Support Pride and Justice at the Space Needle

[eridani]

http://www.change.org/petitions/space-needle-fly-the-rainbow-flag-and-respect-your-workers?utm_campaign=petition_lonely&utm_medium=email&utm_source=guides

Support Pride and Justice at the Space Needle!

Seattle’s Space Needle is a landmark and symbol of our community. It is a symbol that we as the community should be proud of. Recently however, the way the Space Needle’s management has been treating its workers should make Seattleites anything but proud.

Workers at the Space Needle, a significant percentage being LGBTQ and immigrant workers, have gone for two years without a contract and are currently seeking guarantees for fair working conditions, including living wages, health care benefits, and job security. On average, these hospitality workers earn $23,000 a year without affordable health care benefits. Most workers are required to work at least two jobs to survive.

Ten Seattle-area LGBTQ groups recently began linking the treatment of hospitality workers to civil rights for the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ and immigrant rights communities, and UNITE HERE Local 8, a union representing hospitality workers, have come together in collaboration to urge the Space Needle to do the right thing. They are requesting the Space Needle to fly the Rainbow flag every year during Pride month, and to settle a fair contract with Space Needle workers. Here is an article from the Seattle Times. So far, the Space Needle ownership has been non-committal.

The visibility of the Rainbow flag on top of the Space Needle not only represents pride but human dignity and justice for LGBTQ communities. Although the LGBTQ community has won Marriage Equality and other civil rights in some states, community members are still being gunned down for their sexual orientation and gender identity (most recently, Mark Carson, this month in New York City). The Rainbow flag is a symbol of justice and solidarity in all communities to end hate crimes and strive for economic, racial and gender equity.

The Space Needle should be supportive and value a Seattle where all people can thrive, including their own workers.

The workers underneath the flag deserve justice and a fair contract. The Space Needle owners CAN fly the flag and settle a fair contract if they choose. The Rainbow flag, if flown on top of the Space Needle, will represent pride, justice and human dignity when justice for the employees underneath the flag is also granted. We are calling on the Space Needle to be supportive of their workers and communities where all people can thrive.

Please sign this petition and ask the Space Needle to do the right thing! Your voice matters!

In solidarity,

David West
Executive Director
Puget Sound Sage

Puget Sound Sage is working to build communities where all people thrive through credible research, progressive policy development, public interest advocacy and community-based coalition building.

Puget Sound Sage - "Growing communities where all families thrive."
1032 S. Jackson St., Ste. 203 ‚ Seattle, WA 98104 ‚ ph: 206. 568.5000 ‚ fx: 206. 568.3798