Seattle union workers on the move

Seattle  

Seattle workers are fighting back against capitalist exploitation! Hotel workers are locked in struggle in the longest hotel strike in Seattle’s history. Workers in other industries are just getting organized, including nightclub workers at three different clubs via Neumos Workers United. Security workers formed their own union several years ago at the Seattle Art Museum; the entire museum staff of 140 workers voted to unionize on June 17, with 94% in favor.

The 117 hotel workers, members of UNITE HERE Local 8, are striking Embassy Suites, owned by the Hilton monopoly chain. Like many megacorporations, Hilton touts record profits. Yet workers report that in contract negotiations, the bosses have only offered a wage increase of 40 cents an hour — woefully inadequate given today’s inflation. Hilton refuses to provide health care coverage in the months that workers’ hours decrease. The strikers refuse to accept this!

Local 8 demands guaranteed employment for immigrant workers after their work authorizations expire. They want protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Immigrant workers report they live in fear as they travel to and from work.

The hotel workers also reported that their local boss, Greg Stinehower, is in the drone business. His company provides drones for police and immigration enforcement. This shows the extent that the bosses are at war with the working class!

Nightclub workers start organizing

Neumos Workers United is the organized labor group for the staff of Neumos, Barboza and The Runaway — top performance nightclubs in Seattle. The Neumos workers marched and announced themselves on May Day. The workers have many grievances about working conditions at the clubs, especially concerning their security and security in general.  

The nightclub workers finally got management to meet with them on June 3, which the workers consider a victory. They forced top management, headed by co-owner Jason LaJeunesse, to agree that there were serious problems concerning worker security, violations of labor law and low wages. Workers charged Neumos with wage theft, lack of breaks and a general lack of responsiveness.

The workers don’t have a contract yet, but they have forged strong unity, which will move them forward to address compensation and other issues. Neumos Workers United also puts out a 20-page monthly newsletter with updates about the struggle with Neumos, reports on local labor news and artistic expressions created by Neumos workers.

Seattle Art Museum victorious

The several dozen security workers at the Seattle Art Museum formed an independent union in 2022 under the name SAM VSO Union. In 2024 they won a contract that included a wage increase from $21.68 to $23.25 an hour and 4% annual raises through 2027. Now all workers at the museum have joined together in forming Seattle Art Museum Workers United, affiliated with the Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28.

This is part of AFSCME’s Cultural Workers United campaign, which aims to organize workers at museums, libraries, zoos and other cultural institutions across the U.S. So far, 50,000 workers at cultural institutions have unionized with AFSCME (Neumos Workers Monthly).