Puget Sound Labor News Tracker

Workers photographed partially in profile as they stand in a line in the rain, with umbrellas out and rain jacket hoods pulled over their heads.

The Letter Carriers Band performs: a group of workers and their family members are seated and playing brass and wind instruments, with sheet music out in front of them on stands.

Workers stand together in USPS rain jackets and hats and warm hoodies. One holds what appears to be a warm beverage in a yellow paper cup, while another next to him holds up a sign that reads, "1st class service, 1st class pay."

Four workers stand in front of a reddish-brown brick wall with partially visible lettering on it that reads United States Post Office, Westwood Station, Seattle, WA 98126. The workers carry signs that say "Fight like Hell."

Letter Carriers rallied outside the Westwood Station Post Office in Seattle, Washington, on Sunday, Feb 22, as part of the NALC's "Fight Like Hell" campaign across the U.S. as bargaining on their next contract kicked off this week. Photos by Nora Stamper of NALC Region 2

Polaris apartment management sent out a notice clarifying that this was SPD not ICE

white text on dark red background along with the Alphabet Workers Union logo in white: "Tech workers are united in our stance that our employers should not be in the business of war."

After learning the Pentagon has demanded that Anthropic abandon all AI safety guardrails in their contract with the U.S. military – and that Anthropic has refused to capitulate to these demands – Alphabet Workers Union released the following statement: www.alphabetworkersunion.org/press/alphab...

Seattle has an Uber problem An excess of ride-hailing drivers in Seattle is driving down wages and increasing pollution and traffic jams, a drivers union says in a new report.

A new report shows that Seattle is flooded with empty rideshare cars, clogging streets, increasing pollution, and bringing down driver pay. Unchecked onboarding by Uber and Lyft is hurting both workers and the city.

www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

How We Organized a Union at Whole Foods There were six of us at the first meeting to form a union at Whole Foods in Philadelphia: too many to fit around the coffee shop table, a good sign, so we moved to a restaurant around the corner. We t...

“We didn't have textbook organizing conversations, but we found that one positive statement from a co-worker undid weeks of fearmongering and confusion from the company,” write Ed Dupree and Ben Lovett, who work at a Whole Foods in Philadelphia labornotes.org/2026/02/how-...

Six workers standing in front of a office building with a sign North Helpline in the back ground smile for the picture. Text above reads "North Helpline Workers" Text below reads "Welcome to our union! UFCW 3000"

We're proud to welcome North Helpline workers into our union! These food bank workers spend their days fighting for food justice in North Seattle, making sure every one of our neighbors has a safe space to eat fresh food.

Group of SEIU 925 workers holding signs demanding better treatment and overdue wages for employees outside a brick UW building.

After nearly a month with an expired contract, UW Library, Press, & Continuum College workers with SEIU Local 925 marched on the boss with a 400-signature petition. Workers are rejecting a meager 1% raise offer & seeking better pay & layoff protections.
https://ow.ly/T0h550YmE95

SEIU 925 librarians remain without new contract as bargaining continues SEIU 925 librarians remain without new contract as bargaining continues

Today, UW Librarians with @SEIU925 delivered a petition with over 400 signatures demanding that UW management come to the bargaining table with a fair contract.

The Labor Community stands with these workers for as long as it takes to win this fight!

www.dailyuw.com/article/seiu...

We are hosting a virtual rally this Friday, 2/27 at 12pm ET on Zoom. Join us to hear from our speakers and support the re-instatement of unit members who Kickstarter retaliated against, 3 months after our historic 42-day remote strike won our latest contract bit.ly/ksrurally

https://forms.gle/N3DMCGxhgSnqgmk5A

SEATTLE TECH CAMPUSES: Safer
Together SolidarityNetwork

Kick Off Call: Thur 2/26 5:30 PM

Sign Up - forms.gle/N3DMCGxhgSnq...

Have you seen our toolkit for organizing against ICE at work?

It includes:
🔢 How-to guides for all steps
📢 Sample demands
📃 A sample petition
🚨 Emergency protocols
🪧 Workplace signage
⚖️ Know-your-rights info
🔎 Corporate research
📄 A shareable PDF

Link below 👇

Whoops, while one Machinist's Institute building is in South Seattle, the childcare program is actually in Everett.

