Tax Amazon 2020 Kickoff & Kshama’s Inauguration

What: Swearing-in ceremony for re-elected Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant
When: Monday January 13, 6-8pm
Where: Washington Hall (153 14th Ave, Seattle)
RSVP: Via this short form

On January 13th, join fellow 4121 members for the swearing-in of long-time champion of our union, Kshama Sawant! She will be sworn in by Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, whose strike threat in early 2019 was critical to ending the government shutdown. Immediately after the swearing-in, stick around for the launch of the Tax Amazon campaign — a campaign to tax big corporations in order to fund high-quality, permanently-affordable, public-owned housing for working people in Seattle.

Update on Detained Iranian-Americans

Over the weekend, Washington’s Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported that over 60 Iranian-Americans were held at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Washington while traveling from Canada to Washington state. Customs and Boarder Protection (CPB) has denied that it detained anyone; however accounts from those who were there — Iranian-Americans who were held, as well as immigrants-rights organizations like Northwest Immigrants Rights Project (NWIRP) — report that their passports and car keys were taken, they were held for 6-12 hours, and they were questioned about their families and political views.

Representative Pramila Jayapal’s office has reported that they are investigating what directives CPB has received, and along with CAIR, NWIRP and Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) is working to assist any who are impacted. If you or someone you know is impacted, please email uaw4121@uaw4121.org right away to get connected with support. In addition, you can:

• Check out these Know Your Rights documents (available in Arabic, Bengali, Bosnian, Farsi, Somali, Urdu, and English) as well as this document (in English)
• If you have personal knowledge of an Iranian or Iranian-American (or anyone else) detained at any port of entry into Washington State, please contact any or all of the following: WAISN hotline: 1-844-724-3737. CAIR-WA: www.cairwa.org; for legal assistance, complete this form. Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s office: WA07PJ_casework@mail.house.gov.
• Volunteer for the WAISN Hotline or Rapid Response teams to be notified of any need for personal mobilization. Volunteer info available here.
• Stay updated: Join the WAISN listserv and/or Facebook page, and follow CAIR-Washington and/or NWIRP on Facebook.

As this situation develops, we will continue to send out information about how 4121 members can access assistance and opportunities to take action in support of those impacted. Don’t hesitate to reach out to uaw4121@uaw4121.org if you have any questions or need support.

SeaTac Airport Worker Action

On November 26th, Tuesday, a group of 4121 members joined the protest rally organized by airline hospitality workers at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The protest calling for fair wages and affordable health insurance was led by airline catering workers, and took place at 16 other airports across the country at the same time. Many of these workers are paid below livable wages, and receive health insurance they cannot afford. Ironically, the high-end services provided to airline passengers have improved over the years, while the living conditions of the workers preparing the food and services are unsatisfactory.

In solidarity,

UAW 4121 Joint Council
Tina Angerer
Douglas Avella-Castro
Leandro Casiraghi
Monica Cortés Viharo
Meg Drouhard
Max Friedfeld
Vern Harner
Dan Hart
Sam Kastner
Kyle Kubler
Kristin McCowan
Emily Myers
Anzela Niraula
Jacob O’Connor
Nayon Park
Marissa Parker
David Parsons
Cristian Proistosescu
Shua Sanchez
Paige Sechrest
Solmaz Shakerifard
Sam Sumpter
Judy Twedt
Jon Witt