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Seattle workers to walk out Thursday 8/29 in first-ever national strike of low-wage workers
Numbers continue to grow as call to “Strike Poverty” echoes across the country; Workers call to lift the economy with better pay of $15/hour and the right to organize
Seattle workers to walk out Thursday 8/29 in first-ever national strike of low-wage workers
Numbers continue to grow as call to “Strike Poverty” echoes across the country; Workers call to lift the economy with better pay of $15/hour and the right to organize.
Read MoreLow-wage workers call to lift the economy with better pay of $15/hour and the right to organize.
Seattle-area workers already walking out in large numbers as strike spreads across country — and it's just the morning shift.
Follow events as they develop at #strikepoverty and #829strike
NEW TACOMA LOCATIONS:
10 am - TACOMA: Arby’s, 6330 6th Avenue 11:45 am - TACOMA: Papa John's, 7430 Pacific Ave
NEW MISSOULA LOCATION:
7:30 am - MISSOULA: Burger King, 2601 N Reserve
NEW SEATTLE LOCATION:
10:00 am - SEATTLE: Burger King - 1432 NW Market St
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The first-ever national strike of low-wage workers is already bigger than expected, as coffee workers launch early morning strikelines in downtown Seattle and fast food workers in more than three dozen cities from Missoula to Oakland to Los Angeles do the same.
Similar strikelines are also being launched by low-wage workers in 50+ cities across the country today, including Missoula, Oakland, and Los Angeles, responding to the call joined by Seattle fast food workers to "Turn off the fryers, take off your aprons, and walk out August 29th."
The difficult economic circumstances of many low-wage baristas in Seattle recently hit the headlines with the recent story of the Starbucks worker on food stamps who was fired for eating an expired sandwich from the garbage. Baristas from different chains throughout the industry face similar circumstances, as coffee is yet another primarily low-wage industry where most workers simply aren't paid enough to afford the basics. Despite the wealth of some in our region, 7 of the 10 fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages.
Who: Baristas in Seattle and fast-food workers in Seattle, Tacoma, Shoreline, Missoula, Oakland, Los Angeles, and more then 3 dozen cities across the country.
What: Launch strikelines across the country calling for better pay and the right to organize without retaliation.
When & Where: Thursday, August 29th.
Previously announced:
7:00 am - Westlake Park - morning shift workers gather before strikelines kick off. A brief rally will announce the number of cities joining the strike. (30+ are expected.) 8:30 am - Subway, 501 Seneca St, Seattle 10:30 am - Jimmy Johns - 1200 3rd Ave, Seattle 12:00 pm - Wendy's, 5315 15th Ave NW, Seattle 4:00 pm - Major citywide convergence of striking workers gathers at Plymouth Pillars Park (Pike St & Boren Ave) before heading out to dinner-shift strikelines at nearby fast food locations.
The August 29th national strike comes amidst an extraordinary upsurge of worker unrest which has moved low-wage worker issues to the center of public attention. From SeaTac to Tacoma to the Skagit Valley to the Seattle mayoral race, highly profitable fast food corporations and other big employers have come under increasing pressure as workers continue to raise the question of how we can build a sustainable economy when the fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages.
About Good Jobs Seattle:
Sparked by the May 30th fast food strike, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the middle out — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, at least one millionaire, and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
A Fact Sheet on the August 29th Strike is available online.
In just a few months fast food workers in Seattle have sparked a fast-growing movement for good jobs:
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Contact: Sage Wilson, sage@workingwa.org
Thursday’s strike will span 50 cities and every region of the continental United States. Follow events online at #829strike and #strikepoverty
Who: Fast food workers in Missoula
What: Join the national call to strike for better pay of $15/hour and the right to organize without retaliation.
When: 7:30 am - 9:00 am, Thursday August 29, 2013
Where: Burger King, 2601 N Reserve, Missoula, MT
Why: Seven of the ten fastest growing jobs in our country pay poverty wages — and when so many workers can't afford the basics, that slows the economy for everyone.
The fast food industry is making record profits, but workers are struggling; many need food stamps and other public assistance just to get through the month.
Although the minimum wage in Montana is just $7.80, an adult with one child would need to make $17.71 an hour working full time in the Missoula area just to afford the basics, according to a model developed by a professor at MIT: http://livingwage.mit.
In addition to Missoula, strikes will hit cities all over the country, including Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Raleigh, Houston, Memphis, New York, and Oakland.
