- Rally at 3 p.m. March 15 to support Space Needle workers
- Tell Olympia: No more games, just JOBS!
- Support Port Truckers!
- 99% will roll out red carpet for R-money
- Move SB 5539 Forward
- Ending Misclassification of Port Truck Drivers
- Help USW call out Cooper Tire greed Feb. 25 at Les Schwab in Puyallup
- SB 5539 Voted Out of Senate Rules Committee
- Space Needle workers fight for job security
Posted: May 8, 2012
Source UFCW
We are hearing new rumors on a weekly basis of Walmart's attempts to gain a foothold in Seattle. Now is not the time for the city to lower standards that would help low-road employers like Walmart. Current retailers have managed to operate profitably in our city, having met current land-use environmental review requirements. Why shouldn't Walmart be held to the same standards?
Please email the city council ( council@seattle.gov ) to urge them to maintain our land-use protections rather than weaken them.
Making Change at Walmart, OUR Walmart, and UFCW21 will be attending the City Council's committee hearing next week to communicate this message loud and clear:
"Don't weaken our rules for Walmart.
We need more protection against companies like Walmart, not less."
If you are in Seattle and available, please join us!
- Date: Wednesday, May 9th
- Time: 8:45am (9am start to hearing, public comment happens at the beginning!)
- Location: City Hall - 600 4th Ave, Seattle 98104
- Event: Planning, Land-use, and Sustainability Committee hearing, City of Seattle
- Contact: Elena Perez, c: 206.359.1885
Rally Thursday in Seattle to oppose S. 1789
Posted: April 9, 2012
Source: The StandThe National Association of Letter Carriers and supporters of U.S. Postal Service employees will rally from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 12 at Seattle’s Federal Building (915 2nd Ave.) to call upon the U.S. Senate to vote NO on S. 1789. The NALC will be holding “Save America’s Postal Service” rallies across the country that day outside U.S. Senator’s home offices.
S. 1789 could come before the Senate immediately following the Easter recess. If this legislation passes, it would hurt the U.S. Postal Service by:
- Putting an end to six-day mail delivery in two years.
- Phasing out door-to-door mail delivery.
- Failing to fully address the Postal Service’s pre-funding requirement.
- Not addressing the overpayment into the CSRS pension fund.
Click here for a fact sheet on S. 1789 or visit www.nalc.org for more information. For questions about the April 12 rally in Seattle, call NALC Branch 79 at 206-284-3420.
Tell lawmakers: DON'T LEAVE TOWN without passing the Jobs Bonds!
Posted: March 30, 2012
Source: The Stand
With the extended special session of the State Legislature scheduled to end April 10, Washington lawmakers are reportedly nearing agreement on the state's operating budget. But they have other business to address before they leave town to start campaign for re-election: CREATING JOBS!
The Infrastructure Jobs Bonds legislation, supported by both business and labor interests, is on the short list of measures that Gov. Chris Gregoire and leaders of both parties have agreed to consider during the special session. But so far, it has been held hostage while political games are played with the operating budget.
The Spokesman-Review writes that the Jobs Bonds "should be a high priority." The (Everett) Herald calls it a "smart plan for now and the future." The (Tacoma) News Tribune says it is "ingenuous job creation in hard times." A new report by the Economic Opportunity Institute calls it "a recipe for economic recovery." We call it: OVERDUE.
Please urge your State Senator and Representatives: "Don't come home until you've passed the Jobs Bonds!"
Read more here.
Support Verizon workers at Thursday actions
Posted: March 21, 2012
Source: The Stand
Verizon has made tens of billions in profits and its top executives walked away with $283 million in the last four years. But when it comes to the 45,000 workers who made Verizon’s success possible, suddenly the company cries that it’s “broke.”
Verizon has sent thousands of American jobs overseas and wants to outsource even more jobs, gut pensions, charge current and retired employees thousands of dollars more for health benefits, and cut disability benefits for workers injured during their jobs.
On Thursday, March 22, the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and thousands of others will be rallying around the country to support good jobs and the U.S. Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act.
TAKE A STAND! Join in this national day of action by helping leaflet Thursday outside these Verizon Stores:
- SEATTLE — 6th & Olive downtown from 4 to 5 p.m., organized by the M.L. King County Labor Council (get details)
- SILVERDALE — 10710 Silverdale Way NW from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., organized by the Kitsap County Labor Council (details)
- TACOMA — 4009 Tacoma Mall Blvd. from 5 to 6:30 p.m., organized by the Pierce County Central Labor Council (details)
- VANCOUVER — 8700 N.E. Vancouver Mall Drive from 4 to 5 p.m., organized by the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council (details)
Click here to find other events nationwide to support the 45,000 Verizon workers.
Read more here.
