous and uncomfortable, business doesn�t invest. Business doesn�t try to grow. Business sits back and waits to see what�s going to happen before we make plans for the long term.�

Jan Koslosky, Vice President of Supply Chain Management with Ocean Beauty Seafoods shared a similar sentiment with Thomas.

�We have to have a business environment that�s predictable. That�s essential from our shareholders�and to ensure we have stable results year after year", said Koslosky. �That ($15 minimum wage) is a major concern to us. � Unless there is a means to bring things into some order of sensibility in the wage area, it will force manufacturers like us to consider shifting the lower technical work outside of the city and retain the people in the city who are paid above that wage.�

Vince O�Halloran, with the Sailor�s Union of the Pacific, voiced his support for the wage increase.

�I am in firm support of King County�s efforts to raise the minimum wage. People have to be able to live in order to work here, and I commend the mayor�s office on his efforts in getting stakeholders together to come to an agreement,� said O�Halloran.

�A lot of the people that are working these jobs don�t live in Seattle. They can�t afford it even if we pay them $15 and hour. That�s not solving the affordable housing challenge. � To figure out how to provide people with the right housing at the right time in their life at an affordable point is a really big challenge policy-wise for the City. �It�s one of the bigger challenges as far as how we allow a workforce to actually be here for you (industry) to be able to choose from and employ,� said Clark.

Thomas also said that types of regulatory action such as the Shoreline Management Plan deters maritime businesses and force them to �work like dogs� to make legislation tolerable for business. He explained that by having to divert time and resources, along with the uncertainty during such action, puts the maritime industry at risk.

In addition, Charlie Costanzo, Vice President of the American Waterways Operators, spoke to the regulation incursion issue and mentioned the congressional effort to repeal the Jones Act as an example. The Jones Act prohibits any foreign built or foreign flagged vessel from engaging in coastwise trade within the United States. Stormwater drainage and other water quality issues were cited as examples of regulatory incursions faced.

Opportunities for growth were also discussed. As the work force ages, educational programs that provide training for individuals in the industry are going to have a significant effect on keeping jobs in the area.

�What constitutes a great city? I would offer, that to me, a great city is one that includes a robust middle class. That�s what we are talking about today is middle class jobs. That�s one of the reasons we started the training center at South Seattle Community College,� said Adm. John Lockwood (Ret.) of Seattle Marine Business Coalition.

Tom Barnard, Research and Policy Analyst at Port of Seattle announced that Ballard High School will be enrolling students in a Maritime Skill and Technology Center program next year. The program is one of thirty operating in the state and part of the Core-Plus Project.

�Even in something as tough in public sector life as public education, it is really possible when we all pull together and have a dramatic impact for the benefit of our companies, our members and our young people,� said Barnard.

Aside from educational programs, other opportunities for growth discussed included the decommissioning of naval vessels through the next 25 years, arctic oil enterprises and the recapitalization the fishing fleet. All of which will provide ample work opportunity for the majority of maritime sectors.

�I feel strongly that there is no question we are and will remain a port city. That�s a good thing for us. That�s a good thing for the diversity of our economy. It creates choices for jobs, and we are much stronger when we are seen as a region that has a strong maritime industry,� said Clark.

The port is making unspecific noise about 'abandoning' Seattle if they approve a minimum wage increase.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2014 17:52

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

SedanChair posted:

In Tacoma I lived in a subdivided house apartment with a full kitchen and bath that was less than 180 square feet. I loved it and wish there were more options like that here. I would despise sharing a bath and kitchen though.

The shared kitchen/bath arrangements are an artifact of the regulatory environment niche which makes apodments profitable and avoid environmental impact studies. The apodment is not caused by good design work or meeting a need, just hucksters profiteering off of the municipal code.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2014 22:02

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Thanatosian posted:

Mostly, the city, Amazon, and Paul Allen collectively said "suck our collective dick."

Yeah, Seattle is waaaaaaaayyyy better than SF about development. Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of developers are complete shitpieces, but development is necessary when you've got a growing city. And our city is pretty awesome, so lots of people are moving here.

