“I never used to understand my father,” Fermin said into the microphone. “He was always angry, cold, you know? It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized why. He was always working and it was killing him.”

He looked around the full room at Doc Maynard’s Bar and gripped the microphone.

“He worked jobs like I do,” he said. “They don’t pay anything, barely anything and you have to work all the time just to make ends meet. It’s not right and we have to do something about it. I don’t want to turn out like he was in my childhood always tired, never smiling. I do want a family someday, but I can’t do that to them.”

Community members drew their own stories.

Fermin works at a fast food company. He is paid poverty wages and lives in a small apartment. He has had to cut all his living expenses to the bone as his job pays him so little. He was sharing his story to a room full of community members who had all come out to show their support for workers in the crowded, darkened stage room of Doc Maynard’s, a downtown Seattle bar and tourist attraction.

“I want to be able to save money, go see a movie once in a while,” he said. “Sometimes I have to skip meals. How am I supposed to think about going back to school or anything like that? I just want to make enough to live the way I want to live.”

Workers across the country are starting to stand up. A few months ago, fast food workers from New York City walked off the job in a first of its kind one day strike. The facts are that 7 out of the 10 fastest growing jobs in the United States are low wage jobs.

All workers deserve respect.

There is no reason why these jobs need to pay so little or have such unpredictable and changeable hours.

It isn’t an isolated case that workers are standing up. The LA Times article “Fast-food workers walk out in N.Y. amid rising U.S. labor unrest” said:

“Those actions (New York Fast Food Strikes) follow a period of relative quiet on the labor front, broken by the Chicago teacher’s strike earlier this year and a strike by employees of Hostess Brands….more walkouts are likely to come.”

Workers are stepping out to demand that they receive fair wages and respect on the workplace all across the country.

Sarah Jaffe, an independent journalist, was the MC for the event. She has written extensively about labor issues, workers’ rights and the Occupy Movement. She had also just written about the New York strike calling it “The McJobs Strike Back.” She welcomed the audience to the event and introduced the other speakers.

“I’ve never been a part of something like this,” she said standing on the stage. “But, I’m inspired by these workers who are telling it like it is. There’s something going on in this country and workers are making it happen. Let’s hear from them now.”

The other workers shared their stores while sitting on an elevated stage with microphones pinned to their shirts or blouses. They were from different jobs and different workplaces, but they all had something in common. They were taking action to change their workplaces for the better. They all wanted better wages and better treatment.

“I’m getting married,” Spencer said holding the microphone in a firm grip and looking out at the audience. “I don’t know how we are going to make it because I am paid such low wages. We can’t even think of starting a family. We wouldn’t be able to afford it. That’s why I’m doing something about it. My co-workers and I have formed a Union. We’re standing up together.”

Spencer works for a low wage airport contractor at Sea-Tac Airport. He handles the baggage driving the trucks and loading and unloading the luggage of Alaska Airlines’ passengers. It is fast paced; harried and thankless work and for all their efforts they are paid poverty wages.

“We marched on our managers,” Spencer said. “Too many of us have been working scared—scared for our safety, scared of our bills, scared of saying anything. Not anymore. We need better wages and a safer workplace. And we are going to make it happen.”

Pancho, speaking through a translator, talked about his work in a fast food restaurant. He has been working at the same location doing the same work for nearly three years and he hasn’t seen his wages go up except when minimum wage has.

“I work hard,” he said becoming more animated as he clutched the microphone. “I’m taking care of my family back in Mexico and this pay; it just doesn’t. I have two daughters and I’m worried about them.”

Pancho talked about how when he first got hired at the job the managers told him that if he increased his skills and undertook on the job training they would increase his wages. He has learned new skills, mastering the machines, learning food prep skills and even taking more responsibility at work across different job types. His pay hasn’t risen.

“I learned all the things they wanted me to learn,” he said. “I learned to cook, to clean, to work the machines. I do the work of two people and I still make minimum wage.”

He paused to let the translator catch up.

“I’ve been on the job for three years,” he said. “This industry just cuts corners. They don’t hire enough people; they don’t pay enough wages and I have to do something about it.”