A title card for the Labor Notes Podcast episode: How To Debunk Anti-Immigrant Myths. The graphic features a photo of Amazon workers holding up practice picket signs, and cut out photos of pod co-hosts Danielle Smith and Natascha Elena Uhlmann.

With ICE raids targeting more workplaces and daily commutes, workers are trying to talk to each other about immigration in a way that builds solidarity. Hear from IBEW Local 11 member Francisco Arago and IBEW Local 666 steward Chris Anders labornotespodcast.podbean.com/e/how-to-tal...

Social media graphic that reads: What does retaliation look like? A union winning big in a historic tech worker strike 3 months later... Multiple union members active in the strike are laid off or forced out of the bargaining unit.

KSRU members are facing retaliation for legally-protected activity after a historic 42 day long strike in October/November of last year.

On February 11, 2026, Kickstarter targeted union members who took an active role in the strike, laying off four people and moving one out of the bargaining unit.

NALC Branch 79 members rallied at Seattle's Westwood Post Office on Sunday as letter carriers nationwide kicked off contract negotiations with USPS.

The Labor Community stands with NALC as they fight like hell for the contract they deserve. ✊💌

Photos by NALC 79/Nora Stamper

An Institute for Training Machinists Takes on the Childcare Shortage A lack of childcare is one big barrier to training more machinists, so a union-backed institute in Washington state decided to train up more childcare workers too.

IAM's Machinist Institute (visible from the Link light rail) is branching out to childcare for Machinist families: workshift.org/an-institute...

First-class pay for first-class service — The STAND Letter carriers are kicking off national contract negotiations with USPS for a collective bargaining agreement that prioritizes an “all-career workforce” WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 23, 2026) — Letter carriers in dozens of cities across the U.S. hit the streets Sunday, rallying for a fair contract. Under the slogan “Fight Like Hell,” United States Postal Service workers […]

As USPS contract talks begin, National Association of Letter Carriers rallied nationwide for higher wages & an “all-career workforce” w/ full pay & benefits from day one. “When one group of workers raises the standard, it lifts the floor for everyone,”-WSLC Pres. April Sims
https://ow.ly/M1kb50Ykrqa

Calling all labor candidates: join Path to Power — The STAND The WSLC's candidate training is designed for union members and labor supporters looking to hone skills as they prepare to run for public office

The WSLC, AFL-CIO is accepting applications for its 2026 Path to Power candidate training, set for April 21–23. Designed for union members & labor supporters preparing to run for public office, the program covers fundraising, messaging, & campaign strategy. Apply by 3/13
https://ow.ly/Zai850Ykrwv

Running for Union Office

"Your job is to bring together the people who are willing to do a lot, and work with them to organize and mobilize the members who are willing to do a little. Your core team is made up of the people who will distribute campaign leaflets, shirts, and stickers. They’ll collect email addresses and phone numbers, sell raffle tickets, and phonebank members. They’ll show up to important campaign events and come to some campaign meetings. Ideally, your core team is bigger than your slate. Without this inner circle, you’ll end up doing most of the campaign work yourself."

Make member-to-member contact the heart of your campaign.

Adapted from "Building a Team to Win Local Union Office."

⏰ Online Workshop Tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 23, 8 p.m.): Running for Union Office

Learn more about mapping out your local, building support across worksites, listening to members’ issues, and building a team ready to lead the union.

Sign up now! labornotes.org/events/2026/...

Ithaca Teachers Association shared how they built member engagement while simultaneously writing contract language that improved members' working conditions.
1️⃣ Trainings on how to write contract proposals.
2️⃣ Members vote on the proposals during online and in-person gatherings.

Group of protesters wearing purple SEIU shirts with union slogans, one holding a sign that reads 'END ICE RAIDS NOW' in front of a red wall.

On 2/21, APALA Seattle invites all to the Japanese American Day of Remembrance in Puyallup, a commemoration of Japanese American incarceration during WWII — followed by a Solidarity Day at the NWDC, connecting history to the current targeting and detention of immigrants.
https://ow.ly/tZsm50YinCi

Screenshot "I was at the ICE Tukwila office today and saw three full double decker truck loads of unmarked SUVs being unloaded and parked inside of the ICE facility. that's around 24 vehicles. One can safely assume that more vehicles = more agents = more enforcement coming our way."