I feel sympathy for the people being pushed out of SLU by rising rent and development, but at the same time, I'm glad that Amazon is taking the initiative in building sustainable housing for their employees near their offices, instead of just moving a ton of people out here and saying "go try and find someplace." It's a much more responsible way of doing things.

So company-towns are awesome and don't erode worker rights and civic ethics whatsoever?

Cicero posted:

I don't think apodments are a bad idea in and of themselves (some people just don't need or want much space), but as a symptom of a major housing crunch yeah they suck.

Apodments are a symptom of broken regulatory system that creates a niche where a mutant developments with a large number of beds but few kitchens that would be otherwise DOA are actually a more efficient method of profiteering from a housing crunch.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2014 00:19

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

We're talking about a city that is building a tunnel underneath downtown at a ridiculous cost to connect Vulcan Inc's SLU developments to Vulcan Inc's SoDo developments. It perhaps isn't one company but there is far too much power given to larger developers in this city.

But enh, egg on my face, its some other company town being developed as we speak:

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017058160_childrens21.html

quote:

UW, Seattle Children's hospital plan to build employee housing

Two big Seattle employers are partnering with a developer to build something this region probably hasn't seen since the days of the "company town" a century or more ago: housing for their workers.

Seattle Children's hospital and the University of Washington have proposed a 184-unit apartment complex in the University District at which their employees would have priority.

The university is providing the land, the hospital some of the financing. Seattle-based Security Properties would build, own and operate the complex, on 11th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 45th and 47th streets.

Children's and UW officials say it would offer relatively affordable homes close to work for employees ranging from cooks to lab technicians to junior faculty.

First-year medical residents are another target, said Todd Johnson, Children's vice president for facilities: "They're not that well-paid. But they need to be nearby, and sometimes finding housing can be a real problem for them."

The complex also could help both institutions recruit staff from across the country in the face of Seattle's still relatively expensive housing, said Aaron Hoard, the UW's deputy director of regional relations.

Entry-level employees at Children's commute from as far away as Marysville and Federal Way, Johnson says, because that's where they can afford to live.

Employer-provided housing is a big part of the Northwest's history. Pope & Talbot built Port Gamble for workers at its sawmill there. Newcastle began as a coal-mine company town. Asarco's corporate ancestors developed the town of Ruston around their Tacoma smelter.

But those communities all date to the early 1900s, or earlier. It's apparently been many decades since any local employer played a role in supplying housing for workers, historians at Historylink.org say.

Some institutional employers in other high-priced parts of the country � Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., is one � already provide staff housing. For Seattle, however, "we think we're the first," Children's Johnson said.

Curve, as the project is called, is a response to both a perceived need and a contractual obligation.

When the Seattle City Council approved Children's plan to expand its Laurelhurst campus in early 2010 after a drawn-out fight with unhappy neighbors, the hospital was required to replace the housing that would be torn down � a 136-unit, postwar condo complex called Laurelon Terrace, on Sand Point Way Northeast.

The council gave Children's a choice: It could pay $10.9 million into a city housing fund, or build replacement housing somewhere in Northeast Seattle.

"We thought that [option] offered a lot more opportunity," Johnson said.

Even before the condition was imposed, he said, Children's and UW executives had been discussing their common need for more-affordable housing near their campuses.

The university happened to have a promising development site: a parking lot covering nearly an acre, acquired in 2006 as part of its purchase of Safeco's U District holdings.

The two institutions solicited proposals from developers this year. Security Properties, which has acquired or developed 440 complexes across the country during its 40-year history, was selected in August.

The company has leased the property from the university for 50 years. Children's is jump-starting the $40 million project's financing with a $6 million, low-interest loan.

That favorable financing is helping Security to set aside 34 of Curve's 184 units for tenants earning no more than 75 percent of the area's median income, or about $51,000 for a two-person household, said John Marasco, the company's chief development officer.

The loan also allows Security to build more large apartments � two- and three-bedroom units � than most developers are building today, he added: "They [Children's and UW] wanted larger units to attract staff with young families."

There's another reason: Laurelon Terrace had 66 two- and three-bedroom units. Children's deal with the city requires that the replacement project contain at least that many.

Preliminary plans call for three buildings of four, six and eight stories, separated by plazas. The building at the corner of 11th and 47th would have ground-floor space for shops or cafes.

