This year has laid bare the stark inequalities in our society. Six months into the pandemic crisis, workers face unprecedented challenges: many workers are taking on additional risk at work, and employers are often failing to enact appropriate safety measures. The Senate has so far failed to provide adequate relief money, choosing to make it harder for us to pay our bills and survive this crisis. Hundreds of thousands of Washington workers are still unemployed and navigating a system full of delays and missing benefits payments. Meanwhile, wage theft and other workplace violations are spiking — and those violations are disproportionately impacting workers of color. 

Yet, in the face of these historic challenges, workers are coming together in powerful ways. A coalition of undocumented immigrants and community organizations just won a relief fund for undocumented immigrants. Gig workers in Seattle recently won sick leave and hazard pay ordinances, building momentum in the fight for a permanent pay standard. And Fair Work Center is still providing legal services and offering Know Your Rights workshops, which have shifted to virtual online events in order to reach workers remotely.

With Labor Day this week, we celebrate the powerful victories that workers win when they come together. Here’s how Fair Work Center is supporting worker organizing and enforcing labor standards during these challenging times: 

Congress and the Trump administration continue to intentionally exclude undocumented immigrants from all federal pandemic support—but Washington state is finally stepping up to provide undocumented workers with financial relief. 

After months of relentless organizing by undocumented workers and a broad coalition of 430 organizations, we’re celebrating a hard-fought win: Governor Inslee just announced $40 million in direct relief for undocumented workers. The newly-created Washington Immigrant Relief Fund will provide one-time cash assistance of up to $1000/person. With this fund, Washington joins California and Oregon as the only states to provide relief to undocumented workers. 

It’s about time. The Washington Immigrant Relief Fund will put much-needed money into the hands of thousands of undocumented workers, who haven’t seen any government relief since the pandemic took hold in March.

Read more about the next steps for this fund and how we're keeping the pressure on to make sure that all workers, regardless of immigration status, get the relief they need during this crisis.

Para leer esta noticia en español, haga clic aquí.

Do you work at SEA Airport? SeaTac Proposition 1 protects the rights of workers at most large airport, transportation, and hospitality businesses in SeaTac. Under Prop. 1 you have the right to:

— The second-highest minimum wage in the country: $16.34 in 2020
— Keep all the tips and service charges you earn 
— Find out first about additional hours, before new part-time workers are hired
— Paid sick and safe time 
— Also, under state law you have the right to paid family leave & meal and rest breaks for every shift you work.

Alongside Partner in Employment, Fair Work Center has launched a series of Know Your Rights trainings for airport workers. These workers are facing layoffs, reduced hours, and an unpredictable future as a result of the pandemic crisis — which is why it’s more important than ever to enforce Prop. 1 labor standards. We are offering these trainings in English and in Somali to reach African immigrant workers, while PIE is providing these trainings in French, Swahili and Spanish. We will make sure to provide trainings in other languages as needed. For more information and to sign up for this free training series, visit our SEA Airport Workers page.