The following is a transcript of a speech given by socialist & former Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant on August 20, 2024 at a Workers Strike Back protest at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago alongside Left independent antiwar Presidential candidate Jill Stein, which was attended by more than 200 working people in person, with more than 140,000 viewing online.

As Seattle Democrats prepare another attack on our historic minimum wage victory, the labor movement needs to wage a determined fight to defend it.

Workers Strike Back members and other rank-and-file union members successfully won a version of the below resolution in WFSE Local 889, a union of social service workers in Seattle, WA.

Under pressure from Workers Strike Back and Seattle’s working people, Democratic Party City Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth has been forced to WITHDRAW her shameful bill to undermine our historic minimum wage victory. The bill would have created a permanent lower-tier minimum wage for over 200,000 workers in our city, immediately robbing them of at least $3/hour starting in January.

What arethe lessons from this victory?

The Seattle City Council is considering legislation from District 3 Democratic Party Councilmember Hollingsworth to make a lower-tier minimum wage permanent, robbing over 200,000 workers of their right to the full minimum wage. We cannot let the City Council get away with this because this won’t be the last attack. The labor movement needs to fight to defend the gains we have won in wages, renters’ rights, and taxes on big business.

If you are a rank-and-file union member, please consider putting this resolution forward in your union, and help us fight back! Contact Workers Strike Back for more information.

On Sunday, July 21, Workers Strike Back held its Inaugural National Zoom Conference, attended by more than 300 working people from around the country, to discuss the path forward to end the genocidal war on Gaza–including the crucial question of what working people should do during this year’s Presidential election to oppose the warmongers in the Democratic and Republican Parties.