Security filed permit applications late last month. Marasco hopes to start construction in early 2013 and finish the complex in late 2014.

It could face plenty of competition. Developers plan to build an additional 640 apartments in the University District by 2015, according to research firm Dupre + Scott Apartment Advisors.

The largest, 284 units, would be across 11th from Curve. Both are near Sound Transit's planned U District light-rail station.

Children's and the university both expect Curve will help get more workers out of their cars. While the complex would be within walking distance of the university, it's nearly two miles from the hospital's main campus.

But there's a good alternative to driving, Johnson said: The hospital already runs a shuttle to Laurelhurst from offices it leases in a U District building a couple blocks away.

Apartments at Curve would be offered to UW and Children's workers before they are marketed to the public. Marasco said he expects employees of the two institutions will make up a good share of the residents: Worker surveys by the two employers found much interest in living closer to work, and that influenced Curve's design.

What's more, Marasco said, Security's Epicenter complex in Fremont, two miles farther from the UW campus, already attracts university employees and students.

"So we know they're out there," he said.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2014 00:50

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Thanatosian posted:

You do realize that development does not cause housing prices to go up, right? More housing=cheaper housing.

What causes housing prices to go up is an increase in demand or a decrease in supply.

This is sub-econ101 neoliberal pablum. Housing (and real estate as a whole) is by definition not fungible even within a building, much less a metropolitan area. Gentrification and feudal deprivation may not be the goal of Seattle, but building a dozen million dollar condos for every single working-family housing unit is not any way to 'fix' the housing crunch for the vast majority of taxpayers.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2014 23:57

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

^^^The Underground is awesome, take any tour you want^^^

Hedera Helix posted:

The question then becomes, how does building that set of luxury condos affect nearby rents, when compared to not building and having rich people snap up the existing housing stock?

Historically in the region, this usually means the wealthy buy bigger houses out on Mercer Island et al and suffer the transit for the their housing status-symbol. But with the push towards urban living with minor commuting- and with the lax development rules- it results in fewer living spaces for working families inside the city, and larger living expenses for the those with the least to expend as they are pushed into the margins.

San Fran is not the goal (partially because the gentrification pressures exist at any density), but the city of Seattle can do far more in creating solutions for working families. And when they have, they've been challenged every step of the way by developers fighting for the right to profiteer off of the housing crunch.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2014 00:29

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

etalian posted:

The city did build some affordable housing after passing some success bond measures and also tax levy:
http://www.seattle.gov/housing/levy/docs/Levy_photos.pdf

And they're pretty cool! I like living in Seattle, I like paying my taxes here more than I would elsewhere, and I do believe that there are people in this city that are trying to make it work for everyone. But treating real estate and living situations as if they are interchangeable widgets is something worth correcting.

And yes, I think there are troubling issues when your living situation is also limited by your lively-hood, because it takes too much leverage away from labor and into the hands of management. If you were also forced to move if you were fired from your job, your recourse to any abuses of that power is limited. It is this relationship structure that makes company-town situations inherently worth questioning. I mean even in the given example w/r/t Amazon paying in gift cards as acceptable scrip: it is that lack of leverage the worker has in response to said monopoly on goods and services that causes the deprivations associated with company-towns, not the act of getting Funbux rather than real money.

# ¿ Apr 6, 2014 00:53

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

In "Astroturfed opposition to a living wage" news:

quote:

Leaked E-Mail Shows Big Business Trying to Use Small Businesses to Weaken $15 Minimum Wage

We got a call yesterday from a PR guy announcing the social-media rollout of a new coalition lobbying City Hall on an $15-an-hour minimum wage proposal (a proposal that is still amorphous). Called OneSeattle, the group has a snazzy Facebook page and is interested in "how can we best raise people up to $15 while recognizing each individual industry has a different model for getting there," said Alex Fryer. Translation: OneSeattle is the business-run counterpoint to the worker-oriented group 15 Now, which wants a robust $15 wage law.

But who is in this new business group? Besides saying its members included "restaurant, manufacturing, and retail sectors," Fryer was mum. He's still getting a "complete picture" of who is involved. "When we have an announcement later this week, we will tell you who those members are."

