‘Ain’t no part of bridge-building happening with this leadership’: Gee questions mayor joining Embassy Suites picket line

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay joined striking Embassy Suites workers on the picket line in Pioneer Square on Labor Day. Wilson said she was there to support living wages. But KIRO host Gee Scott wasn’t buying it.

“I’m the jerk that’s coming in and telling you and everybody, ain’t no part of bridge-building happening with this leadership,” Gee said on “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

Gee added that he sides with the workers, but not with the mayor’s decision to join them.

“I’m going to be on the side of people making a better wage,” he said. “But as an elected official, I don’t think that’s a good idea. You want to put out a statement? Sure, no problem. But to show up and be on the picket lines, what are you saying to the business?”

The 117 hotel employees have been off the job since June 18, making it the longest hotel strike in Washington history. The front desk, housekeeping, and food and beverage workers, represented by UNITE HERE Local 8, want better staffing, year-round health coverage, and raises of $3 an hour in each of the next two years. Hilton is offering non-tipped workers a total raise of $5.35 spread over five years and says it remains committed to negotiating in good faith.

Angela gives Wilson Labor Day — but only Labor Day

KIRO fill-in host Angela Poe Russell said she initially flinched when she saw the mayor on the picket line, but gave her a pass for the holiday.

“Normally, I am not a fan of this. I believe that our elected officials should be the bridge,” Angela said. “On Labor Day, this feels right. On a day that kind of celebrates the worker and the push to get better treatment, to get fair wages, it felt like the perfect place to be.”

But she drew a firm line.

“I think when you take sides as an elected leader, you’re compromising us in another area,” Angela said. “I definitely want to stand with them. I understand as the elected official, you want to definitely protect the most vulnerable, but I think you protect the most vulnerable by being the bridge builder.”

Gee reminded Angela that this is not Wilson’s first picket line. As mayor-elect in November 2025, Wilson joined Starbucks workers on Red Cup Day and told people not to buy Starbucks.

“This is the same person that said, ‘Bye’ to the millionaires,” Gee said. “Are you sure that you really want this person, the mayor, to be on the picket line with that type of history?”

Angela and Gee debate

Angela argued that Wilson’s Labor Day remarks were measured. She spoke about wage parity with other hotels rather than demanding specific numbers.

“I think that’s very different than saying, ‘I’m not going to go to Starbucks, and neither should you,'” Angela said.

She asked whether Wilson might have learned from the Starbucks episode.

“Has she? I don’t know,” Gee said. “So far, as far as accountability, that’s not something that she likes to do. She wants to move forward when it comes to the text messages and the Bite of Seattle.”

Is it pandering?

Angela raised the question directly, pointing to Joe Biden’s decision to join a picket line during his presidency.

“Sometimes it can feel like pandering if you know that your voters are on a certain base and they’re trying to get the union vote,” Angela said. “The role of government should be — you’re kind of a neutral party that’s supposed to be thinking about all aspects of your constituency. And when you take a side, you could be making a decision that costs you business and hurts the economy.”

Gee said the broader perception matters: there is already a sentiment in Washington that the state is not pro-business, and elected officials joining picket lines deepens that impression.

“Right now there’s already a sentiment in this state that we’re not pro-business,” Gee said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.