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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 14 |
| 1862 | 9 |
| 1863 | 6 |
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 15 |
| 1876 | 79 |
| 1877 | 70 |
| 1878 | 56 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 20 |
| 1882 | 16 |
| 1883 | 90 |
| 1884 | 42 |
| 1885 | 88 |
| 1886 | 47 |
| 1887 | 50 |
| 1888 | 47 |
| 1889 | 100 |
| 1890 | 32 |
| 1891 | 100 |
| 1892 | 245 |
| 1893 | 219 |
| 1894 | 266 |
| 1895 | 287 |
| 1897 | 8 |
| 1898 | 24 |
| 1899 | 40 |
| 1900 | 11 |
| 1902 | 11 |
| 1903 | 137 |
| 1904 | 131 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 4 |
| 1908 | 34 |
| 1909 | 137 |
| 1910 | 30 |
| 1911 | 13 |
| 1912 | 13 |
| 1914 | 31 |
| 1915 | 17 |
| 1916 | 59 |
| 1917 | 21 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1920 | 1 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 11 |
| 1924 | 6 |
| 1925 | 2 |
| 1928 | 2 |
2,664 stories matching pay
- The North End's Water Works Fairness Fight
Tacoma’s City Council faces accusations of unequal treatment regarding public infrastructure costs for water hydrants.
- Stevens County Weighs a Bond to Retire $25,000 in Warrants
Commissioners ask taxpayers whether to bond the county's outstanding warrants and cut the interest rate from 7 percent to under 4.
- The Carpenter Who Went to Jail on Principle
A local carpenter faces jail time after refusing to pay a poll tax, equating his plight to the political climate of Tsarist Russia.
- Coroner Threatens to Sue County Over Unpaid Bills
Coroner Askam argues that the county commissioners are unfairly denying him pay for investigating accidental deaths.
- The Mystery of the Counterfeit Dollar
A single bill makes its way through the local economy, settling debts until it hits the bank, a counterfeit, and finally, the collection plate.
- Who Should Pay for the Fireboat?
The Tacoma City Council debates whether taxpayers should fund fire protection for industrial waterfront property that pays no local taxes.
- City Launches Crackdown on Unpaid Utilities
Tacoma utility officials are enforcing new liens on real estate and securing legal judgments to collect delinquent light and water bills.
- City Laborers Find Relief at the Bank
Mayor Phelps intervenes to stop the exploitation of city laborers by 'scrip buyers' who were charging fees to cash municipal pay checks.
- The High School's Secret Salary Scheme
A Seattle school board trustee was caught in a tangled web of pay-roll falsification, revealing a bizarre scheme involving a military instructor and a city official's confusion over government pay.
- The Man Who Insisted on Paying His Fare
A Swedish immigrant creates a scene at the Northern Pacific depot by trying to pay back a debt to a railroad that didn't even want his money.
- Spokane Taxpayers Stage Telephone Strike
Thousands of residents have joined a coordinated refusal to pay increased utility rates following legal advice that the jump is not backed by state law.
- Firecrackers and Guard Duty for the New Year
As the Chinese community celebrates, the City Council forces them to pay for their own police watchmen.
- County Employees Go Without Pay in Montesano
Clerks for Chehalis County officers face a financial crisis as the local government runs out of money and refuses to pay salaries.
- Who Pays for the Streets That Boost Land Values?
A taxpayer objects as Olympia considers borrowing from the general fund to cover private street-grading debts in distant additions.
- Court Threatens Jail Over Unpaid Alimony
A judge orders a local man to pay years of back alimony or face immediate incarceration.
- A $32,000 Dike Bet Pays Off in the Calispel Valley
Twenty teams race a June deadline to reclaim 6,500 acres, backed by ranchers who saved a crop last year and proved the dike would pay.
- Musicians Stranded in Seattle After Labor Dispute
Two orchestra members of the Shay Opera Company find themselves out of work and funds after requesting their pay.
- The Logging Camp Christmas Boom
Thousands of dollars in wages hit the Shelton economy as loggers prepare for a holiday of debt-paying and celebration.
- The County Surveyor’s 'Sweating' Scheme
King County Surveyor F.F. Ames faced official charges for systematically stealing a portion of his employees' wages.
- The Justice Who Made the Complainant Pay
When a man filed an assault charge in the local courts, a sharp-witted justice turned the tables on him—and sent him to the county boarding house.
- Foundry Workers Strike for Bi-Weekly Pay
Foundry employees walk off the job at Almond & Phillips after management consistently fails to meet the 10th-of-the-month payday.
- The $1,000 Bribe for Slot Machine Protection
Owners of 100 slot machines propose a monthly payment to the city for the privilege of operating under police protection.
- The Secretive Courthouse Hustle
A last-minute meeting at the courthouse reveals deep dissatisfaction with the proposed Seventh Street site for new county buildings.
- City Hall Debates Paying Workers in Scrip
Facing a cash crunch, Seattle city officials consider paying for sewer infrastructure with IOUs that workers might have to sell at a discount.
- The Fire Chief's Power Struggle
A judge ruled that the Seattle Fire Chief lacked the inherent power to suspend firemen and withhold their pay, shifting the authority to the Board of Fire Commissioners.
Also about this, in other words
- The True Cost of Living
A haunting poem from the era exposes the impossibility of supporting a family on a mill worker's starvation wage.
- Teachers Lobby Against Wage Payment Bill
Local educators and the Board of Education protest legislative changes to the scheduling of school salary payments.
- The Teachers' Pay Gap
An editorial from 1887 argues that Seattle’s teachers are overworked, undervalued, and paid significantly less than city laborers.
- The 'Chisel' Game: How Seattle's Working Class Fought Labor Exploitation
A scathing report from 1887 reveals the corrupt 'ticket' system that allowed middlemen to siphon wages from laborers—a century-old echo of modern gig-economy wage theft.
- The Teamsters’ Pay Protest
When city laborers weren't paid for grading Eleventh Street, they threatened legal action against Tacoma, revealing a messy clash between public works and local ordinances.
- The City Hall Pay Dispute
A Tacoma teamster takes on the city after being shorted on his daily wage, sparking a potential test case for labor rights.
- The High Price of Corporate Greed in 1884
A historic editorial from Snohomish highlights the divide between executive pay and the struggles of the working man.
- The True Cost of a Hired Hand
A frank critique of the era's labor relations, arguing that farmer complaints about hired help often stem from poor treatment and meager food rather than a decline in worker character.