This is What Democracy Looks Like!
We are so, so, so proud of the 200 people that came out to demand good jobs from Rep. Dave Reichert in his district. Watch as they rally:
CNN: Demands for Jobs Across the Country
CNN video We're building a movement--watch this video as people across the country demand good jobs.
Seattle Workers Stand Up for Themselves and Demand Good Jobs
by Julio Sanchez
Seattle--Thursday, Aug. 11, seven workers stood up to demand living wage jobs for themselves and their communities.
Workers in Seattle are speaking up to private business, local, state and federal officials demanding good jobs. After years of unprecedented tax breaks for the rich and greedy corporations, the results are record breaking profits for those that make the most, but very few living wage jobs for us.
Kimberly, Vernon, Frank and others went to a city-funded construction site and the Park and Recreations Services office in Seattle moved by the lack of steady, living wage jobs and the effect this is having in our communities.
Working Washington went with workers Kimberly, Vernon and Frank and Ed to a Lake City construction site to demand that jobs funded by money from our community be offered to qualified unemployed community members. Ed, one of the workers, read a letter stating that we are ready and able to work and demanded the opportunity to compete for this jobs.
Next we moved on to the Park and Recreations services office in Seattle. This is the city department in charge of the Ranier Beach Community Center construction project.
The center is closed at present and the project has not been granted to any contractors yet. This project was chosen because, by closing the center, this has left a hole in the fabric of the community. Again, we asked that that good jobs that come out of the project be offered to qualified community members.
In a letter read to a city official, Vernon said, ”We are asking for a fair shot at the jobs created in our communities.”
Frank added that the actions are not over yet, and they can expect to see more of us demanding good jobs. With Congress continuing to grant tax breaks to the rich instead of helping create jobs for the middle class, our fight will continue.
“We are going to keep coming back until our voices are heard,” Frank said.
Washington Teamsters Plan to Leaflet 50 Fred Meyer and QFC Stores
Leafleting to take place statewide over the weekend (Tukwila, WA) Teamster grocery warehouse workers, their families, and community allies will handbill 50 Fred Meyer and QFC stores this weekend, demanding that the stores’ parent company, Kroger, provide its workers and their families with quality, affordable health care coverage.
Kroger reported over $432 million in profits in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 16%. Its CEO, David Dillon, has been paid over $25 million in the last five years. Yet despite soaring profits, Kroger refuses in bargaining to provide Teamster grocery workers at the Fred Meyer distribution center in Puyallup with the same health care coverage as other workers in the industry, and instead has initiated a campaign to undermine the collective bargaining process.
WHO:
Tracey A. Thompson, Teamsters Local 117 - Secretary Treasurer
Fred Meyer grocery warehouse workers and their family members
WHAT/WHEN:
FRED MEYER/QFC LEAFLETING ACTION
Saturday, August 20 / Sunday, August 21
11 A.M.
WHERE:
Fred Meyer Parking Lot
1100 North Meridian, Puyallup, WA 98371
Immigrants, Constituents Ask Rep. Smith for Good Jobs
by Sara Kiesler Update: See the Adam Smith "Speak Out" video
Des Moines, Wash.--About 170 people came to Rep. Adam Smith in the 9th congressional district Monday to ask him to bring back a message of good jobs to Congress.
The large group, comprised of a variety of backgrounds including Somalian, Bhutanese and Mexican immigrants, filled the Highline Community College auditorium in Des Moines. Many of the people attending were out of work or looking for more work, and came ready to share stories of how the economic crisis is affecting their families.
Kim Garcia, a construction worker that was formerly in the military, said when she lost her job in 2009, things took a downward spiral and she now may lose her home. Her 18-year-old son has recently joined the military because he cannot find a job either.
“We don’t see a bailout for us,” she said, referring to the government’s Big Bank bailouts, such as the $100 billion that went to mega-profit making Chase Bank.
The “Speak Out for Good Jobs” event is part of an ongoing series during the August Recess in which Washingtonians are reminding Congress that good jobs are vital to keep America moving forward.
David R. Lindberg, a cargiver, shared a message heard over and over this month--that the recession may be over for the rich, but what about the rest of us?
“We need to re-establish the American Dream,” he said. “The only way to do that is to end tax loopholes and create jobs.”
Rep. Smith (D-WA) reflected on the access his family had to the American Dream.
“My father was in a labor union, and when he died, my family had enough support to keep going,” he said. “There’s a lot more we can do to protect jobs in the US.”
He responded to many of the constituents concerns and encouraged them to keep contacting their representatives.
At the end of the day, emcee and Washington state Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-33) looked out over the crowd of diverse faces and congratulated everyone for speaking up for good jobs.
“The Tea Party ain’t got nothing on us,” he said.
Making Change
by Sandra VanderVen
There are fundamental beliefs that I hold true. I believe that as people age, they should have peace knowing that if they have to stop working, they won’t starve.
I believe that there should be special programs in place to help give everyone a leg up, no matter what is holding us back. A free, high quality education should be available to everyone.
But the United States doesn’t care for people who have less the way it used to.
Mental health facilities have been dismantled. People with real problems end up living on the street. Rich people have used their influence to get the government to look the other way when they did something that wasn’t right.
