Mayor & Seattle City Council Give 18% Raise to Police By Stealing Nearly $200 million from Working People, Setting the Stage for an Even Bigger Theft!

Prop 1A is a tax on big business to help build affordable social housing, ensuring working-class Seattleites can live and work in Seattle! The Seattle City Council and Mayor have done all they can to defeat the initiative, ensuring we continue to be crushed under stratospheric rent.

Most recently they raided the JumpStart fund - won through the efforts of former Socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant and a movement of working people - to give 18% raises to the police. Moreover, they gave themselves the power to abscond with millions of dollars from the voter approved transportation levy, for pet projects and to avoid having to tax their big business backers.  

They have also repeatedly tried to obstruct organizers’ efforts by kicking the ballot initiative to a February special election and even trying to advance their own housing initiative in an effort to cut across the demand for affordable social housing for working people and the poor. Finally, they expanded their ability to unleash sweeps of homeless camps!

So if you find yourself saying “The rent is too damn high!” but don’t know how to fight for affordable housing - Join fellow social housing volunteers this coming weekend to talk to voters about Proposition 1A! SDSA members and housing justice advocates are canvassing voters across the city to inform them of what is at stake. Every ballot will count, so we need to get out the vote!

Please RSVP to receive any updates or changes to these events. Always feel free to reach out to field staff if you have any questions!

Calling All Canvassers for Prop 1A This Weekend!

Saturday, December 7th, 1pm-3pm

Meridian Playground (Wallingford)

RSVP Here

Sunday, December 8th, 10:30am-1pm

PCC Market (Columbia City)

RSVP Here

Workers at Seattle Art Museum Go On Strike!

How long should workers have to negotiate for livable wages, seniority pay, affordable health care, and a retirement plan with their employer? Six months? 12 months?

Visitor Service Officers (VSOs) at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) have been fighting 26 months for their first contract since unionizing!

SAM VSO Union, an independent union owing to VSOs unfair characterization as “security guards” by the NLRB which precludes their ability to unionize with other museum employees, is a bellwether for workers at SAM. If they win a strong contract, it will almost certainly encourage their fellow art workers to fight for better pay and benefits. Because of this, SAM’s Board of Trustees is determined to not give one inch to the VSOs.

After the museum gave SAM VSO Union its “last, best offer” - largely unchanged from its previous offers - the workers voted overwhelmingly to strike and took to the picket lines Thanksgiving Weekend. Seattle DSA and community members alike were there with them. An injury to one is an injury to all!

Despite the chilly, windy weather, spirits were high as picketers chanted “SAM SAM you're no good, pay your workers like you should!” and “When livable wage is under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!” amidst supportive honks from drivers and words of support from pedestrians.

Want to help SAM VSO Union? Consider donating to their strike fund, sign a letter to the museum in support of the workers if you are a SAM member as well as reconsider your membership sustainer while the strike is ongoing, and join the pickets again this Wednesday from 10am-5pm!

🎉Y’ALL ARE INVITED TO PARTAY!🎉

New Member Cohort Graduation Social

This Saturday, December 7th, 2pm-5pm

Standard Brewing (Central District)

RSVP here

Calling Seattle DSA members new and old! Join SDSA’s Member Engagement Committee for our final Winter 2024 New Member Cohort meeting - a social for the graduates of our onboarding cohort!

Event will be held in-person. No one turned away for lack of funds; donations to our social fund are welcome!