Salute to Frontline Workers: An Emergency Motorcade for Workers Rights – Saturday, May 9

Aside

On Saturday, May 9, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity (OWLS) is spearheading an Emergency Motorcade for Workers Rights to help workers put a spotlight on critical safety demands and to show public support for their fight. Vehicles will meet up at 11:30 am in the parking lot at 1st Avenue S. and S. Lander Street under the OWLS banner. The Motorcade will run from 12 noon to 2pm. Sign-making materials will be available for posting on vehicles.

Led by bus drivers, grocery clerks, custodians, and other essential workers, the motorcade will make stops along the route to highlight current worker struggles, including at Metro/King County, Whole Foods, and Harborview Medical Center. The action is being held on the anniversary of the 1934 West Coast Waterfront strike, when dock workers shut down ports for 83 days to demand safety and unionization.

As the economy slowly reopens putting more workers at risk and unemployment claims reach record levels, frontline workers will press for pro-labor solutions to the COVID19 crisis such as reduced work hours with no cut in pay to provide relief for those working in harm’s way, and jobs for those who are newly unemployed. The demands of the Motorcade include:

  • No Safety No Work. PPE. Free healthcare for all
  • Full rights for immigrant workers. Release detainees
  • End discrimination – fight racism and sexism on the job
  • Defend the right to strike
  • 30 hours work for 40 hours pay: less exposure for those working; create more jobs
  • Initiate a massive public jobs program – at union wages

Perdue-protest-April-27

Tues. 4/28: OWLS Zoom Meeting: Salute Frontline Workers!

Help plan an Emergency Motorcade to Support Front line Workers
OWLS is spearheading a motorcade to help essential workers put a spotlight on critical safety demands and press for pro-labor solutions to the pandemic and deepening economic downturn. Led by front line bus drivers, grocery clerks, custodians and other essential workers, the motorcade will stop at strategic locations to highlight some current workplace struggles. Your ideas, skills and creativity are needed as plans for the route and messaging are firmed up.

Also Updates on Frontline Workers’ Campaigning for COVID19 Measures and history on the meaning of May Day and the West Coast Waterfront Strike
Transit workers, custodians, and others report on changing conditions; Learn the history of May Day and how workers shut down the West Coast Waterfront in 1934, starting on May 9th.

To join the April 28 OWLS ZOOM online meeting:
By computer or smartphone:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9916930964
Meeting ID: 991 693 0964
Password: 337891

By Phone:
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US
Meeting ID: 991 693 0964
Password: 337891

Friday 4/24, 7PM: HELP PLAN EMERGENCY MOTORCADE

Solidarity Check In
Friday, April 24, 7pm   
via Web or Phone

Help plan an Emergency Motorcade to Support Frontline Workers
OWLS is spearheading a motorcade to help essential workers put a spotlight on critical safety demands and press for pro-labor solutions to the pandemic and deepening economic downturn. Led by frontline bus drivers, grocery clerks, custodians and other essential workers, the motorcade will stop at strategic locations to highlight some current workplace struggles. Your ideas, skills and creativity are needed as plans for the route and messaging are firmed up.
Updates on Frontline Workers’ Campaigning for COVID19 Measures
Transit workers, custodians, and others report on changing conditions and the status of demands for measures to make workplaces more safe.

To join the April 24 OWLS ZOOM online meeting:
By Computer or Smartphone click link below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85677942605?pwd=b1lrSUpTZDBxQWxzRld6ODVvUTVlZz09
Meeting ID: 856 7794 2605
Password: 463460
By Phone –dial
+1 253 215 8782 US
+1 301 715 8592 US

Also, Mark Your Calendar for the Next OWLS Meeting
Tuesday, April 28, 7pm on Zoom
OWLS will continue planning for the Motorcade and feature a short educational about the West Coast Waterfront Strike of 1934. Stay tuned for details to dial in via zoom.