Where I live in Seattle, Wash., people work hard but still struggle to get by. The future of the kids here depends very much now on who they were born to, because the programs that once leveled the playing field are being removed one by one.
Rep. Dave Reichert was elected in Washington’s 8th congressional district to speak for us in Washington, DC. His job is to see to it that our idea of what this country stands for is upheld.
Unfortunately, he has his own idea of what to stand for. He believes that rich people and corporations should have more and the rest of us should have less. This belief isn’t harmless. It is ruining our country.
I don’t have any intention of leaving, so I’ve decided to try to make things the way I think they should be. I found some groups of people who have decided it isn’t enough to watch from the sidelines, and I now spend some of my spare time helping persuade our elected leaders to stand for our values.
That is why I am a volunteer organizer.
I now feel like I can make a difference when someone like Dave Reichert demonstrates that he prioritizes the rich over the middle class. For the future of our kids, we go out and tell him what we think.
It all comes together because individuals decided it was time to do something, and when we all do a little bit, we have a loud voice.
I hope you think about adding your voice to ours. We need you.
Who We Are--Luis Escamilla
by Nate Jackson
Teacher Luis Escamilla is very worried about the lack of options many of his students have due to state wide budget cuts.
The SeaTac resident has been an active member of Working Washington because he sees the need for different groups and organizations to stand together in the face of crisis against big corporations that are not doing their part to build up the community.
"As a teacher, I see firsthand the effect of cuts to education,” he said. “Class sizes are a problem, which is compounded by the diverse needs of the students in the classroom.”
Luis also sees the problems with budgetary cuts to special education.
"When special needs schools are closed, those students then get absorbed by mainstream schools, where their unique needs are often not met."
Many of those students fall through the cracks as the instructors, faced with large class sizes, have a difficult time meeting the needs of their students with limited resources, time and support.
But blaming parents and teachers is not the answer. The community needs to become more "socially responsible," according to Luis. Budgets are cut because corporations are not paying their fair share; they are being socially irresponsible and we need to hold them accountable.
He is also worried that the community is becoming disconnected from its schools. Some young people do not graduate with basic requirements either because of lack of good grades, support or the allure of the street. The community, and particularly families and churches, needs to step up, Luis said, as he feels that the faith organizations are the only buffer against Seatac becoming “a true ghetto.”
This has led him to get involved in coming to various Working Washington events, meetings and gatherings to fight for a more fair economy that will hold corporations accountable to pay their fair share just like the rest of us already do.
"These multi-billion dollar corporations are feeding at the trough like pigs,” he said. “Communities need to stand up to corporations (because) any institution in our community should benefit our community."
Speak out for good jobs Monday with Rep. Smith
Unemployment is still rising, and most of Congress isn’t paying attention. Rep. Adam Smith is one of the good ones. He wants to hear from you about the effects of joblessness on your family and your community.
Join us on Monday, August 22nd at 
Highline Community College to have a conversation with Rep. Smith about how Washington state needs good jobs now.
The recession may be over for the very rich, but it’s not over for the rest of us. Rep. Smith is ready to take our message back to the other Washington and call on Congress to focus on creating good jobs for our communities.
Join us to call for Good Jobs Now! Speak out for good jobs now with Rep. Smith Monday, August 22 11:30 am to 1:00 pm (doors open at 10:45 am) At Highline Community College, Building 7 South 240th Street and Pacifica Hwy South, Des Moines, WA
CLICK HERE to commit to joining us and calling on Congress to create good jobs for our communities?
We’ve had enough of rising unemployment. We’re ready to work, and we’re ready to make the call for good jobs loud and clear so that Congress can hear us.
Making Change
by Sandra VanderVen
There are fundamental beliefs that I hold true. I believe that as people age, they should have peace knowing that if they have to stop working, they won’t starve.
I believe that there should be special programs in place to help give everyone a leg up, no matter what is holding us back. A free, high quality education should be available to everyone.
But the United States doesn’t care for people who have less the way it used to.
Mental health facilities have been dismantled. People with real problems end up living on the street.
Rich people have used their influence to get the government to look the other way when they did something that wasn’t right.
Where I live in Seattle, Wash., people work hard but still struggle to get by. The future of the kids here depends very much now on who they were born to, because the programs that once leveled the playing field are being removed one by one.
Rep. Dave Reichert was elected in Washington’s 8th congressional district to speak for us in Washington, DC. His job is to see to it that our idea of what this country stands for is upheld.
Unfortunately, he has his own idea of what to stand for. He believes that rich people and corporations should have more and the rest of us should have less. This belief isn’t harmless. It is ruining our country.
I don’t have any intention of leaving, so I’ve decided to try to make things the way I think they should be. I found some groups of people who have decided it isn’t enough to watch from the sidelines, and I now spend some of my spare time helping persuade our elected leaders to stand for our values.
That is why I am a volunteer organizer.
I now feel like I can make a difference when someone like Dave Reichert demonstrates that he prioritizes the rich over the middle class. For the future of our kids, we go out and tell him what we think.
It all comes together because individuals decided it was time to do something, and when we all do a little bit, we have a loud voice.
I hope you think about adding your voice to ours. We need you.