Petition Drive Postponed

Yesterday, March 17, 2020, the 15 Now Tacoma Board of Directors (BOD) decided to postpone further gathering of signatures until at least the end of April because of the current pandemic. At the end of April, the BOD will decide how we will continue this campaign. It is possible we may delay any attempt to put Initiative 9 on the 2020 ballot and may go for a 2021 initiative instead.

We are concerned about the health of our volunteers as well as the health of petition signers. Health authorities tell us a person may be infected but show no signs of illness. Such people can pass on the COVID 19 to other, more vulnerable members of society.

We are very grateful to those who have supported Initiative 9 with their spirit and hard work. And we are grateful to everyone who signed our petition, spread the word, or in general worked for the betterment of working people. We have every reason to be proud of ourselves.

We’re not calling it quits. This is only a postponement. We will continue to maintain the website and continue trying to get endorsers for making the minimum wage to be a living wage. Hard times are ahead of us, but we must not allow ourselves to be defeated.

Please take care of yourselves, look after your loved ones and neighbors.

In solidarity,

15 Now Tacoma Board of Directors

Victory for Tacoma Workers and Immigrants

Even Private Prisons Must Obey The Law

Northwest Detention CenterA Federal Court ruled that the NWDC must pay at least a minimum wage to inmates who work on site. This is a victory, not only for the worker inmates, but for all of Tacoma’s low-wage workers who fight for economic justice.

Seattle Times staff writer Mike Carter reported on the story on May 13. This story tells us that Federal Judge Robert Bryan has just ruled Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) must pay state minimum wage to worker inmates. In other words, NWDC can no longer get away with paying only $1/day to these locked-up workers.

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