But an e-mail leaked to The Stranger today sheds light on many of the members: big businesses and their associations. The letter, which outlines efforts to involve small businesses and workers as part of their public persona, is written by a person who attended the group's big kickoff summit today but could not be named for this post. The meeting of 70 to 100 people was led by Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce CEO Maud Daudon (the chamber's leading membership includes Starbucks, Amazon, Boeing, Microsoft, etc). In conjunction with the chamber, the group's biggest driver is the Washington Restaurant Association, which is an affiliate of the right-leaning National Restaurant Association that represents the McDonald's Corporation, Burger King Corporation, Yum! Brands Food, 7-11 and most other food giants in the US.

As many have noted, many of those visibly fighting $15-an-hour wages have been owners of small business, even though larger businesses are behind most low wages. A two-thirds majority of low-wage workers in the US work for larger companies, and many of the nation's largest corporations are those that pay workers the least. In Seattle, an estimated 24 percent of Seattle workers (102,000 workers citywide) would benefit from raising the wage to $15 and hour.

OneSeattle's other members: In attendance today, the letter says, were representatives of the Northwest Grocery Association (Safeway, QFC, and Fred Meyer, etc.), Manufacturing Industrial Council of Seattle, Washington Health Care Association (representing over 400 facilities), Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceuticals, the Rental Housing Association of Puget Sound, Washington Athletic Club, Nucor Steel, and on and on. Also present were representatives of several small business including Terra Plata, Zeek's Pizza, Lam's Market, Skillet, and Ethan Stowell Restaurants.

Their goal: Almost everyone raised their hands when asked if they support a policy that would raise the wage to $15 for workers on two conditions: the law is phased in over a period of several years and that it's based on a "total compensation" model. In this formula, an employee's benefits, such as health care and retirement, would be deducted from the $15 wage. Tips would also be deducted from the wage, so an employee who makes more than $5.68 an hour in tips (the difference between the current minimum wage and $15) would still receive $9.32 from their employer as they do now. Daudon was clear that the group wanted both provisions, not just phase in or total-compensation rule. (15 Now supports a phase-in rule but not a total compensation.)

Their strategy: Bob Donegan, CEO of Ivar's restaurant chain, reportedly acknowledged that about 70 percent of Seattle voters support a $15 minimum wage without exceptions, but said, according to recent market research, that the public could be swayed by the appearance of a coalition of businesses, large and small. In that vein, the group discussed outreach to businesses owned by people of color, including Chinese and hispanic chambers of commerce.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable things discussed was a strategy to involve tipped workers themselves, the e-mail says. One bar owner reportedly said 20 bars and restaurants had a meeting with tipped employees to, according to the memo, spread the idea that 15 Now wants to get rid of tips entirely. They told the employees that if a $15 minimum wage is passed without a tip credit, employees will no longer get tips at all. They are reportedly meeting tonight at a Belltown restaurant to plan a march from Cal Anderson Park to City Hall next Tuesday to call for a tip penalty in their own wages.

Donegan reportedly talked about a plan for an initiative that would be ready at the end of the month�which could run head-to-head on the fall ballot against a 15 Now initiative. Some members of the group have sent daily delegation meetings to meet with the mayor and city council, the memo says, which are being organized by Josh McDonald from the Washington Restaurant Association.

The upshot: The people behind OneSeattle are big business, while the people we're seeing in public and on the ground�literally planning to march in the streets�are workers from small, local businesses.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2014 21:42

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

ReverendCode posted:

except that is demonstrably not true, and is the excuse used to keep paying servers $3 an hour in many states.

Edit: wait, this is a gimmick isn't it?

I've read many a post by the user Republicans and he's more intellectually honest than a gimmick. I also agree wholeheartedly that only good could come with workers that are regulated by the Department of Health are being paid a living wage from the jump.

But in other progressive news:

quote:

Ballard business bumps minimum wage to $15

The $15 minimum wage debate has made some headway in Ballard. Annie Davis, founder of a 30-year-old Ballard based business, Annie�s Nannies, announced last week that she will be paying all of her employees $15 an hour.

Annie�s is a service that links clients to nannies. They employ 4 fulltime, 3 part-time and 60 temporary workers.