*****

Have you signed & shared the petition to support Metro Transit Workers? The links are below, plus phone numbers to call the King County Executive & Council members. Thanks

1) Sign and share the petition https://www.change.org/p/king-county-council-support-frontline-metro-transit-workers-call-for-urgent-measures-to-stem-covid19-spread

2. Call King County Executive Dow Constantine at 206-263-9600 and your County Council member at 206-477-1000. Let County officials know you support the demands of transit workers!

Solidarity Check-in – Fri., April 17 via Zoom or phone

Solidarity Check In
Friday, April 17, 6:30pm   

via Web or PhoneUpdate on Transit Workers’ Campaign for COVID19 Measures
Rank-and-file activists of Amalgamated Transit Union 587 report on their efforts to push for protective equipment and training, hazard pay, clean filters on buses, and transparency on cases of COVID19 in the workplace.

Help plan emergency action to defend frontline & unemployed workers
Custodians, bus drivers, grocery clerks, and other workers across a broad spectrum of jobs are raising similar demands for protective equipment and safety measures against COVID19.  Workers suddenly unemployed are scrambling to put food on the table. Help OWLS lay plans to raise labor’s issues in an emergency motorcade for workers rights.

To join the OWLS ZOOM online meeting

By Computer or Smartphone click link below.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89643011067
Meeting ID: 896 4301 1067

By Phone –dial
1 253 215 8782 US or
1 301 715 8592 US

Have you signed & shared the petition to support Metro Transit Workers? The links are below, plus phone numbers to call the King County Executive & Council members. Thanks

1) Sign and share the petition https://www.change.org/p/king-county-council-support-frontline-metro-transit-workers-call-for-urgent-measures-to-stem-covid19-spread

2. Call King County Executive Dow Constantine at 206-263-9600 and your County Council member at 206-477-1000. Let County officials know you support the demands of transit workers!

Support Transit Workers fighting for Safety Against COVID19

Link

Transit Workers are fighting for action from King County/Metro to implement safety measures that will help stem the tide of COVID19 on public transit. Please sign their petition on change.org. Follow the link below.

https://www.change.org/p/king-county-council-support-frontline-metro-transit-workers-call-for-urgent-measures-to-stem-covid19-spread

OPEN LETTER

to King County Council, King County Executive Dow Constantine,
Metro General Manager Rob Gannon, and Metro Ombudsman

We, the undersigned transit workers at King County Metro in Washington State, and members of Amalgamated Transit Union 587, call on King County government to immediately implement the following emergency measures to help contain the spread of coronavirus on our public transit system.

  • Full transparency and disclosure of coronavirus cases in the workplace, throughout the system; Rescind the policy, stated in a March 23, 2020 General Manager’s Bulletin, that “unless the employee was symptomatic in the workplace, we are not providing notifications to immediate coworkers.” Equally unacceptable in the same bulletin is Metro’s stated policy that “we will not be announcing or addressing every new illness or positive case in the workplace.” This violates the most basic worker protections, and puts not only transit workers at unnecessary risk, but also the riders we are transporting.
  • On a daily basis, clean, sanitize and change the filters of every bus that goes into service. Provide full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safe practices training for all workers involved in cleaning buses. Because this virus is communicated primarily through respiratory droplets, clean air filter systems are fundamental to curbing the spread of COVID19. As well, to further protect riders and drivers, provide PPE to all transit operators for assisting riders with disabilities, when social distancing rules are not practicable. Guarantee access to handwashing stations and break times to use the stations.
  • Institute hazard pay in the form of 40 hours pay for 30 hours work for all transit workers who are serving in harm’s way. Better distribution of work and less time on the job means less exposure, and less of the stress that can undermine workers’ immune systems. Provide full wages for all high-risk workers who are forced to stay at home and/or are caring for dependents, until it is safe to return to work.

Going into this crisis, King County Metro has failed to live up to its Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan. Inequity, discrimination, and injustice have been allowed to thrive, while management remains immovable and indifferent, and even retaliates against employees who raise problems or concerns. This culture impairs safety under normal circumstances, and now has created a highly toxic work environment that jeopardizes the lives of workers and the riding public.

