by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Ari Robin McKenna
Seattle Public Schools' Chief of Staff Beverly Redmond notified (SPS) families Tuesday night that a tentative agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 302 had been reached.
About 400 culinary arts, janitorial, security, and grounds staff represented by IUOE Local 302 were on site Wednesday morning as Seattle's students began the 2023—2024 school year.
Bargaining between IUOE Local 302 and SPS appeared to be breaking down last week when union members appeared at the Sept. 30 SPS school board meeting a day before their contract expired. Four members of the union bargaining team testified that the offer they had recently received after months of negotiations was both "late" and "disrespectful."
Two of the bargaining team members, Jennifer Bentz and Nancy Buran, both ended their statements by saying, "We will continue to be good labor partners, right up until the day we're not."
Redmond's email to families and media last night said: "SPS appreciates all the hard work of both bargaining teams to reach a tentative agreement. We are excited to have the members of Local 302 join us as we welcome our students, families, staff, and community partners for the 2023—24 school year tomorrow."
Starting Sept. 2, King County Metro will make some changes to their bus schedules based on low bus ridership on certain routes and in order to prevent improve service reliability. However, 124 of their 156 routes will remain unchanged, and the number of overall rides will remain similar.
According to the King County Metro blog, routes which were preserved may have the following qualities: high ridership demand, few alternate transit options, and/or "serve a higher percentage of riders who have lower incomes or identify as Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color."
Routes 15, 16, 18, 29, 55, 64, 114, 121, 167, 190, 214, 216, 217, 232, 237, 268, 301, 304, 320, and 342. Each of the 20 suspended routes will have an alternative at the same bus stop or nearby.
Routes 7, 10, 20, 28, 36, 73, 79, 225, 230, 231, 255, 345. High-ridership routes such as 7 and 36 will continue to have frequent service; low-ridership routes may switch to 30 to 60 minutes during some times of the day.
Please visit King County Metro's Service Change page for full details on modified routes and cancellations.
Washington State Ferry will see a 4.25% general fare increase in October 2023. The changes were made on Aug. 10 by the Washington State Transportation Commission for the 2023/25 State budget cycle, in order to meet requirements set forth in the Transportation Budget passed by the 2023 legislature. According to their website, "The budget requires $418.6 million to be generated from fares over the two-year budget timeframe (July 1, 2023—June 20, 2025), resulting in a need for an additional $28.8 million in fare revenues."
Routes from Seattle to Bremerton or Seattle to Bainbridge Island, for instance, will see a fare change from $122.60 to $126.15 for monthly passes and from $76.60 to $78.85 for multi-ride passes.
Another 4.25% general fare increase is slated to take place on Oct. 1, 2024.
PDF files are available showing a Summary Fare Table and details around fare changes, including the original language of the amendments.
Washington Filmworks, a nonprofit organization that creates economic opportunities for film industry competitiveness, profile, and sustainability in the state, has opened applications for their Film Workforce Development Program (FWD), which serves filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities.
The program is a paid opportunity which will include an Education Forum which features 12 weeks of scheduled classes and discussions, at five hours a week, which cover the ins and outs of narrative filmmaking. Topics include: working in Washington, legal basics, budget, production, financing, marketing and distribution, and will be available to 30 emerging producers and directors. Graduates of the 12-week program may apply for a 6-month Mentorship portion of the program as well.
Applications are open from Sept. 6 at 5:00 p.m. to Sept. 20, and can be found on the Washington Filmworks website.
Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, a long-time member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a film educator at the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they previously served as executive director and played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences. After a recent stint as the interim managing editor at South Seattle Emerald, they are moving into production on their feature film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy. They have a master's in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.
Ari Robin McKennaworked as an educator and curriculum developer in Brooklyn, New York; Douala, Cameroon; Busan, South Korea; Quito, Ecuador; and Seattle, Washington, before setting roots in the South End. Please send tips about education in South Seattle/Southwest King County to Ari.Mckenna@SeattleEmerald.org. (@R_E_McK,Muck Rack)
📸 Featured Image: Members of IUOE Local 302 protest for a new contract on South Lander Street Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, in front of the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, headquarters for Seattle Public Schools. (Photo: Ari Robin McKenna)
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