Rally at 3 pM. March 15 For Space Needle workers
Posted: March 12, 2012
Source: The Stand
Join Space Needle workers in their struggle to fight back at a Justice @ the Needle rally from 3 to 4 p.m. this Thursday, March 15.
Each year, the Space Needle attracts more than 1 million visitors, making it one of the top tourist destinations in Washington State. The Sky City Restaurant at the Needle is the most visited restaurant in Seattle, and costs visitors more than $60 a plate. Accordingly, wages and benefits for workers at the Space Needle are somewhat higher than average service-sector jobs. But that may soon change.Workers at the Space Needle, who are represented by UNITE HERE Local 8, have been in negotiations with the Space Needle Corporation for many months, where workers are fighting for living wages, benefits, and job security. In recent bargaining sessions, management has asked for the ability to subcontract its workforce, a practice also known as outsourcing.
Read more here.
Tell Olympia: No more games, just JOBS!
Posted: March 7, 2012
Source: The Stand
Amid the state budget drama of the past week and the prospect of an extended special legislative session, one critically important issue — repeatedly cited by voters as their top priority — is being ignored in Olympia: JOBS!
In stark contrast to the harmful all-cuts budgets proposed by both parties — which will not only shred critical social safety nets, they will eliminate public-sector jobs — legislation supported by business and labor to create tens of thousands of private-sector jobs is the 2012 Legislature’s best opportunity to have a positive, proactive impact on Washington’s economy. And yet, lawmakers have so far refused to vote on a plan the (Everett) Herald has called a “smart plan for now and the future” and the (Tacoma) News Tribune says is “ingenuous job creation in hard times.”
TAKE A STAND! Please CLICK HERE TO TAKE ACTION and send a message to you Senator and Representatives insisting that they vote on the Infrastructure Jobs Bonds legislation NOW!
ALSO, please send an original email to the following targeted legislators to urge their support for the the Infrastructure Jobs Bond:
Sens. Don Benton (R-17th), Jerome Delvin (R-8th), Joe Fain (R-47th), Jim Honeyford (R-15th), Jim Kasmata (D-25th), Steve Litzow (R-41st), Linda Evans Parlette (R-12th), Cheryl Pflug (R-5th), Pam Roach (R-31st), Mark Schoesler (R-9th), Tim Sheldon (D-35th), and Rodney Tom (D-48th), plus Reps. Richard DeBolt and Judy Warnick.
Please TAKE ACTION today! Time is running out for jobs!
Support Port Truckers!
Posted: March 1, 2012
Source: MLKCLC
Today, 40 port truck drivers will be walking the halls of power in Olympia making their final case to state Senators and asking them to support SHB2395, a bill that will end their misclassification as “independent” contractors. This bill would make port truck drivers employees under Washington State law, giving drivers access to:
- Workers Compensation: payment for medical care and lost time due to injuries on the job;
- Disability Insurance: payments for family support if permanently injured on the job;
- Unemployment Insurance: payments if laid off;
- Civil Rights: Protection from discrimination on the job based on race or national origin;
- Fair Wages: A right to net pay of at least $540 for every 60 hours worked (after all expenses);
- Paycheck Protection: State protections when companies withhold pay;
- Safety Rights: health and safety protections at work.
SHB 2395 needs be voted on by the Senate by Friday, March 2nd. We could not have gone as far as we have in this effort if it wasn’t for the steady dedication and efforts of all of you and your allies. Please help us with this final push.
How can you help?There are two key ways you can help from right where you’re sitting!
Email!
Please email and ask your allies, friends and community to email by using this link to contact 14 key Senators we need to persuade to support SHB2395: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5377/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9287
Call!
The 14 Senators identified below are essential in reaching the majority we need to bring justice to port truck drivers. Please call them and ask them to vote in favor of SHB2395
Senator Margarita Prentice |
Senator Craig Pridemore |
Senator Tracey Eide |
Senator Nick Harper |
Senator Derek Kilmer |
Senator Mary Margaret Haugen |
Senator Steve Hobbs |
Senator Debbie Regala |
Senator Tim Sheldon |
Senator Paull Shin |
Senator Rodney Tom |
Senator Jerome Delvin |
Senator Pam Roach |
Senator Dan Swecker |
|
99% will roll out red carpet for R-money
Posted: February 28, 2012
Source: The Stand
This Thursday, some of the richest people in Washington State will gather in one of the richest zip codes in the country to invest their money in the richest presidential candidate in history, a man who promises to to lower taxes on the rich even further.
Visitors to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s $2,500-per-photo fundraising event in Bellevue will be greeted with a human red carpet that’s rolled out directly over members of the 99% — including workers, students, unemployed people, and others.
This human red carpet will dramatize the ugly truth behind this gathering: the 1% are funding a political agenda of lower taxes on big corporations and the rich. It’s government of the 1%, by the 1%, and for the 1% — no matter the cost to the rest of us. Romney’s recent proposal to pay for a 20% tax giveaway to the rich with big cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and other programs is just the latest example of how the 1% are using their money to walk all over the rights and interests of the people of the 99%.
