Back to the bargaining table at Space Needle; picket Thursday

SEATTLE (Mar. 12, 2013) — After months of inactivity, management at the Space Needle has agreed to come back to the negotiation table with their workers’ union, UNITE HERE Local 8, through federal mediation on March 28. The union previously reported that the company had ramped up its anti-union campaign over the last two years when they fired and suspended union activists, denied overtime pay to its workers, created dangerous workloads for its kitchen staff, and racked up several Unfair Labor Practice charges pending with the federal government.

In the days leading up to the mediation, state and local labor leaders are rallying their support for the Space Needle workers as they prepare the next phase of their campaign.

“It’s disappointing to see an iconic Seattle landmark like the Space Needle treat their workers unfairly, and we in the labor community will not stand for it,” says Jeff Johnson, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

TAKE A STAND! — Show your support for these workers by attending an informational picket at noon on Thursday, March 14 at the Needle (Broad & John streets). Come hear from Space Needle employees, WSLC President Jeff Johnson, Teamsters 117 Secretary-Treasurer Tracey Thompson, and others.

“We’re not asking for the moon, all we’re asking for is some sense of job security,” said Crystal Doll, a cook at the Needle’s Sky City restaurant. “I don’t want to have to constantly worry that I might be fired or laid off just because my manager found somebody willing to work for less money. I’ve been part of the Space Needle family for the last six years, it’s time for them to finally treat us like part of the family.”

For more information, visit the UNITE HERE Local 8 website.