SEATTLE BUSINESSES TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH UNION MEMBERS

SEATTLE BUSINESSES TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH UNION MEMBERS:

Union Members will get discounts in May at the 5 Point Cafe, Caffe Vita, Big Mario’s Pizza, Local 360, The JuJu, The Crocodile, Via Tribunali, Moe Bar, Spitfire, and Rudy’s Barbershops

As Unions Come Under Attack Across the Country, Progressive Business Owners Call on Other Seattle Businesses to Join the Effort to Honor Union Members

Seattle (May 1) -- A group of Seattle business owners announced today that starting May Day (May 1) they will show solidarity with the labor community by offering discounts for union members in their establishments during the month of May.

Patrons who show proof of union membership will receive 15 percent discounts in participating establishments through the end of the month. Participating businesses (so far) include: The 5 Point Cafe (www.the5pointcafe.com), Spitfire (www.spitfireseattle.com), Caffe Vita (www.caffevita.com), Via Tribunali (www.viatribunali.net), Local 360 (www.local360.org), The JuJu (www.jujulive.com), The Crocodile (http://thecrocodile.com/), Moe Bar (http://neumos.com/moe.php), Big Mario's Pizza (www.bigmariosnewyorkstylepizza.com)  - all 15% off Food and Drinks, and Rudy’s Barbershop (www.rudysbarbershop.com) - 15% off product in all their shops.

“The unfortunate attempts by people to smear union members and strip them of their hard earned benefits in Wisconsin, Ohio and other states is wrong,” said David Meinert, owner of the historic 5 Point Cafe in Belltown. “Union members are teachers, home care workers, cops, firefighters, and other hard-working folks. They are the backbone of the middle class, and smart business owners know that without a thriving middle class our businesses will not survive. That is why other Seattle business owners and I are going to show our appreciation by offering discounts to union members for the entire month of May.”
Meinert called on other Seattle business owners to join the initial group of businesses offering the discounts.

"This is a great opportunity for progressive businesses across Seattle to show they support the rights of Labor and value the work that Union members do.”

Businesses interested in participating in the effort should contact Meinert via e-mail at david@the5point.com.

WA state sleepover to protest budget cuts

{postscript:  there was a video posted of the State hauling out the protestors one by one, as only one reporter remained on the site.  It didn't stream well for me, so I have not tried to embed it here.  We'll watch and see what happens next, as this is a foretaste of things to come and shows how different states are going to have very different actions and results ... Virginia )

The labor movement is alive and growing in Washington State, as thousands slept over for a third night to protest proposed budget cuts:

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Thousands of union members from all over Washington poured into the state Capitol Friday, calling on lawmakers to "put people first" by ending corporate tax breaks and painful cuts to public programs.
The protest was by far the largest of four days of boisterous demonstrations in Olympia over spending cuts legislators are considering in order to help close a looming $5 billion budget deficit for the next two-year cycle.

Buses began arriving at the Capitol hours before the noon rally, carrying musicians, iron workers, firefighters and others concerned about the scarcity of jobs, the rising cost of college and the security of their pensions. The Washington State Patrol estimated 7,000 people gathered outside the main legislative building, while labor group leaders put the figure closer to 12,000.
Protesters said they hoped the demonstration would serve as a powerful reminder to lawmakers of who their decisions are affecting as they work to craft the state's next two-year budget. The House plans to vote Friday or Saturday on a budget plan that includes $4.4 billion in cuts, while the Senate will introduce its own proposal next week.

"We need to remind them that we need changes right now, not later," said Tim Haslett, an electrical worker and father of five from Seattle who has been unemployed for most of the past two years. "I'm trying to do everything I can to pay for my youngest daughter to go to college next year, but I don't know how I'm going to be able to do that if there are no jobs."

"We do not have a budget deficit," Jeff Johnson,

president of the Washington State Labor Council,

one of the rally's main organizers, told the crowd.

"We have a social services deficit, we have

a jobs deficit, we have a revenue deficit,

and we have a deficit of leadership."