Seattle memorial Sept. 9 for labor organizer Paul Bigman

SEATTLE (Aug. 1, 2023) — Paul Bigman, a stalwart of the Seattle labor and social justice communities for decades, died on June 29 in Chicago, where he has been living for a few years. Paul was a tireless organizer and activist, and continued organizing even after he retired, always ready to help a burgeoning campaign like bookstore workers in Portland or Amazon workers in Kentucky. While in Seattle he worked for the ILWU international, a regional organizer for Jobs with Justice, for OPEIU Local 8, IATSE Local 15, and AFM Local 76-493. (See his full obituary.)

There will be a memorial and celebration of Paul’s life in Seattle at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, at the Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N. in Wallingford. All are invited. The space is accessible.

It is not necessary to RSVP, but it would be helpful to have a rough count for planning refreshments, so organizers are asking folks who are likely to attend to please send a message to memorial@jbrad.org. Volunteers are also needed to help staff the event — set-up, clean-up and refreshments. If you are able to help or if you are interested in contributing to the formal program (e.g., remarks, a song, a poem), please include that information in your email.