�I challenge every business that can afford it to do the same. My company�s new pay scale is my positive protest to draw attention to the need for a higher minimum wage and to pay everyone who works a living wage,� wrote Davis last week in a statement.
Though her employees were already making close to $15 an hour, Davis said that the little extra makes a difference.

�Most people working in Seattle can�t afford to live here. I want my employees to be able to live in the city they work in. � Even $15 an hour might not be enough to cover the high cost of living in Seattle,� said Davis.

Davis said that her business is doing well, reporting her best quarter since 2008. Davis said her clientele are largely upper-middle class families that can afford to pay for nannies. Moreover, Davis thinks those families paying for nanny services are a good indicator of economic conditions.

�Those in the household staffing industry have long said, �What happens to us is a precursor of where the economy is heading.� �

With good earning reports Davis feels she can afford to pay her employees the higher wage and that she has a moral obligation to do so.

Still, Davis is not fully endorsing the 15 Now movement proposed by Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant.

Seattle�s current wage is already the highest in the nation at $9.19. There is fear that after an increase, businesses will compensate by trimming staff and increasing prices.

Some Seattle industry leaders have already threatened pullbacks. Last week at the Port of Seattle�s round table discussion about the economic condition of the Maritime industry, business leaders adamantly discouraged the wage increase. Some threatened they would move their minimum wage jobs outside of the city.

�When the City steps in with regulations that really get into the heart of how we manage and run our businesses, it makes us all very nervous and uncomfortable, and when you make business nervous and uncomfortable, business doesn�t invest. Business doesn�t try to grow. Business sits back and waits to see what�s going to happen before we make plans for the long term,� said Brian Thomas, Kvichak Marine.

However, Davis feels that larger corporations should be paying the higher wage and would be better able to absorb the extra payroll than small business.

�When we do create minimum wage laws, exemptions need to be considered including special pay scales for entry level positions and teenagers; those who make tips; and businesses and non-profits operating on shoe-string budgets.�

�I�m not in favor of the City mandating the wage across the board, it would be impossible for some businesses to handle it. Imagine a coffee shop paying $4000 rent, insurance, taxes and then $15 an hour per employee � that�s a lot of cups of coffee they need to sell just to get by. However, if you a large chain or if your business can afford, I think they should.�

With over 68% of Seattle voters supporting the wage increase, the big question is how will the City phase it in and will there be exemptions for small businesses. Will different industries have different wages?

Davis said that a revenue threshold would be one way the City could determine which businesses pay the higher wage

�$15 an hour seems quite arbitrary to me, but I guess you have to start somewhere. �I think any business that grosses $1 million a year should have to pay their employees $15. If I ever made that much money, I�d pay my employees a whole lot more than $15!�

Clarification could be on the way. The city council has commissioned a report that studies the effects of a $15 wage that�s set to release this month. The report could give a better picture on how to differentiate between large and small businesses, and whether they will pay the higher wage.

But in the meantime Annie�s Nannies employees have a raise to celebrate.

�You can�t keep an economy going with people living in poverty. � My employees do the day to day work that makes my company profitable and they deserve to be paid for it.�

For those out of the Seattle loop, Ballard is the north-western, largely white-ethnic enclave, largely investment-class contained in the new City Council seat #6 to be elected next in 2015 (along with every other seat thanks to the new 7-2 district charter amendment).

# ¿ Apr 13, 2014 00:42

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Freakazoid_ posted:

It's easy to adopt that when you have the vast majority of your employees as temporary. If it wasn't already easy enough to absorb, she could just shave off a few hours a week and they'd be making the same money every month before the increase.

At that point your issue is with management having full control over the worker's schedule and the wage system as a whole, not the amount earned per hour.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2014 02:00

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Tigntink posted:

*Unless you are progressive voting and willing to commute by bus.

(This is why I moved here. gently caress the south. gently caress driving)

Mrit posted:

We need to put this up at Seatac and all major freeways.

Considering that the signage you're talking about is currently covered in No to Prop 1 signs to sway voters into shrinking said buses to the size of being drowned in the bathtub, I'm thinking the slogan works-as is.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2014 22:33

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Tigntink posted:

Also - is there any movement to basically replace our hosed up regressive tax system with an income tax written into the same bill?