It is critical now, more than ever, that Metro management turns this around, listen to its front line workers, and step up and provide the basic elements of a safe environment for workers and riders. We are all in this together. We won’t be able to flatten the curve unless everyone does their part.

Respectfully,
Linda Averill, Streetcar Supervisor, Shop Steward;  Cheryl Jones, East Base (EB) Part-time Transit Operator (PTTO); Mohammad Bazargan, North Base (NB) Full-time Transit Operator (FTTO), James Pratt, Component Supply Center (CSC) Mechanic; Todd Jader, CSC; Adam Arriaga, CSC Mechanic; Doug Frechin, NB PTTO, Shop Steward; Tim Wong, Equipment Service Worker (ESW) CSC; Julian Marquez, CSC Mechanic; Brian Cabera, CSC Mechanic; Lenneth Richard; Robert Bonina, Link Light Rail Operator (LLR), ATU 587 Executive Board Officer; Issiac Dickens, Streetcar Track Maintainer, shop steward; Stan Straker, Atlantic Base (AB) Mechanic, Shop Steward, Safety Committee member; Hassan Osman, NB FTTO, shop steward; Jose Rosado, South Base (SB) FTTO, shop steward, Tyrone Dumas, Streetcar Operator; Francis Lebel, Bellevue Base (BB); Karen Berry, TO, Lisa Randle, TO; Daryoush Hakki, Link Light Rail Supervisor; Brian St. Pierre, TO; Patricia Keels-Venable; Dionna Anderson, TO; David Elleby, TO; Thomas Nary Hayes,TO; Brenda Schwald, Streetcar Operator, shop steward; Juanita Baker, BB FTTO; Josey Woods, NB TO; Betty Park, SB TO; Nick Ryan, Ryerson Base (RB) TO; Arwin Apolonia, NB TO; Kathy McMahon; Aries Dial; JoAnn Oligario, CB FTTO; Rodolfo Franco, Streetcar Operator; Fredrick Coats, First-line Supervisor; Mary Montgomery, CB FTTO; Vlash Naidu, CB FTTO; Heidi Barack, AB FTTO; Michael Fox CB FTTO; Emily Paine, AB PTTO; Albert Galange, CB FTTO; Kahurangi Pere, Atlantic Base Safety Team, PTTO; Mary Buada RB FTTO; Stephanie Jacobs, CB; Mike Cannon, CB FTTO; Ed Duncan, NB FTTO; Tanisha Labossiere; Juan G. Hood III, Facilities Custodian, Shop Steward; Craig Aperton; Patricia O’Brien, AB PTTO; Tracy Nys, AB FTTO; Charito Mattson, CB FTTO; Luis Guanlo, RB FTTO; Kelvin Kelley, AB FTTO

 

 

 

Transit Workers Speak Out for Urgent Measures to Stem COVID19 Spread

On Tuesday, April 7, at 11:30am, public transit workers at King County/Metro will hold a virtual news conference calling for urgent measures needed to better shield transit workers and riders from COVID 19. The news conference will be via  Zoom. OWLS will livestream the news conference on its facebook page at facebook.com/OrganizedWorkers

Transit workers will announce delivery of an Open Letter to King County Government, signed by more than 50 King County Metro transit workers. Supported by Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity (OWLS), bus, rail, and streetcar operators, mechanics, supervisors and custodians will tell their stories to underscore the urgency of their demands. It will begin with a remembrance of fallen bus drivers Scott Ryan and Jason Hargrove, both of whom died from COVID19 after expressing concern about a lack of safety measures on public transit.

The Open Letter includes calls for more transparent reporting of COVID19 cases to front line workers, reduced hours and hazard pay, full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training for bus cleaners, custodians, operators and others whose jobs require frequent exposure to the coronavirus, and daily changing of bus filters.

OPEN LETTER
to King County Council, King County Executive Dow Constantine,
Metro General Manager Rob Gannon, and Metro Ombudsman

We, the undersigned transit workers at King County Metro, and members of Amalgamated Transit Union 587, call on King County government to immediately implement the following emergency measures to help contain the spread of coronavirus on our public transit system.

