NEWS GLEAMS | Seattle City Council Passes Protections for App-Based Workers; Light Rail Delays This Weekend
A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!
by Vee Hua 華婷婷
Seattle City Council Passes Protections for App-Based Workers
In a 6—2 vote, the Seattle City Council passed Council Bill 120580, a first-in-the-nation legislation protecting app-based gig workers from being "deactivated" from apps where they work, such as those related to food delivery and transportation services. Deactivation would prevent workers from being blocked from using the app without "reasonable" policies for deactivation.
"Workers can be deactivated without receiving any notice or any reason at all. Often, that is the result of algorithms that include little to no human review," said Councilmember Lisa Herbold, the bill's sponsor. "The bill … builds basic human protections for workers in one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy: app-based workers. This effort builds reliability and stability for this growing workforce. The reliability for thousands of workers will help prevent homelessness, fight displacement, and allow families to meet their basic needs."
The ordinance requires that companies notify workers prior to deactivating their accounts, as well as offer them an explanation. In order to be implemented, it also includes conditions that require companies to build protocols and procedures that will allow for human review of worker deactivations, which will give workers an opportunity to challenge unjust deactivations. Following public feedback, the ordinance does outline a list of "egregious reasons" that will provide acceptable motives for app companies to deactivate worker accounts.
CB 120580 builds upon a bill passed by City Council in 2022, which guaranteed a minimum wage for app-based workers.
Sinking Light Rail Tracks to Cause Significant Closures This Weekend
The following week will see a number of light rail delays and shutdowns because of required maintenance. Saturday and Sunday will see track shutdowns so Sound Transit can fix areas around South Royal Brougham Way, where the tracks are sinking 3 inches. The weekend closure will be bundled with other repairs, closing a total of five stations the whole weekend.
"Buses starting at Sodo and Capitol Hill stations will shuttle people to the temporarily closed Stadium, International District/Chinatown, Pioneer Square, University Street, and Westlake stations," The Seattle Times reports. "After that, trains will alternate on a single track seven days, Aug. 14-20, across Royal Brougham Way, slowing the entire 24-mile line from Northgate to Angle Lake. Trains in both directions will arrive 15 minutes apart, rather than the usual 10 minutes. Riders must change trains at Pioneer Square Station, to go between the north and south sides of the city."
Seattle Somali Week Soccer Tournaments Take Place Through Aug. 15
by Ari Robin McKenna
Held every summer as an opportunity for local Somali youth, the Seattle Somali Week soccer tournaments have grown this year into a 16-team event with participants traveling from Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City, Utah; St. Cloud and Faridault, Minnesota; and Vancouver, British Columbia. Hosted by Somali Community Services of Seattle, the event brings together Somali youth from different communities to have fun and enjoy something they are passionate about. There is an emphasis on youth making positive, healthy choices that will impact their future.
The tournaments take place at Foster High School in Tukwila, except for the semifinal and final events, which will be held Aug. 14 and 15 at Chief Sealth International High School in West Seattle.
Full schedule is below.
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: Riders disembark at Sound Transit's International District/Chinatown Station, one of five light rail stations that will be temporarily closed this weekend. Photo is attributed to SDOT Photos (under a Creative Commons, CC BY-NC 2.0 license).
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