Sawant bill would require general contractors to cover laborers' parking

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant on Tuesday unveiled a bill that would require general contractors to cover the full cost of parking for construction workers.

The proposal comes as Sawant faces a recall election on Dec. 7. Voters in her district, which includes Capitol Hill, First Hill, the Central District, Montlake, Madison Valley and Madison Park will decide whether the Socialist Alternative member will stay on the council or be booted off.

The legislation seems unnecessary for members of the Northwest Carpenters Union. Members on Monday voted to accept a new contract, which boosts the parking reimbursement to $1.50 an hour, or $13.50 for nine hours. Many parking lots' early-bird specials offer 10 hours of parking for $14 or $15.

In addition, mandating 100% paid parking would be counterproductive to the city and state's long-term efforts to reduce drive-alone commutes, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Washington said.

https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2021/10/13/sawant-bill-labor-parking.html

Parking is also a billable expense for the work I do. One thing that annoys me about Sawant is she has a tendency to pontificate without talking to the people she's supposedly advocating for.

I'm not a Seattle resident however so I have no say in her status on the council.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Attempt to fast-track bill leads to heated back-and-forth between Seattle councilmembers

An attempt from Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant to fast-track a proposal to require contractors to pay the cost of parking for construction workers led to a contentious back-and-forth during a Monday council session.

Sawant’s bill would mandate that contractors reimburse 100% of the parking expenses of construction workers in the city. According to her office, some workers currently have to pay $100-150 a week or more for parking near jobs downtown, and many contractors either do not provide free parking or they limit reimbursement.

Typically, bills must first get referred to a relevant committee for discussion, and then get approved before heading to a full council vote. On Monday, Sawant called for a motion to bring it to the full council immediately, but needed a second from a fellow councilmember before she could be permitted to further discuss the proposal.

After not receiving a response, she asked for “a courtesy second so I can at least describe what this legislation does,” before attempting to launch into an explanation of the bill itself.

At that point, Council President Lorena Gonzalez stepped in, telling her that this was “not an opportunity for that.”

“You have to get a second before we can speak to the substance of the motion,” Gonzalez clarified.

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https://mynorthwest.com/3193453/kshama-sawant-construction-worker-bill-heated-back-and-forth/