Check out the trailer for this new documentary from Undrgrnd Productions about traffic and transit in Seattle! It should be out in August, so stay tuned for a public screening.
Transit Riders Get Out The Vote!
This month, TRU is getting out the vote for candidates we’ve endorsed in the primary elections for City Council. Want to help? Email contact@transitriders.org or leave a message at 206-651-4282.
Open Letter to Jeff Bezos
As part of a broad campaign to push Amazon to be a better neighbor, TRU’s General Secretary Katie Wilson wrote an open letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, published in Crosscut this week:
Dear Mr. Bezos… Seattle is changing. Fast. And Amazon, which could employ 70,000 in our city by 2019, is indisputably a major driver of that change. But where exactly are we headed? And what will life in our city be like when we get there?
These are questions more and more Seattleites are starting to care about, especially those of us who don’t bring in six-figure – or even five-figure – incomes. And these are questions Amazon has good reason to care about too, since what happens to our city and the people who live here will determine the sustainability of Amazon’s growth.
I think a lot about the future of our city through my work with the Transit Riders Union, an independent, democratic member-run union organizing to improve public transit in our region. Seattle is rapidly becoming a world-class city, and we urgently need a world-class transit system. But our transit infrastructure and service are struggling to keep up with growing ridership…
Transit Riders, Unite!
The Transit Riders Union is an independent, democratic, member-run union of transit riders organizing for better public transit in Seattle, King County and beyond. Through our organizing efforts we won a low income fare! We invite you to join us and fight for the future of public transit!
Our City Coalition Inaugural Event: How Will YOU End Homelessness?
On Monday, June 29, the new Our City Coalition will hold a rally, candidate speak-out and sleep-out starting at 5:30 PM at Hat ‘n Boots (Oxbow) Park in Georgetown, 6430 Corson Ave S.
You’re invited! RSVP on Facebook here.
Over a dozen candidates for city and county council will be there to speak about the crisis of homelessness and what must be done to end it.
In July 2005, with great fanfare, King County launched a “Ten Year Plan” to end homelessness. At the end of June 2015, those ten years come to a close. So, how are we doing?
The January 2015 One Night Count showed 3,772 homeless people were sleeping on the street without adequate shelter, an increase of 20% over last year. Including those in shelters and transitional housing, over 10,000 people in King County are known to be homeless. This is unacceptable. We can do better.
With this event we will be marking the end of the Ten Year Plan – and the beginning of real solutions to homelessness, solutions that start with homeless people and community allies, organizing, advocating, and helping ourselves and each other.
The rally and speak-out will begin at 6:30 PM, preceded by a community meal at 5:30 PM, and followed by an overnight sleep-out. We invite supporters and candidates to spend the night! Mats and blankets will be provided.
The following morning, Tuesday, June 30, the Our City Coalition (formerly Occupy CEHKC) will proceed to march to the Governing Board Meeting of the Committee to End Homelessness, 8:30 AM, 6737 Corson Ave S.
Justice for Janitors!
On June 19, Transit Riders Union members rallied at Westlake Park with allies from SEIU Local 6 and marched in solidarity with janitors to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Justice for Janitors campaign.
The Seattle City Council has declared June 15, 2015 as “Justice for Janitors Day”. You can read their proclamation here, including some history of the Justice for Janitors movement.
Shaping the Future of Northgate
June 15, 2015
Dear Sound Transit Board Members and Seattle City Councilmembers:
The Transit Riders Union strongly supports a Northgate Pedestrian/Bike Bridge over I-5. We urge you to develop a realistic finance plan for this bridge to ensure that it is designed and built in a timely manner as part of the Northgate station construction.
We also urge Sound Transit to site a station at 130th Street along the north corridor light rail extension, to improve access from Pinehurst, Lake City, Bitter Lake and other North Seattle neighborhoods using local transit connections; and to put the south Shoreline station at 155th Street with no parking garage. This will keep the station away from the I-5 interchange at 145th to minimize conflict and delay from congested traffic.
Primary Endorsements
At our June Membership Meeting, TRU completed our endorsement process for the August 4 Primary Election. We made endorsements in seven of the nine City Council races:
Transit Riders Union Endorsements
for Seattle City Council, Primary Election
Dist. 1: Lisa Herbold
Dist. 2: Josh Farris
Dist. 3: Kshama Sawant
Dist. 4: Michael Maddux
Dist. 5: Mercedes Elizalde or Halei Watkins
Dist. 6: Mike O’Brien
Dist. 7: no endorsement
Pos. 8: Jon Grant
Pos. 9: no endorsement
Want to volunteer with TRU to campaign for progressive candidates like Kshama Sawant and Jon Grant? Sign up here!
Amazon Shareholder Shake-Up!
Thanks to everyone who came out Wednesday morning! Here is a write-up of the event. Stay tuned for links to media coverage, and in the meantime, here are a few photos by Seattle photographer Alex Garland. We even had a surprise visit from Rev. Jesse Jackson!
Amazon, Wake Up!
Get ready to shake things up at Amazon’s annual shareholders meeting! Join the Transit Riders Union and allies from SEIU Local 6, Working Washington, Puget Sound Sage, Tenants Union of Washington State, and Teamsters 117 on Wednesday, June 10, from 8:00 to 10:00 AM outside the Seattle Repertory Theater, 2nd Ave N & Mercer, to tell Amazon it’s time they take their responsibilities to the community seriously. Please join us & also help spread the word through social media.
Amazon’s growth is profoundly altering our city, contributing to rising rents and cost of living while straining our roads and public transit system. Amazon plans to build two new office buildings in Denny Triangle, including a 24-story skyscraper. The development is expected to bring thousands of new workers to the area. Will these new jobs benefit Seattle?
Here’s what Amazon can do to demonstrate their commitment to our community: