Friday, June 6, 2014

#Seattle workers win $15/hr min wage war led by India born Kshama Sawant


Pune-born software engineer turned economics professor Kshama Sawant who is now a elected member of Seattle City Council won  her election last year on a platform of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Seattle made history this week by passing the $15-an-hour minimum wage — the highest in US for a major city, and more than twice the federal minimum wage.


Sawant, 41, based her campaign largely on proposals such as raising hourly wages for workers to $15 and taxing the rich. Sawant's campaign got support from the working class in Seattle city. Elected to the City Council, she has been pressing for higher minimum wage, implementing rent control, protecting public  sector unions from layoffs, instituting higher taxes on the wealthy to pay for public union jobs and services and other measures that find support among working class but it has raised the hackles of the capitalist interests.