Wilton is a fast food worker from New York. He took place in the historic fast food worker strike a month before. He joined hundreds of other workers taking their message to the street and he came out to Seattle to give encouragement to workers who are fed up with low wages and poor treatment.

“I’m a cook,” he said. “I’m a good cook. People say I’m the best one there. But, I can’t survive on the paychecks they give me. I went on strike for my family. I deserve better pay—a living wage.”

Wilton looked around the stage.

“I work seven days a week,” he said. “I have to just to make enough to make it, but it still is not enough. I don’t get to see my family or hug my children. I want a living wage so that I don’t have to work seven days a week. That’s why I went on strike. That’s why I’m out here. Thank you.”

A recent study from the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank found that minimum wage increases raise incomes and increase consumer spending.  The authors examine 23 years of household spending data and find that for every dollar increase for a minimum wage worker results in $2,800 in new consumer spending by his or her household over the following year.

When workers get paid more they are much more likely to turn around and put that money back into the community, lifting up local businesses and supporting other jobs.

It just makes sense.

Brittany took a deep breath and grabbed the microphone.

“I’m Brittany,” she said. “I work at Walmart. I’m a single mom and I take care of my two year old son. Because of Walmart’s pay and hours I’m still living at home. I want to move on.”

She paused looking around the room. The audience clapped encouraging her to continue.

“I used to get decent hours,” she said. “I mean the pay was always bad, but the hours were decent. But, they’ve been cutting hours so much and trying to make excuses. They say that sales are down, but it’s not true. Stop making excuses Walmart. You just don’t want to pay us a decent wage.”

She shook her head.

“They keep cutting hours and then hire people,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense, ya know? So I joined OUR Walmart, a group of associates who are working together to make Walmart pay us a decent wage and give us enough hours.”

Brittany stopped and smiled.

“I want to be a kindergarten teacher someday,” she said. “I just want decent pay and pretty good hours so I can make those plans come true. I don’t want to be rich or anything, I just want enough so I can take the next step.”

New York fast-food striker to share his story in Seattle as part of “On the Edge: A Poverty-Wage Story Slam”, May 2nd in Pioneer Square

Unique event will bring poverty-wage storytellers and interactive art to First Thursday

KFC employee Wilton Major was one of hundreds of New York City fast-food workers who recently took part in a historic strike which re-ignited a national conversation about poverty, opportunity, and the future of our economy at a time when 7 of the 10 fastest growing jobs pay poverty wages.

Wilton will be sharing stories about his experience on the strikelines as part of On the Edge: A Poverty-Wage Story Slam, coming to Pioneer Square for one night only, Thursday, May 2nd.

Who: Workers from retail, fast food, home care, and other poverty-wage industries, hosted by noted independent journalist Sarah Jaffe, a leading writer and commentator on social movements and low-wage work.

What: Real workers tell real stories from their real experience of living “on the edge” as part of our fast-growing poverty-wage workforce. The event will also include collective visual arts-making and boisterous audience participation, both inside the venue and out on the street.

When: Thursday, May 2nd, the First Thursday immediately following May Day. Doors open at 5:45 pm. Story slam begins at 6:00 pm. The event is free & open to the public, but space is limited. You can reserve a seat by filling out our online form.

Where: Doc Maynard’s in Pioneer Square. 610 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.

This unique First Thursday event — a mash-up blending the politics of May Day and the sprit of an art walk — mixes storytelling, visual arts, audience participation, and some unsettling facts about our economy in order to highlight real stories from the real lives of poverty-wage workers who are rising up from the edge of our economy to demand good jobs and new opportunities for a better future.

