On Wednesday July 20th, dozens of hotel workers, union members, and community supporters gathered at Seattle’s Labor Temple, home of Unite Here Local 8 to support hotel workers fighting for safe work environments. Despite the heat, over a hundred people gathered at Hall 8 to hear directly from workers experiencing unsafe, over worked, and threatening environments and speaking in support of Initiative 124.

“Health and safety standards to protect Seattle’s hotel housekeepers from sexual harassment and inhumane workloads. Access to affordable family medical care and basic job security.”

Read more about the initiative.

Pramila Jayapal opened the event with praise of immigrant women and women of color who were in the room. She then spoke of the importance of workplace safety, “safety, security, injury on the job, these are not things that are separate from having a good business and having good hotels.” City Council members Kshama Sawant, Lisa Herbold, and Mike O’Brien all spoke in favor of the initiative.

Seattlish covered the topic brilliantly.

You can read more on personal accounts by workers in this great article by Sara Bernard for the Seattle Weekly.