Critics warn of 'union mercenary' group entering minimum wage debate in Seattle

As Seattle and its leaders contemplate raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, a group that one critic dubs a “union mercenary” has entered the fray.

The Olympia-based Freedom Foundation revealed last week that the Restaurant Opportunities Center, a federally registered nonprofit organization based in New York City, is conducting surveys in the Seattle area, a sign the group is about to enter the battle over the higher wage proposal.

ROC isn’t a labor union, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have nearly identical goals as organized labor. ROC poses as a pro-worker, anti-corporation group that seeks workplace justice.

Mike Paranzino, communications director for ROC Exposed, told Watchdog.org that Seattle residents — and Washingtonians in general — should be leery of ROC’s presence on the ideological battlefield.

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