|
||||
|
||||
|
Monday, Jul 07, 2008
|
||||
|
|||||||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
Miss Gay Seattle gives a special kind of love to Tom Douglas |
||
 |
||
| Miss Gay Seattle gives a special kind of love to Tom Douglas | ||
|
On Valentine's Day, Miss Gay Seattle, Aleksa Manila, Teamsters 117, and Washington State Jobs with Justice delivered a Valentine's Day card to Tom Douglas, celebrity chef, urging him to share the love with Tomlinson Linen workers. The festive protesters greeted restaurant guests with Valentine's balloons cards that read "Have a heart, Tom! Tomlinson Linen workers' hearts are breaking. Use a linen company with a heart!" Tom Douglas greeted Miss Gay Seattle, Teamsters 117, and Jobs with Justice in front of his restaurant, Palace Kitchen, but instead of using his celebrity status and longtime friendship with the Tomlinsons to take the lead on behalf of Tomlinson employees, Douglas told them that he would remain loyal to the owners of Tomlinson Linen. Douglas' refusal to consider another linen company is particularly disturbing given that almost every linen company in Western Washington is covered by a contract that provides living wages and benefits for workers. What sparked this unlikely party of labor, community and Miss Gay Seattle? "Workers' rights are human rights. I'm committed to championing human rights in all its manifestations. Taking away your pension after over 20 years of service and increasing health care premiums to $400 a month for retirees is unjust," said Aleksa Manila. Tom Douglas is a nationally-recognized chef who owns several award-winning restaurants in the Seattle area. He is chef for Teatro ZinZanni, has won the Iron Chef competition, and has appeared on Emeril Live. Valentine's Day diners ate award-winning food from tablecloths distributed by Tomlinson Linen. Socially conscious consumers would be horrified to hear what the cost of the meal is to working Americans. Tomlinson recently proposed cutting workers' pensions and switching to an unknown company healthcare plan that would push up healthcare premiums for all retirees. Barbara Fullmer, who worked for the company for 44 years, would see her health insurance premiums go up by $300 a month if Tomlinson gets its way. Bruce Roberts, a Tomlinson employee for 34 years, said, "I'm a loyal employee and very dependable, I worked very hard for them. I only had 4 more years before I would be locked in for my pension. Our medical insurance is also an issue - we will be losing that, which is important to me at my age." This campaign has targeted schools, colleges, and other regional restaurants. Also on Valentine's Day, workers from Teamsters 117 leafleted other restaurants in King and Pierce County. Previous efforts have focused on the Regional chain of Anthony's restaurants located throughout Western Washington. Washington State Jobs with Justice is a 14-year-old coalition of over 154 member organizations and 5000 "I'll Be There" individual pledgers fighting together for workers' rights and economic & social justice. A Ladyking Productions press release |
||
 |
||
|
|
||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 post your own information onthe Seattle Gay Blog |
 |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2007
USA Gay News American News American Gay News USA American Gay News United States American Lesbian News USA American Lesbian News United States USA News
USA Gay News American News American Gay News USA American Gay News United States American Lesbian News USA American Lesbian News United States USA News