In addition to Wilton, On the Edge will feature poverty-wage storytellers like:

• Darryl, a home care provider who lives in Kent. Daryl is paid astonishingly little for his valuable work caring for people in their homes. Every month, he’s left having to choose which bills to pay. He just wants a paycheck that lets him do the work he cares about, keep up on his bills, and maybe even be able to afford to do something fun every once in a while.
• Pancho, a 50-year-old who has been working in poverty-wage retail and fast food jobs most of the last decade. Despite working odd hours and being promised raises, Pancho has only seen his pay rate increase from $9.04/hr to $9.19/hr in the two years he’s worked at the same burger chain outlet. He gets about 28 hours a week, and lives with his 25-year-old son in North Seattle.
• Spencer, an airport worker who loads and unloads baggage for Alaska Airlines passengers at Sea-Tac Airport. Spencer is getting married in a few months, and he’s worried about how his new family will be able to pay for health insurance or plan for their future when he is paid so little for his work. He and his co-workers recently told their bosses that they’re forming a union.

From airport workers here at Sea-Tac to fast food workers in New York to Walmart workers across the country — in the past 6 months, unrest among poverty-wage workers on the edge of our economy has reached an intensity that hasn’t been seen in decades.

These are their stories.

###

Contact: Sage Wilson, Working Washington: sage@workingwa.org

Poverty-wage storytellers and collective artmaking blend the political spirit of May  Day with the artistic expression of First Thursday

Mash-up May Day and an art walk, and you get something like “On the Edge: A Poverty-wage Story Slam”, coming to Pioneer Square on May 2nd (First Thursday) for one night only. This unique event mixes storytelling, visual arts, audience participation, and some unsettling facts about our economy in order to highlight real stories from the real lives of poverty-wage workers who are rising up from the edge of our economy to demand good jobs and new opportunities for a better future.

On the Edge will feature poverty-wage storytellers like:

• Pancho, a 50-year-old who has been working in poverty-wage retail and fast food jobs most of the last decade. Despite working odd hours and being promised raises, Pancho has only seen his pay rate increase from $9.04/hr to $9.19/hr in the two years he’s worked at the same burger chain outlet. He gets about 28 hours a week, and lives with his 25-year-old son in North Seattle.
• Spencer, an airport worker who loads and unloads baggage for Alaska Airlines passengers at Sea-Tac Airport. Spencer is getting married in a few months, and he’s worried about how his new family will be able to pay for health insurance or plan for their future when he is paid so little for his work. He and his co-workers recently told their bosses that they’re forming a union.
• Darryl, a home care provider who lives in Kent. Daryl is paid astonishingly little for his valuable work caring for people in their homes, so every month, he’s left having to choose which bills to pay. He just wants a paycheck that lets him do the work he cares about, keep up on his bills, and maybe even be able to afford to do something fun every once in a while.

Pancho, Spencer, and Darryl will be joined by other local poverty-wage workers from industries like home care, food service, retail, and airport services — which are among the fastest-growing jobs around, and also the lowest paid.

Who: Pancho, Spencer, Darryl, and other workers from retail, fast food, home care, and other poverty-wage industries, hosted by noted independent journalist Sarah Jaffe, a leading writer and commentator on social movements and low-wage work.

What:  Real workers tell real stories from their real experience of living “on the edge” as part of our fast-growing poverty-wage workforce. The event will also include collective visual arts-making and boisterous audience participation, both inside the venue and out on the street.

When: Thursday, May 2nd, the First Thursday immediately following May Day. Doors open at 5:45 pm. Story slam begins at 6:00 pm. The event is free & open to the public, but space is limited. You can reserve a seat by filling out our online form.

Where: Doc Maynard’s in Pioneer Square. 610 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.

From airport workers here at Sea-Tac to fast food workers in New York to Walmart workers across the country — in the past 6 months, unrest among poverty-wage workers on the edge of our economy has reached an intensity that hasn’t been seen in decades.

These are their stories.

###

Contact: Sage Wilson, Working Washington, sage@workingwa.org

(Originally posted on our Tumblr page: workingwa.tumblr.com)

Behind a giant banner simply reading “UNION!” poverty-wage airport workers, faith leaders and community members marched down Pacific Avenue towards Alaska Airlines Global HQ.

Reverend John Helmiere of Valley and Mountain United Methodist Church, wearing the white collar of his faith, glanced over at the over-sized letter informing the airline that these workers have formed a union, and then knocked on the locked glass doors.

