BELLEVUE, Wash. — Eight protestors were arrested as they blocked a downtown Bellevue intersection to demonstrate for a $15 minimum wage in the city.
The protestors are members of Working Washington, the union-backed group that won the fight for a higher minimum wage in SeaTac and Seattle.
“I feel that we shouldn’t have to worry about food on the table,” said protestor Jeremy Cameron, who stayed away from his job at the Bellevue Jack in the Box Wednesday.
Cameron makes the state minimum wage of $9.32 an hour. He’s a college student living at home and says that while the money is not critical for him, he worries about co-workers who struggle.
“I don't think we should starve when people are making billions of dollars,” Cameron said.
Earlier the protestors marched across the I-90 Bridge from Seattle to Bellevue to show their determination to expand the territory where the $15 minimum wage is in effect.
Seattle’s effort had the support of the political and business establishment, but Bellevue has a reputation for being affluent and more conservative.
“You know a year ago a lot of people didn't think we could win in Seattle,” said Sage Wilson, spokesman for Working Washington. “Bellevue is an affluent place, it's also a place of great income inequality,” Wilson said.
Six of the arrested protestors were released within hours of their arrest. The remaining two were released later in the evening.
KIRO