TAKE A STAND! (Or in this case, lie down.) Join demonstrators at the Romney event this Thursday, March 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. Gather at Bellevue City Hall at 4 p.m. for a march arriving at Meydenbauer Center, 11100 N.E. 6th St., at 5 p.m. to greet Mitt Romney. This event is organized by Working Washington, an organization bringing people together to fight for a fair economy.
Move SB 5539 Forward
Washington Filmworks spent the day in Olympia meeting with Representatives and Committee staff to move SB 5539 (the bill to renew the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program) forward. We repeatedly heard that Representative Ross Hunter (D-48) is not willing to schedule a Ways & Means Committee hearing on the bill. This hearing must occur before the bill cut off date of Monday, February 27th at 5 p.m. or the bill could die.
If you are a constituent living or working in the 48th district and are Represented by Ways & Means Chair Ross Hunter we urge you to write or call his office, asking him to schedule a hearing before the bill cut off of 5 p.m., Monday February 27th. Representative Hunter’s email is ross.hunter@leg.wa.gov and his Olympia Office telephone number is (360) 786-7936.
http://www.leg.wa.gov/house/representatives/pages/hunter.aspx
Our legislative team has also recommended that those who live or work in the 43rd district call and write House Speaker, Representative Frank Chopp. First, thank him for his support. Then, acknowleging his position as Speaker of the House, ask for his assistance in securing a hearing. Ask Speaker Chopp to encourage Representative Hunter to take positive action on SB 5539. Speaker Chopps’ email is frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov and his Olympia Office telephone number is (360) 786-7920.
http://www.leg.wa.gov/House/Representatives/Pages/Chopp.aspx
This is a critical moment in the renewal campaign please call or write your representative today.
TAKE ACTION:
Ending Misclassification of Port Truck Drivers
SHB2395 will address the decade's long injustice of port truck drivers being misclassified as "independent" contractors by mandating they be considered employees.
Please email the Senate Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection Committee before February 24th, to let them know you support justice for port truck drivers!
To Take Action Now, CLICK HERE!
Help USW call out Cooper Tire greed Feb. 25 at Les Schwab in Puyallup
Posted: February 17, 2012
Source: The Stand
In November, Cooper Tire locked out 1,051 members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 207L at its profitable Findlay, Ohio, plant despite the union's good-faith offer to keep working while negotiations toward a new labor contract proceeded.
On Jan. 14, Puget Sound-area USW members and their supporters (some are pictured at right) leafleted outside the Sears at Tacoma Mall to support their locked-out Brothers and Sisters at Cooper Tire. It was part of a National Day of Action to educate tire customers at more than 125 stores across the country about the treatment of the Cooper Tire workers.
TAKE A STAND! The USW is asking for all supporters of their locked-out Brothers and Sisters at Cooper Tire to handbill tire customers and inform them about the lockout, this time on Saturday, Feb. 25 starting at 9 a.m. at the Les Schwab in Puyallup at 10115 171st St. Ct. E.
By helping handbill tire customers and spreading the word, you can play a major role in getting this company to negotiate fairly! For more info about the Feb. 25 leafleting, email Ryan Meyhoff.
SB 5539 Voted Out of Senate Rules Committee
Posted: February 13, 2012
Source: Washington Film Works
SB 5539, the bill to renew the Motion Picture Competitiveness Program, was voted out of the Senate Rules committee on Saturday. It is likely that there will be a vote on the Senate floor in the near future and we urge film industry professionals to contact their Senators by telephone or email ASAP. For your convenience we have included this link to a sample letter that you can adapt and send to your Senator.
Find your legislators: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/
Space Needle workers fight for job security
Updated: February 10, 2012
Source: The Stand
UNITE HERE Local 8 members have been in negotiations with the Edgewater Hotel and the Seattle Hilton for many months, where workers are fighting for their job security and their union. Add the Space Needle to that list.
In contract negotiations, Space Needle management wants the ability to subcontract out workers’ jobs and refuses to agree to protect the workers’ jobs in case the facility is sold. On Thursday, employees will vote on management’s latest contract proposal that does not include job security.
TAKE A STAND! Please take 30 seconds to be in solidarity with the workers and let the Space Needle know that the Seattle community expects them to do the right thing and protect workers jobs.
CLICK HERE to send an email and a fax to the Space Needle corporation supporting the workers! Also you can share our link on facebook, go to www.facebook.com/local8 for the link.
“In this economic climate, workers need to know they can’t be thrown under the bus at any moment,” writes the union. “Our struggle is more than a series of contract negotiations, it is a vision for Seattle tourism that includes a middle class life for local workers. It is a city-wide fight, with many battles.”
Read the complete source story here.