The August 29th national multi-city strike comes amidst an extraordinary upsurge of worker unrest which has moved low-wage worker issues to the center of public attention. Highly profitable fast food corporations and other big employers have come under increasing pressure as workers continue to raise the question of how we can build a sustainable economy when the fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages
Early-morning coffee strikelines hit Seattle as first-ever national low-wage workers strike expands to new locations and three-dozen cities, including Missoula, Oakland, and Los Angeles Call to "Strike Poverty - Raise Seattle" echoes across the country with similar calls for better pay and the right to organize Low-wage workers call to lift the economy with better pay of $15/hour and the right to organize
NEW COFFEE LOCATIONS: 6:00 am - Starbucks, 1125 4th Ave. 6:30 am - Specialty's Coffee - 1023 3rd Avenue 6:30 am - Top Pot Coffee - 720 Third Ave
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The first-ever national strike of low-wage workers is already bigger than expected, as coffee workers launch early morning strikelines in downtown Seattle and fast food workers in more than three dozen cities from Missoula to Oakland to Los Angeles do the same.
Similar strikelines are also being launched by low-wage workers in more than four dozen cities across the country today, including Missoula, Oakland, and Los Angeles, responding to the call joined by Seattle fast food workers to "Turn off the fryers, take off your aprons, and walk out August 29th."
Expansion to coffee: The difficult economic circumstances of many low-wage baristas in Seattle were recently brought into sharp relief by the recent story of the Starbucks worker on food stamps who was fired for eating an expired sandwich from the garbage. Baristas from different chains throughout the industry face similar circumstances, as coffee is yet another primarily low-wage industry where most workers simply aren't paid enough to afford the basics. Despite the wealth of some in our region, 7 of the 10 fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages.
Who: Baristas in Seattle and fast-food workers in Seattle, Missoula, Oakland, Los Angeles, and more then 3 dozen cities across the country.
What: Launch strikelines across the country calling for better pay and the right to organize without retaliation.
When & Where: Thursday, August 29th.
Previously announced:
7:00 am - Westlake Park - morning shift workers gather before strikelines kick off. A brief rally will announce the number of cities joining the strike. (30+ are expected.) 8:30 am - Subway, 501 Seneca St, Seattle 10:30 am - Jimmy Johns - 1200 3rd Ave, Seattle 12:00 pm - Wendy's, 5315 15th Ave NW, Seattle 4:00 pm - Major citywide convergence of striking workers gathers at Plymouth Pillars Park (Pike St & Boren Ave) before heading out to dinner-shift strikelines at nearby fast food locations.
The August 29th national strike comes amidst an extraordinary upsurge of worker unrest which has moved low-wage worker issues to the center of public attention. From SeaTac to Tacoma to the Skagit Valley to the Seattle mayoral race, highly profitable fast food corporations and other big employers have come under increasing pressure as workers continue to raise the question of how we can build a sustainable economy when the fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages.
About Good Jobs Seattle:
Sparked by the May 30th fast food strike, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the middle out — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, at least one millionaire, and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
A Fact Sheet on the August 29th Strike is available online.
In just a few months fast food workers in Seattle have sparked a fast-growing movement for good jobs:
###
Contact: Sage Wilson, sage@workingwa.org
Across Seattle, low-wage workers are planning to walk out Thursday — and it's going national. On August 29th, the first-ever national strike of low-wage workers is expected to expand to dozens of cities across the country, from Los Angeles to Boston to Raleigh, North Carolina. Seattle fast food workers issued this call to strike on August 19th, urging fellow workers to "Turn off the fryers, take off your aprons, and walk out August 29th."
Workers across the country are heeding this national call and joining the movement. Today and tomorrow, worker leaders here in Seattle who work at major chains like McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Subway are making hundreds of phone calls to fellow low-wage workers and visiting every fast food outlet in the city to spread the word about the fast-growing movement for good jobs they sparked with their May 30th strike.
(Note: Advance interviews may be available. Contact Sage Wilson at sage@workingwa.org to arrange.)
Who: Fast food workers from McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, and other chains across Seattle
What: Launch strikelines across Seattle calling for better pay and the right to organize without retaliation.
When & Where: Thursday, August 29th. 7:00 am - Strikelines will kick off with a Westlake Park gathering. 8:00 am - 2:00 pm - Strikelines will spread to multiple locations across the city throughout the day. Specific location details will be available early Thursday morning. 4:00 pm - Major citywide convergence of striking workers gathers at Plymouth Pillars Park (Pike St & Boren Ave) before heading out to dinnertime strikelines at nearby fast food locations.
The August 29th national strike comes amidst an extraordinary upsurge of worker unrest which has moved low-wage worker issues to the center of public attention. From SeaTac to Tacoma to the Skagit Valley to the Seattle mayoral race, highly profitable fast food corporations and other big employers have come under increasing pressure as workers continue to raise the question of how we can build a sustainable economy when the fastest-growing jobs pay poverty wages.
About Good Jobs Seattle:
Sparked by the May 30th fast food strike, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the middle out — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, at least one millionaire, and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
A Fact Sheet on the August 29th Strike is available online.
