Seattle city employees are rallying for a new contract that provides equitable wages and benefits in the midst of higher inflation, while the city works to address a $221 million budget gap.

The Coalition of City Unions, which represents more than 6,000 city of Seattle employees, began contract negotiations in September 2022 and did not receive the city’s first economic proposal until March 2023. What was proposed was deemed “too little, too late,” by the Coalition of City Unions.

The coalition is seeking a contract that prioritizes what it calls “RSPCT,” which is an acronym for racial equity, safety, pay and affordability, climate justice and a work-life balance.

The Seattle Wage Dataset shows that as of January 2022, prior to contract negotiations, 26% of city employees made between $21.05 to $30.09 an hour.

[Equitable, schmequitable. What’s that deficit again? What’s the outflow from Seattle/King County ( -16,035 in 2022, compared to -37,655 in 2021)? That pie plate looks to be already empty but everyone still clamoring for a bigger slice. This throwdown is going to be something. ~ Beege]