I'd seriously promote the gently caress out of it. gently caress this regressive tax system.

There had been an attempt to pass an initiative recently that would have put in a high-tier state income tax, but it failed.

And at least Washington has a constitutional amendment to not apply sales tax to food items. In Idaho, the food sales tax gets voted in and out based on the year, which is just the worst. At least a tax on iPads is just piss-away money, not the things you need to piss in the first place.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 07:02

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

size1one posted:

Hey now, some of us actually support a new bridge. I even was for moving ahead with a bridge design that was hosed up in fundamental ways.*

*I always take 205 in but traffic is bad enough as it is. I can't imagine how horrible it will be when the Interstate bridge falls into the water.

Well the last time Washington let an critical interstate bridge fall into a river- all 11 months ago- the following traffic detour boondoggle resulted in killing a State Trooper. So if we keep form we're looking at 1.5 dead people because of our myopic, regressive, FYGM, NIMBY residents.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 22:38

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Kaal posted:

Eh, realistically there's just no particular upside for Oregon to have the bridge rebuilt outside of safety concerns. It'd be good to have done, and Oregon is willing to pay its fair share for the benefit of the regional economy, but if Washington isn't willing to pony up the money then there's really no reason for Oregon to build a bridge. I do think that they have a responsibility to make sure that it's safe to use though - I mean that bridge is one of the worst rated bridges in the entire nation, worse than the Skagit River Bridge that collapsed up near Seattle. One way or the other, that bridge is going to have to be shut down.

The Skagit River Bridge might not have been rated poorly on a material stress calculator, but the archways were so poorly designed that the thing was going to come down sooner than later.

What happened was that a truck taller than the supporting archway was forced into the (lower) right hand lane, striking the I-Beam and tearing the entire thing off. The truck was given a transit permit based on its height being under the higher left-hand lane's archway- because the regulatory bodies at WDOT are kinda dumb.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 22:49

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Jerry Manderbilt posted:

How many U of O students are from California, exactly?

Its more to the point to ask yourself who would be able to afford the luxury of owning a car during their college years: those already paying out-of-state tuition, or those who are not paying out-of-state tuition?

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 23:21

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Thanatosian posted:

So... we can all agree that the only people who the bridge is really good for is the tax-dodging assholes?

I mean, normally I'm in favor of infrastructure projects on principle, but gently caress those guys.

I-5 is... kinda a big deal in interstate and international shipping.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 23:30

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

oxbrain posted:

Oregon should annex Vancouver. gently caress those jerks, you guys can have them. Take the rest of WA-3 while you're at it.

Giving them Jaime Herrera Beutler and her miracle baby would constitute a breach of the Geneva Conventions.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 23:55

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Reason posted:

I heard on the radio today that the 15 Now movement in Seattle is introducing the bill that would raise the minimum wage to $15 as a city charter amendment which would mean that if it did pass it would require another vote to undo it since charter amendments cant be reversed by the city council. Pretty interesting that they feel confident enough to do it that way. I guess they'll require more signatures than if they were just doing it normal style.

It would most importantly bypass the silly things like 'legislature' and 'executive' and 'mitigating language'.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 07:17

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Fuzzy Mammal posted:

Anyone know what ever happened with the florist who refused to serve the gay wedding? It was supposed to be the exemplar anti-discrimination lawsuit but I haven't heard a thing about it after the AG sent the business a letter.

Arlene's Flowers & Gifts owner Barronelle Stutzman made the regular run on the 700 Club six months ago and is currently counter-suing the state government.

mod sassinator posted:

Isn't increasing the car registration by $40 kind of regressive too? If you're driving a $1000 car and scraping by, that's a huge increase.

There are income-dependant refunds for families in actual poverty and not want-to-pay-less-taxes poverty. And honestly if an extra $5 a month for a car was back-breaking then they wouldn't be able to afford the car in the first place.

But yes, Washington is a regressive as hell state for the poor and my gut feeling based on yard signs in the Seattle area* is a 65-35 failure for bus funding.

*i.e. worthless opinion

# ¿ Apr 16, 2014 23:17

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Cultural Imperial posted:

http://www.geekwire.com/2014/ride-sharing-petition-seattle/

Ride sharing caps are gone! gently caress you taxi industry.