Real stories from the real lives of Seattle’s poverty-wage workforce

***MEDIA ADVISORY ***
Contact: Sage Wilson, Working Washington: sage@workingwa.org

“On the Edge” will showcase real stories from the real lives of poverty-wage workers who are rising up from the edge of our economy to demand good jobs and new opportunities for a better future.

Who: Workers from Sea-Tac Airport, Walmart, McDonald’s, home care, and other poverty-wage industries, hosted by noted independent journalist Sarah Jaffe, a leading writer and commentator on social movements and low-wage work.

What:  Real workers tell real stories from their real experience of living “on the edge” as part of our fast-growing poverty-wage workforce.

When: Thursday, May 2nd, the First Thursday immediately following May Day. Doors open at 5:45 pm. Story slam begins at 6:00 pm.

Where: Doc Maynard’s in Pioneer Square. 610 First Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.

Background:

While the top tier of Seattle’s economy may be booming, seven of the ten fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages. These are the jobs of the future in retail, fast food, home health care, and restaurants. Many of them pay so little that workers qualify for food stamps — even when they’re working full-time jobs serving the customers of profitable corporations like McDonald’s and Alaska Airlines.

From airport workers here at Sea-Tac to fast food workers in New York to Walmart workers across the country — in the past 6 months, unrest among poverty-wage workers on the edge of our economy has reached an intensity that hasn’t been seen in decades.

These are their stories.

Note: Please contact Sage Wilson of Working Washington to arrange an interview with a storyslam participant in advance of the event.

###

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Contacts: Thea Levkovitz, Thea@workingwa.org

State fines Alaska Airlines contractor for failing to protect workers from exposure to blood borne pathogens, body fluids

 Serious health and safety violations for Alaska’s passenger services contractor at Sea-Tac Airport

SeaTac Airport – April 18, 2013 –  The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries  (L&I) has fined Alaska Airlines-contractor Bags, Inc. for failing to protect workers from exposure to blood borne pathogens and body fluids including vomit, urine, feces and blood. In issuing more than $12,000 in fines, L&I cited the Alaska contractor for four serious violations of state health and safety laws, and two general violations. Under state law, “serious violations” are issued when “there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result” if the problem is not fixed.

The L&I investigation was prompted last fall when more than 50 Sea-Tac Airport workers, including 17 wheelchair assistants at Bags, Inc., filed health and safety complaints. The wheel chair agents employed by Bags, Inc. provide services to the disabled, ill and elderly passengers of Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines.

L&I investigators found that the contractor:

●       Failed to develop an exposure plan for “wheel chair agents and supervisors who may be occupationally exposed to blood borne pathogens or other potentially infectious materials.”

●       Failed to have a safety plan for workers “handling passengers and wheel chairs that have been or may be contaminated with body fluids such as vomit, urine and feces.”

●       Failed to make hepatitis B vaccinations available to employees “who may occasionally come into contact with bleeding passengers or surfaces contaminated with blood” or other body fluids.

●       Failed to provide training so workers can protect themselves from HIV and other infections.

●       Failed to provide employees information about how to use personal protective equipment to handle body fluids, and how and where to dispose of contaminated equipment and materials.

Press availability:

When: Thursday, April 18 – 10:30 AM

Where: Airport Arrivals Hall – south end of baggage claim (lower) level

Who: Bags, Inc. workers, faith and community leaders

Click L&I Citation and Notice of Assessment to see the full L&I citation notice.

In filing the complaint last fall with L&I, workers noted that the conditions were unsafe for passengers as well. “I have had passengers urinate and defecate in the wheelchair I use to transport them,” wrote one Bags, Inc. worker. “When this happened I had to go to the nearest restroom and improvise a solution with napkins and bathroom soap. We don’t have any equipment issued to us by Bags, Inc. to protect us and our clients in this kind of situation. After these incidents, I have had to continue to use the same chair that had been soiled to pick up more passengers. We don’t have anything to do a deep clean of the chairs beyond hand soap, and so have to just go for the next person.”

“I’m glad that my coworkers and I have been vindicated,” said Habiba Ali, who has worked at Bags, Inc. for one year.  “We’re proud to serve Alaska and other customers but have been concerned about the unsafe conditions for a long time. Now, we hope that Alaska and BAGS take our issues seriously so that we can have a safe workplace and our customers can have clean wheelchairs when they come to our airport.”