I received a report today from a community member who spotted approximately 24 new unmarked SUVs. outside the ICE facility in Tukwila, WA, just south of Seattle.
It’s hard to say for certain what this means, but it could indicate a greater deployment of personnel in the region in the near future.

Research staff Initial bargaining demands: support successful career paths for research staff

Research staff Initial bargaining demands: maintain pay structures that keep pace with inflation and the rising cost of living

Research staff Initial bargaining demands: invest in a more inclusive, accessible, equitable and diverse research community

Research staff Initial bargaining demands: foster a safe, fair, and productive work environment

Research Staff! Have you signed the initial bargaining demands (IBDs) yet?

Signing on means you support the goals outlined in the demands and want to work together to achieve those goals during bargaining.

Read the IBDs and sign on here: form.jotform.com/260154423245...

Flyer with hearts on it that says: Hey Target, love your neighbor, melt your heart--ICE out! In solidarity with calls to action from Minnesota. Sunday Feb. 15, 2pm, Northgate Target, meet at Hubbard Homestead Park, north of the store

🎯 Tell Northgate Target to stand up to ICE! 
TOMORROW at 2pm

Meet at Hubbard Homestead Park, north of the Northgate Target.

🎒Bring: Signs addressing Target, your voice, and some friends! Dress for the weather.

Picture of the backs of some folks heads, and a big Amazon: dump ice banner, with the paint on the Amazon swoosh, upside down, bleeding in the rain....or melting, perhaps.

Photo of a crowd of people looking up towards the speakers and lots of Abolish ICE and ICE Out and Dump ICE signed.

Photo of several folks sanding with signs behind a pile of ice that had just been dumped.

Photo of folks from the back, in the rain, on the Amazon green next to the Spheres.

Great day at Amazon today....we'll be posting some more pics and a wrap-up video today or tomorrow. Great speakers, great energy, great signs. But one of the most moving things was the stories the folks who were flying told.

They were mostly aiming at employees....

Red circle with a diagonal line crossing out an ice cube, set against a background of pink and red hearts with two red heart icons featuring white circles on each side.

Stand with workers this Valentine’s weekend & beyond: join a Starbucks picket, celebrate immigrant worker victories with Tanggol Migrante, rally for ICE OUT at Target, support Building Trades workers at the Capitol, or call on #WALeg to support SB 6045. Email your senator ➡️
https://ow.ly/PPKr50YflOg

Get Support Learn how you and your co-workers can address problems at work. Fill out our form and we'll connect you with organizers to get you the support you need.

Basic steps to fight ICE at work:
1. Talk with your co-workers
2. Make a plan
3. Squeeze your boss

Ready to stop ICE collaboration? We can help.

A colorful flyer that reads: How Amazon supports ICE's lawless, violent deportation campaign: • Signed $64 million in new contracts with ICE and CBP • Partners with Palantir, which builds ICE surveillance & targeting tools • Created a partnership between Ring & Flock. Flock gives access to ICE/CBP • Spending up to $50 billion expanding Al infrastructure and tools for the federal government On the other side: We demand that Amazon (followed by three checkboxes). Unchecked: Stop hosting ICE and CBP on AWS. Unchecked: End partnerships with Palantir that power deportations and surveillance. Checked: End Ring's partnership with flock. The next line says: one down, two to go! There's a QR codes for Amazon employees who want to learn more. And finally the logos for Troublemakers, 350 Seattle, Seattle Indivisible, Washington for All, Seattle DSA, Southend Indivisible, and Amazon Employees for Climate Justice.

Today at 1pm at the Spheres, 2111 7th Ave, Seattle!

Make sure Amazon understands that it's their workers and customers (the world around) who determine whether the company thrives. Dystopia is not a good plan, and they need to dump ICE, and honor their climate goals too!

Large group of UPS workers holding yellow signs demanding a fair contract during an outdoor protest in a parking lot.

The Teamsters are asking a federal court to halt UPS’s new Driver Choice Program, calling it an illegal buyout that violates their national contract. The union says the company has violated labor law and is pressuring drivers to give up union rights.
https://ow.ly/Tzfu50Yez5O

TOMORROW! Let's let the tech barons know: we are watching YOUR every dystopian move. #DumpICE!