Considering that the totality of the current 'Taxi Industry' regulations are based on last-century assumptions about Airport-to-Downtown traffic (y'know, the only thing that Light Rail DOES right now), the whole system is due to have a massive overhaul sooner than later.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2014 08:04

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Solkanar512 posted:

And Prop 1 is failing 45-55. With low voter turnout. loving christ, there are mail in ballots, why is this so loving difficult?

The local news has been a screed against $60 car tabs for the last week.

# ¿ Apr 23, 2014 16:10

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Solkanar512 posted:

But no, it's an off year election, so all the anti-tax rear end in a top hat vote, and the supposed "progressives" forget there was an election is the first place. Great work, shitheads.

It is worse than that: an off-year, out-of-season, single-issue election. Unless there is a late surge from the transient voter base that OFA / SA gets motivated Prop 1 is DOA

# ¿ Apr 23, 2014 18:24

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

When a mostly-progressive county rejects a regressive-as-poo poo tax package, blame the badly-written bill, not the voters.

Word on the street is that the bill was only a stalking horse to show the Metro budget crunch's effects, and the next avenue for funding busses is another chunk of property taxes levied overly on home-owners and rental properties- condos are naturally less affected by this, so woo go property developers yay.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2014 03:54

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

wheez the roux posted:

Mostly progressive my rear end, those assholes rejected a top 1% tax explicitly marked for education funding. Our universities have been systematically gutted, public transport is being gutted, roads and bridges are left to fall apart � all by the same rich assholes who claim to value education and who rely on roads to commute. I'd be fine with them digging their own grave but the holes they make are big enough to take all of us with them.

The lottery was supposedly earmarked solely for education too. It just so happens that A- it never was pre-I 728 and post-I 728 that money gets raided whenever there is a 'budget gap' & B- that just makes it easier to cut education out of the budget from normal sources because obviously the other funding sources can handle it. All-in-all I'm entirely cynical about 'earmarked' funding from taxes, and I would prefer stable budget systems from a catch-all general budget.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2014 06:46

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

You know you're in a PNW thread when even the dark revanchist fantasies are passive-aggressive. Equalizing funding between counties or legislative districts or w/e is all nice and pat until you have to clean up the Oso landslide.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2014 03:33

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

OwlBot 2000 posted:

$15 is seeming a bit precarious, and I'm thinking it will be gutted ($15/hr, minus the cost of benefits) if passed at all. Is anyone else around here more hopeful?

I'd wait until after mid-May for the protests to run their course before making any pronouncements. The 'compromise' position has yet to be attacked in the public sphere, and its up to the progressive movement to land the public consensus on the most beneficial option past the roadblocks.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2014 18:54

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

OwlBot 2000 posted:

The protests seem much smaller than those in 2013 and the polls show that business propaganda is paying off. I think the longer we wait the more time business groups have to regroup after being blindsided by Kshama's election and SeaTac wage.

The protests haven't happened yet. 15Now just finished its pre-event conference yesterday for the week of protests that begins next month.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2014 20:06

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Ernie Muppari posted:

What was the reason we didn't just go with the federal exchange in the first place? I've never really understood why we needed to pay contractors to make something that already existed.

State-based websites can be more efficient because all of the regulations for that specific state would limit the forms of the insurance available to members of that state. It 'prevents' people from other states crossing borders and getting insurance that would be invalid for them in the future.

The federal exchange is a replacement of a state exchange, it does everything the state exchange would do but also filters people into their home state to buy their home state's insurance.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2014 21:08

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

mod sassinator posted:

It's also probably a concession to Republicans who think any benefit from the federal level is tantamount to socialism and communism.

Its actually a Very Important Thing to keep state citizens in their own state-run exchanges. Having the insurance crossing the borders you'd have the same issues that result in a Delaware post box being the mailing address of 80% of american corporations.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2014 21:13

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 16:51

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

FRINGE posted:

Pathfinding in Seattle is much more difficult, but at least when youre lost you know the name of the street youre on. Portlands sign situation is comically bad.

Its not that hard, once you remember that Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest.

# ¿ May 4, 2014 23:09

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > Pacific Northwest Thread

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