By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“It’s been quite a meeting,” observed Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum as her group’s monthly session concluded last night.

That, it had – with a promise and a presentation from a labor union that recently drew ire for its noisy protest, a briefing from a city councilmember, and pride over a regional magazine feature, among other highlights. Toplines ahead:

THE CARPENTERS’ COUNCIL MAKES A PROMISE

Twice in the past two weeks, the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters has brought picketers to the west side of the Admiral Safeway site, claiming a subcontractor on the project does not pay “area standard.” (Our video above is from the first demonstration on March 31st.) Both times, Lafayette Elementary, across the street, has complained of disruptive noise and summoned the police.

Last night, Carpenters’ Council executive Jimmy Matta promised that if the demonstrators return, they will no longer use noisemakers such as whistles and bullhorns. That followed an extensive PowerPoint-enhanced presentation about their general concerns – not specifically with this project, but with the current labor climate.

Walum had also invited Marquise Drywall, the subcontractor targeted by the union at this jobsite and others. They had confirmed a representative would attend, she said, but at the last minute, she received word a “family emergency” had thwarted that plan, and the company sent a letter instead, asking that it be read aloud. (Walum also invited Safeway and general contractor SD Deacon, both of whom declined comment on the union’s demonstration.)

First, she made it clear, “This is an educational (presentation) for the community – we’re not doing it to endorse any point of view or to mediate or arbitrate. We just hope we will be better-informed as a result.”

Matta’s presentation centered on what the union describes as the “underground economy.” He reiterated that these were not allegations they were making toward Marquise Drywall in particular, but issues that concern the union as it deals with the construction industry. No specific companies were named until a slide at the end naming a few other companies against which the Carpenters’ Council says it won legal actions, but the practices it says it monitors in the industry include wage and hour violations, threats, violence, fraud (by workers as well as companies), child labor, and more.

Because much of his presentation was not specific to the complaint the union is making against the local subcontractor – “not paying area standard” – we won’t recap the details. Online search indicates it’s a topic on which they frequently speak (here’s an event coming up in Canada this month). Matta said the union’s focus is on “protecting area standards,” as well as hourly wages, full-family medical benefits, registered apprenticeship programs, “retirement with dignity,” and monitoring working conditions. He alleged that Marquise Drywall “does not provide family health care.”

More specific to the Admiral Safeway situation, he said, “SD Deacon knows what the laws are. They know that people don’t like pickets in front of schools. We’ve gone to City Council, we’ve gone to policymakers … but it’s not until (we engage in) these kinds of activities, that owners and developers say ‘what can we do … we can’t have this kind of noise and liability in front of our building, the community will get mad.’ I wish Safeway and Deacon were here. If they think Marquise is paying standards, we’ll pay for a third-party auditor, and we’ll leave them alone. … Our dispute is not with SD Deacon, but we’ve been anywhere Marquise is at … We send a warning letter. And at the end of the day, it’s the employer’s choice who they want to bring on.”

Regarding the protest tactics, Matta said, “We are protected under free speech,” and also suggested that they were picketing on the school side only because Deacon did not “dual-gate” the job – allow the target company’s workers to enter on the other side, which then theoretically would have made it a picket target instead.

Walum then read a statement from Lafayette Elementary principal Virginia Turner, who wrote, “We support the right to free speech, but the drums and the bullhorns take the issue too far and are disruptive to students’ learning.”

That’s when Matta said, “I will tell you, we are not going to use the bullhorns, we are not going to use the whistles. But I get upset about the nonresponsiveness of corporate America … We have SD Deacon and Marquise Drywall who aren’t here to take responsibility. If there weren’t children (near the protest site), we would continue to use bullhorns and whistles.”

ANA member Ann Limbaugh noted that “it was really loud in the classroom,” adding that there were “educational moments” with at least one teacher explaining to the students what the protest was about. Then she asked whether the Carpenters’ Council is “negotiating” with Marquise Drywall.

Matta’s reply: “They have chosen to ignore it. We don’t have a contract with them.”