L&I investigation continues into Alaska Airlines, 3 other contractors at Sea-Tac

Meanwhile, L&I continues to investigate worker complaints of  health and safety violations at Alaska Airlines’  cabin cleaning contractor, Delta Global Staffing, and its fueling contractor, ASIG. L&I also has opened an investigation into potential health and safety violations at Alaska Airlines. Additionally, worker complaints have led to an investigation at a 5th Sea-Tac company, AirServ, a contractor for several airlines.

Media availability to speak with workers, community supporters for a healthy airport and good jobs

Bags, Inc. workers and faith and community supporters will be available to speak to media directly on Thursday morning, April 18. Workers, their union representatives and faith and community supporters will gather at the airport’s Arrivals Hall and will engage in free-speech activities to alert other airport employees and concerned citizens about the health and safety problems, along with the problems of poverty wages at airline contractors.

Following are actual complaints submitted to Washington State Department of Labor and Industries on December 10, 2012 by workers who help elderly and disabled passengers move through the airport employed by Alaska Airline contractor Bags, Inc.  They charged serious health and safety violations, including:

Unsafe procedures for handling bodily fluids

“A year ago a woman urinated and defecated in my chair.  Since I had no gloves and cleaning supplies I again could only respond with paper towels and hand soap.  Not only is there no equipment provided, but there is no procedure from management on what to do in that kind of situation.  There is no training, advice, or direction for dealing with a soiled chair.  After these incidents, I had to continue to use the same chair that had been soiled to clean pick up more passengers.  We don’t have anything to do a deep clean of the chairs with beyond hand soap, and so have to just go for the next person. “

“On an International flight I had a bleeding passenger. I was to pick up the passenger and wait with her until she cleared customs. It was an elderly woman and I asked when she got in my chair if she needs to use the restroom. When she got up from my chair I noticed her bottom was soaked in blood. I had no gloves but I took napkins and placed them on the chair. There was so much blood that it soaked into the chair and was dripping onto the floor. I didn’t know what to do. When she left I took the chair to storage to change it. The chairs are issued to you and whatever happens to the chair is your responsibility. Nobody cleans the chairs.”

 Insufficient training on passenger safety

“I have been at the airport for 12 years. During that time I have encountered a few medical emergencies with my passengers. Because I hadn’t been trained on how to manage this circumstance or deal with the disabled, I am left to guess for myself.”

” I have not been provided training by BAGS on how to lift heavy bags or how to transport a passenger in or out of the chair.”

Lack of personal protective equipment

“I don’t have gloves. If there is a spill or an incident with a customer, then I don’t have any materials provided to help me respond to it.”

“I have no gloves, masks, or any other safety tool to deal with an incident involving bodily fluids.”

For additional information:   www.itsOURairport.org

Working Washington, a Washington based non-profit coalition of individuals, neighborhood associations, immigrant groups, civil rights organizations, people of faith, and labor united for good jobs and a fair economy.

Corporate profits are booming —so why are so many jobs paying poverty wages?

And get this, some politicians have actually proposed to CUT minimum wage. Seriously.

Sign here to tell politicians we need to raise the wage. Jobs should create opportunity, not poverty.

When our jobs don’t pay enough to support basic spending levels, it stalls our economy, causing others to lose hours, wages and shifts. When workers are struggling just to make ends meet, it hurts our families, and our communities suffer. We need to raise the wage to boost the economy — study after study proves just that.

The Economic Policy Institute, an economic think tank, has just released a new report which found that when you raise the minimum wage it immediately gives an economic jump-start to the folks who need it most. When all of us are paid decent wages we can make a better go at it. We can put food on the table, pay bills, shop for new toys, go out to eat — putting money right back into our community.

It’s a virtuous cycle.

All of us need a boost. It’s time to tell the politicians that corporations need to pay living wage.

Apparently, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) thinks they can fool us again. You remember them — the big, corporate lobbying group. Now they’re trying to lower minimum wages. You read that right. They’re up to their old tricks again — now they’re trying to push for lower minimum wages because they want to pad their own pockets.