In just a few months fast food workers in Seattle have sparked a fast-growing movement for good jobs:
###
Contact: Sage Wilson, sage@workingwa.org
Three days of escalating worker unrest — including informational pickets, in-store demonstrations, and even a teach-in via drive-thru — at Burger King, Taco Bell, Subway, Arby's, Starbucks, and other low-wage employers across the city culminated this evening outside the 3rd & Pike McDonald's when 8 fast food workers and community members linked arms and engaged in peaceful civil disobedience over the issues of low pay & criminal wage theft.
In the words of Fernando Cruz, a fast food worker and leader in the low-wage workers movement, whose op-ed appeared in the Seattle Times this morning:
"I have children of my own, and I would not earn enough to take care of them if I worked only eight hours a day at the restaurant. When I needed to buy a car a few years go, I had to take on another job in construction. Between the two I worked 16 hours per day, five days per week for two years.
You can’t get that time back. But you should at least get paid for it."
Wage theft occurs when an employer fails to pay time-and-half for hours over 40 in a week; requires employees to work without pay before or after their shifts, or during breaks; takes illegal deductions from paychecks, for example for uniforms or register shortages; or otherwise fails to lawfully pay workers for all their hours worked.
Wage theft hits low-wage workers hard: a formal multi-city study by the National Employment Law Project found that about 68% of low-wage workers experience some form of wage theft, and that those who do experience wage theft lose approximately 15% of their income to the crime. Extrapolating from that data suggests that the 4,300 fast food workers in the City of Seattle lose as much as $100,000 a week to the crime of wage theft — more than $5 million a year that goes missing from the paychecks of poverty wage fast food workers in the City of Seattle alone.
Wage theft is a crime: Good Jobs Seattle has received hundreds of reports detailing frequent violations of wage theft law at multiple fast food chains. Several criminal complaints have already been filed with the Seattle Police Department, and we expect that more will be filed in the days ahead.
More info on wage theft is available on the Good Jobs Seattle Wage Theft Fact Sheet. A fast food workers fact sheet is also available.
Sparked by the May 30th fast food strike, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the bottom up — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
It won't be business as usual at the SoDo Arby's today, as fast food workers and community supporters converge there to take action in support of a criminal wage theft complaint filed by a worker at that store.
The SoDo Arby's, the Northgate Jimmy John's and numerous other fast food outlets across the city are alleged to have committed the crime of wage theft. In total, the crime of wage theft is estimated to cost Seattle fast food workers as much as $100,000/week.
Who: Poverty-wage fast food workers from Arby's and other chains, along with community supporters
What: Take action in support of a criminal wage theft complaint filed by a worker at the SoDo Arby's.
When: TODAY - Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 12:00 noon
Where: Arby's, SoDo: 2425 4th Ave S (between Walker St & Lander St), Seattle, WA 98134
Poverty-wage fast food workers are continuing to take action under a call that "Wage Theft is a Crime — Make Them Pay", as support from workers and community members intensifies and spreads:
"Make them pay" events will reach a crescendo Thursday, when actions will spread to multiple additional stores across the city, culminating in a demonstration and march to a nearby fast food location, scheduled to begin Thursday at 4:30 pm at Westlake Park.
Follow along as events develop all week at #MakeThemPay .
Wage theft amounts to a crime wave: a formal multi-city study by the National Employment Law Project found that about 68% of low-wage workers experience some form of wage theft, and that those who do experience wage theft lose approximately 15% of their income to the crime. Extrapolating from that data suggests that the 4,300 fast food workers in the City of Seattle lose as much as $100,000 a week to the crime of wage theft — more than $5 million a year that goes missing from the paychecks of poverty wage fast food workers in the City of Seattle alone.
Background:
Wage theft occurs when an employer fails to pay time-and-half for hours over 40 in a week; requires employees to work without pay before or after their shifts, or during breaks; takes illegal deductions from paychecks, for example for uniforms or register shortages; or otherwise fails to lawfully pay workers for all their hours worked.
Wage theft is a crime: Good Jobs Seattle has received hundreds of reports detailing frequent violations of wage theft law at multiple fast food chains. Several criminal complaints have already been filed with the Seattle Police Department, and we expect that more will be filed in the days ahead.
More info is available on the Good Jobs Seattle Wage Theft Fact Sheet.
Sparked by the May 30th fast food strike, Good Jobs Seattle is a growing movement which seeks to build a sustainable future for Seattle's economy from the bottom up — by turning poverty-wage jobs in fast food and other industries into good jobs that offer opportunities for a better future and pay enough for workers to afford basic necessities like food, clothing and rent. Good Jobs Seattle is supported by organizations including Washington Community Action Network, Working Washington, OneAmerica, and hundreds of workers and grassroots supporters.
###
Contact: Sage Wilson, sage@workingwa.org
Poverty-wage workers and supporters call for criminal investigation of fast food wage theft crime scenes, including Northgate Jimmy John’s
Fast food worker actions intensify and begin to spread across city from Northgate to SoDo
Unrest spreads to SoDo Arby’s a day after workers launch informational pickets during Northgate lunch rush
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