Walum then read Marquise Drywall’s statement, in which the company described itself as a “family-owned and operated business since 1987. … Fair employment practices and policies have always been at the center of (our) business operation. … (We are) competitive in pay and benefits.” The statement also declared, “We have never had and are not currently engaged in any labor disputes with any group or individuals” – which is accurate, given that they have no contract with the union that is picketing them.

According to Walum, the company hopes to have a representative speak at a future ANA meeting.
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CITY COUNCILMEMBER TOM RASMUSSEN

He’s the only councilmember who lives in West Seattle; “I don’t live that far away,” he noted (South Alki area, to be a little more specific).

Councilmembers often stop by neighborhood councils/associations for general briefings, and this was one of those cases – though, since Rasmussen chairs the Transportation Committee, he has plenty of controversial topics to discuss. First he hit a few topics under the purview of the committee he chaired previously (Parks), recapping a few West Seattle projects (including this week’s announcement that Walt Hundley Playfield in High Point will get turf from Parks and Green Spaces Levy funding because of money saved on other projects). Rasmussen said 2008 passage of that levy – which you might recall was opposed by then-Mayor Greg Nickels, but supported by the council – is one of his favorite recent accomplishments.

He asked about a nearby triangle of land that once was discussed as possible park land during the tumult that followed neighborhood-proposed changes to California Place Park, adjacent to Admiral Congregational Church, the ANA’s meeting site. Nervous laughter ensued, as Rasmussen was informed that the proposal was shelved amid opposition. “Well, the reality is, you never get 100 percent agreement on anything in this city,” he acknowledged (to slightly less-nervous laughter from attendees).

Speaking of which, he dove into the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement/Highway 99 tunnel issue, pointing out that while it “takes a lot of time, it is a state project” – but, he said, it’s “our responsibility … to review that project and make sure it’s built in the best interest of the people of Seattle,” a responsibility that he says includes minimizing detours’ inconvenience, minimizing the impact on downtown, and “making sure (Seattleites are) not responsible for cost overruns.” To that point, he recapped City Attorney Pete Holmes‘ court challenge to the referendum seeking a public vote on council-approved city actions regarding the tunnel project, saying he expects a King County Superior Court decision within two months or so.

Rasmussen also spent a fair amount of time talking about his concern regarding Metro Transit funding and looming cuts, as well as the impending $20 license-plate fee intended to raise money to hold off some, but not all, of those cuts. Even that, though, is not a permanent solution, he said, since they have two years’ authority to charge that fee (which he expects will kick in next month). He also briefly mentioned taking another transportation-money-raising proposal to voters.

A perennial topic for ANA, the 47th/Admiral intersection – scene of high-profile crashes including the one that killed City Council staffer Tatsuo Nakata four years ago – was also brought up.

According to Rasmussen, a signal for that intersection is indeed on “the list” – but low on the list, with only a handful getting funded each year, and this year, it’s #11 on a waiting list of 12.

ADMIRAL BUSINESS SURVEY

ANA is hoping to help area businesses launch an association of their own – not to be managed or run by ANA, but they do want to help give it a kickstart. So they are about to launch an online survey of businesses (just as soon as the new ANA site launches, which if all goes well, will be before week’s end – you can get on the notification list at admiralneighborhood.org).

Once the survey results are in, a lunch gathering is planned for Admiral-area businesses (May 12th, location TBA). Safeway has agreed to make a presentation about what it’s projecting will be brought to the neighborhood by its new store – one preview: ANA has been told that the store is projecting 25,000 daily transactions.

SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA

The musical lineup will be announced at next month’s ANA meeting (7 pm, Tuesday, May 10th).

ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD PRIDE

The concert series was one quality-of-life feature that led to North Admiral getting featured as a hot neighborhood in the latest issue of Seattle Metropolitan, including an interview with Walum – read the story here. And if you want to show your Admiral pride, watch for new stickers – the Admiral logo from the apparel launched last year will soon appear on stickers (white on clear) selling for about $5. (When they’re available, we’ll let you know where.)

P.S. If you want to help keep the neighborhood bright and shining, mark your calendar for the next Adopt-A-Street, June 4th, 9 am, Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), which always provides treats.