Glacier NW vs. Teamsters 174

Supreme Court case regarding the limits of a union strike. Specifically states that the union intentionally destroyed the employer's property during a labor dispute. According to the NLRA, a legally protected strike covers all actions except for those that cause material harm to people. The point of the strike is to cause economic injury to the employer.

Glacier NW is suing the Teamsters for lost wages due to damage done to the employer's property (damage was caused by equipment not being used during the duration of the strike.) If the Court rules that unions can be sued for the economic damage of striking, then they can effectively no longer strike.

UW Librarians Reach TA

UW Librarians avoided a strike on January 25th by reaching a TA with the University. LIbrarians were asking for fair compensation, pay equity, and codifying existing playoff protections. 

Vote Yes on I-135

“Initiative 135 takes the first step toward the dream of housing for all by creating a public developer equipped with the tools to “build, acquire, own, and manage” housing that will stay affordable forever. Not market-rate housing, which people with low incomes can only afford when the economy crashes. Not government-subsidized housing, which developers can put back on the unaffordable market in 20 or 30 years. But social housing; publicly owned and operated, with rents forever capped at 30% of a tenant’s income.

This developer would scoop up old hotels or else build new, green housing, all financed with bonds against expected revenue from rents. The units would be available to Seattleites making between 0% and 120% of Seattle’s Area Median Income (that is, between $0 and around $121,000 for a family of four). The mixed-income approach would help service the debt on the bonds and avoid the problems that come along with concentrating poverty. Renters and experts in the housing field would govern the places, with renters maintaining a one-seat majority.

The public developer can’t buy or build anything without any money, and voting “YES” on Initiative 135 doesn’t fund anything except for some in-kind startup costs. But that’s by design: the campaign feared courts would strike down the law if the initiative contained a funding mechanism in addition to setting up the agency.”

SB 5417:

SB 5417: SB 5417, The Employee Free Choice Act sponsored by Sen. Karen Keiser (D-Des Moines), would protect workers who decline to attend these coercive meetings from retaliation or termination. No employee should have to attend mandatory meetings where the boss shares their political or religious views, or other matters of personal conscience.

Homegrown Sandwiches Win NLRB Vote

Homegrown election update: won NLRB election with 84% of the votes. UNIONIZED SANDWICHES!

Bargaining began 1/17/23

Tacoma Art Museum:

The Board voted not to recognize the Union in November 2022 and are convening for the first time since then - please write to the Board and ask they they recognize the union.

3 victories to report:

Animation technicians were recognized by Climate Pledge as members of Local 15

Parking attendants joined Teamsters 117

Retail workers at Kraken Team store received recognition from UFCW 3000