Due to poor air quality caused by wildfires in the Seattle area, the informational picket organized by KUOW’s unionized staff has been rescheduled to Monday, Oct. 24.
Right now, our fellow SAG-AFTRA members at KUOW are in negotiations for a fair, livable wage. To date, KUOW management and the University of Washington have responded by offering wages which would qualify one half of the unit positions for low-income housing in Seattle for single-person households, and three-quarters of the positions for two-person households. Our KUOW family deserves fair compensation that would allow them to live in the community they love and report on each day.
We must stand with the KUOW bargaining unit. The unit members will be holding an informational picket from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, October 24 in front of the KUOW station at 4518 University Way, Seattle, WA 98105. I am asking all SAG-AFTRA members who live in or near Seattle to show up and voice your support for KUOW members as they fight for livable wages. If you cannot make it, I know the unit would also appreciate any positive support you can give on social media. Our strong show of support will help as they fight the good fight in negotiations. Tweet your support and tag #SoundStoriesSoundWages #WeMakeKUOW
We all know that public media plays an important role in keeping our community informed and our society honest. They often report on the hardest stories for below for-profit wages because they believe in the admirable mission of public media. I am proud to call many public media station reporters, hosts, and producers my SAG-AFTRA siblings and I hope that you will join me in supporting our hard-working SAG-AFTRA members at KUOW, owned and operated by the University of Washington.
In solidarity,
Rik Deskin