Fast-food strike: Seattle, Tacoma, spreading…

UPDATE (Aug. 29, 10:30 a.m.) — More strike locations!

Now – TACOMA: Arby’s, 6330 6th Ave.
Now – SEATTLE: Burger King, 1432 NW Market St.
10:30 am – SODO (SEATTLE): Arby’s, 2425 4th Ave S
10:30 am – DOWNTOWN SEATTLE: Jimmy John’s — workers walking off from multiple locations & converging at 1200 3rd Ave.
11:45 am – TACOMA: Papa John’s, 7430 Pacific Ave
12:00 pm – BALLARD: Wendy’s, 5315 15th Ave NW

The following is from Working Washington. Get live updates at their Facebook page or follow events as they develop at #strikepoverty and #829strike.

SEATTLE (Aug. 29, 2013, 9 a.m.) — Today’s 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 — and now Tacoma — do the same. Low-wage workers across the nation are responding to the call joined by Seattle fast-food workers to “Turn off the fryers, take off your aprons, and walk out Aug. 29.”

The difficult economic circumstances of many low-wage baristas in Seattle recently hit the headlines with the 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.

Here are the previously announced SEATTLE locations of strikelines:

7 a.m. – Westlake Park – morning shift workers gather(ed). A brief rally will announce the number of cities joining the strike. (30+ are expected.)

8:30 a.m. – Subway, 501 Seneca St.

10 a.m. – Burger King, 1432 NW Market St.

10:30 a.m. – Jimmy Johns – 1200 3rd Ave.

12:00 p.m. – Wendy’s, 5315 15th Ave NW

4 p.m. – 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.

In TACOMA:

10 a.m. – Arby’s, 6330 6th Ave.

11:45 a.m. – Papa John’s, 7430 Pacific Ave.

Locations will be added all day. Get live updates at Working Washington’s Facebook page or follow events as they develop at #strikepoverty and #829strike.

Wage-theft protests (which led to arrests) earlier this month in Seattle. Click for the story.

The Aug. 29 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.