  • Full transparency and disclosure of coronavirus cases in the workplace, throughout the system; Rescind the policy, stated in a March 23, 2020 General Manager’s Bulletin, that “unless the employee was symptomatic in the workplace, we are not providing notifications to immediate coworkers.” Equally unacceptable in the same bulletin is Metro’s stated policy that “we will not be announcing or addressing every new illness or positive case in the workplace.” This violates the most basic worker protections, and puts not only transit workers at unnecessary risk, but also the riders we are transporting.
  • On a daily basis, clean, sanitize and change the filters of every bus that goes into service. Provide full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and safe practices training for all workers involved in cleaning buses. Because this virus is communicated primarily through respiratory droplets, clean air filter systems are fundamental to curbing the spread of COVID19. As well, to further protect riders and drivers, provide PPE to all transit operators for assisting riders with disabilities, when social distancing rules are not practicable. Guarantee access to handwashing stations and break times to use the stations.
  • Institute hazard pay in the form of 40 hours pay for 30 hours work for all transit workers who are serving in harm’s way. Better distribution of work and less time on the job means less exposure, and less of the stress that can undermine workers’ immune systems. Provide full wages for all high-risk workers who are forced to stay at home and/or are caring for dependents, until it is safe to return to work.

Going into this crisis, King County Metro has failed to live up to its Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan. Inequity, discrimination, and injustice have been allowed to thrive, while management remains immovable and indifferent, and even retaliates against employees who raise problems or concerns. This culture impairs safety under normal circumstances, and now has created a highly toxic work environment that jeopardizes the lives of workers and the riding public.

It is critical now, more than ever, that Metro management turns this around, listen to its front line workers, and step up and provide the basic elements of a safe environment for workers and riders. We are all in this together. We won’t be able to flatten the curve unless everyone does their part.

Respectfully,
Linda Averill, Streetcar Supervisor, Shop Steward;  Cheryl Jones, East Base (EB) Part-time Transit Operator (PTTO); Mohammad Bazargan, North Base (NB) Full-time Transit Operator (FTTO), James Pratt, Component Supply Center (CSC) Mechanic; Todd Jader, CSC; Adam Arriaga, CSC Mechanic; Doug Frechin, NB PTTO, Shop Steward; Tim Wong, Equipment Service Worker (ESW) CSC; Julian Marquez, CSC Mechanic; Brian Cabera, CSC Mechanic; Lenneth Richard; Robert Bonina, Link Light Rail Operator (LLR), ATU 587 Executive Board Officer; Issiac Dickens, Streetcar Track Maintainer, shop steward; Stan Straker, Atlantic Base (AB) Mechanic, Shop Steward, Safety Committee member; Hassan Osman, NB FTTO, shop steward; Jose Rosado, South Base (SB) FTTO, shop steward, Tyrone Dumas, Streetcar Operator; Francis Lebel, Bellevue Base (BB); Karen Berry, TO, Lisa Randle, TO; Daryoush Hakki, Link Light Rail Supervisor; Brian St. Pierre, TO; Patricia Keels-Venable; Dionna Anderson, TO; David Elleby, TO; Thomas Nary Hayes,TO; Brenda Schwald, Streetcar Operator, shop steward; Juanita Baker, BB FTTO; Josey Woods, NB TO; Betty Park, SB TO; Nick Ryan, Ryerson Base (RB) TO; Arwin Apolonia, NB TO; Kathy McMahon; Aries Dial; JoAnn Oligario, CB FTTO; Rodolfo Franco, Streetcar Operator; Fredrick Coats, First-line Supervisor; Mary Montgomery, CB FTTO; Vlash Naidu, CB FTTO; Heidi Barack, AB FTTO; Michael Fox CB FTTO; Emily Paine, AB PTTO; Albert Galange, CB FTTO; Kahurangi Pere, Atlantic Base Safety Team, PTTO; Mary Buada RB FTTO; Stephanie Jacobs, CB; Mike Cannon, CB FTTO; Ed Duncan, NB FTTO; Tanisha Labossiere; Juan G. Hood III, Facilities  Custodian Shop Steward. 

#       #       #