But they can’t trick us when it comes to our paychecks. So let’s think about tricks on them.

Click here and send  funny ideas on how we can prank the corporate front group.

We’ve tangled with ALEC before. Last year thousands of people across the country pushed dozens of companies and legislators to dump ALEC. Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, cut its ties with the corporate front group because of pressure from community groups, individuals and folks like you.

You would think ALEC would get the message.

Maybe we need to clown around a bit more since their ideas are such a joke.

We need good jobs with living wages. It really is that simple. Yet ALEC keeps going back to their playbook of failed economic policies that got us into this mess in the first place. ALEC thinks it can trick us again with clever names and more empty promises.

This time the joke’s on them.

Media Release for March 26, 2013, Contact:  Thea Levkovitz, Thea@workingwa.org 

Worker unrest continues at Sea-Tac Airport…

Poverty-wage airport workers to announce union and march on Alaska Airlines headquarters

1,000+ form unions for good jobs and living wages

(Tuesday, March 26) Sea-Tac Airport workers will announce today that more than 1,000 poverty-wage cabin cleaners, baggage handlers, wheelchair assistants, and skycaps have formed unions for good jobs and living wages. Almost all of these workers are paid less than $10 an hour by the multi-million-dollar airport contractors who employ them to provide essential services to Sea-Tac passengers.

After announcing their union, they will march to Alaska Airlines Headquarters to demand Alaska executives direct the contractors they hire to negotiate with the workers’ unions for good jobs and living wages.

WHO: Poverty-wage baggage handlers, wheelchair assistants, skycaps, and cabin cleaners, joined by faith leaders and other community supporters.

WHAT: Announce that 1000+ workers have joined unions for good jobs & living wages at multi-million dollar airport contractors Menzies, Bags, AirServ, and Delta Global  Services. Carrying banners & signs reading “UNION!”, they will then march to Alaska Air Group’s Headquarters and call on the company to direct the contractors they hire to negotiate with workers unions for good jobs and living wages.

WHEN: TODAY – Tuesday, March 26 at 12:15 p.m.

WHERE: Alaska Air Group’s Headquarters, just south of the airport. (GPS address: 19300 Pacific Highway South, SeaTac, WA 98188)

Today’s event comes after a year in which airport workers have repeatedly spoken up and taken action together to raise the issues of poverty wages, inadequate benefits and job security, a lack of proper safety equipment, and other dangerous working conditions. These actions have sparked intense concern by elected officials and the general public, and even prompted an ongoing state investigation of illegal labor practices and health & safety violations.

Alaska Airlines is by far the biggest airline at Sea-Tac, accounting for about half the flights at our airport. Because of their dominant market position, they have the power to address workers issues and raise standards by directing the contractors they hire to negotiate with workers unions for good jobs and living wages.

More information:

Workers employed by 4 different multi-million dollar airport contractors at Sea-Tac will announce they have formed unions with SEIU Local 6:

• Menzies workers handle baggage and provide ramp services for Alaska and other airlines at Sea-Tac. Menzies Aviation is a global provider of passenger, ramp and cargo handling services, operating in more than 132 airports in 30 countries. Menzies made $51 million last year in profits on $2.9 billion in revenue.
• BAGS, Inc. workers provide passenger wheelchair services at Sea-Tac for Alaska and other airlines. BAGS employs 5,000 people nationwide and takes in approximately $100 million in revenue annually.
• Delta Global Services (DGS) workers provide cabin-cleaning services for Alaska and other airlines. DGS is wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines, Inc. which earned more than $1 billion in net revenue last year.
• AirServ workers clean aircraft cabins and provide other passenger services at Sea-Tac. AirServ is a privately-owned company employing about 12,000 people worldwide, with revenue of approximately $300 million.

Additionally, workers for ground transportation company GCA will announce they have formed a union with Teamsters Local 117.

Working Washington, a Washington based non-profit coalition of individuals, neighborhood associations, immigrant groups, civil rights organizations, people of faith, and labor united for good jobs and a fair economy. More information about working conditions at our airport is available at itsOURairport.org