(en) US, Seattle Solidarity Network Wins First Multi-Worker Strike!

The owners of La Lot restaurant in downtown Seattle didn't last long. Hien, Jeff, and 
SeaSol are proud to announce that, as of September 1st, La Lot management agreed to meet 
all of the demands set forth at the start of the strike! This means announcing a policy 
whereby all tips are distributed to workers, not to bosses, and restoration of Hien to her 
regular work schedule. ---- The La Lot strike began after Hien, a server at La Lot, asked 
management to stop stealing workers' tips. A reasonable enough request, it would seem, but 
her boss responded by drastically cutting her hours. Unable to survive on her dramatically 
reduced wages, and unwilling to accept such a glaring injustice, she started talking to 
her coworkers about fighting back. After some less-than-promising conversations with state 
and local government entities, Hien and her fellow worker, Jeff, contacted SeaSol to talk 
about a direct action campaign.

On August 7th, Hien, Jeff, and over 50 SeaSol members marched into La Lot and delivered a 
letter containing the workers' demands and announcing that Hien and Jeff were on strike 
against unfair labor practices. Almost immediately, three other workers, who were afraid 
to join the fight but also unwilling to work during a strike, left the job. Management's 
attempts to soften the impact of the strike by asking other workers to take extra shifts 
were unsuccessful.

By August 11th, after just one small flyering action, La Lot's owner was openly expressing 
concern about the impact of the strike on their business. They asked for a suspension of 
the campaign while they negotiated to end the strike. After two days of talks, however, it 
was clear that they were not serious about meeting Hien's and Jeff's demands. Pickets 
continued during La Lot's happy hours and lunch rush periods, doing increasingly serious 
economic damage. The number of customers during lunch was often cut in half, while the 
restaurant was nearly empty during happy hours.

After two more weeks of actions, La Lot's owner contacted SeaSol on August 27th to 
announce that she was ready to meet all of Hien's and Jeff's demands. Starting at the 
beginning of the next work week, managers and owners would no longer be entitled to any of 
the servers' tips, and Hien would be restored to a schedule with the same number of hours 
she was working prior to the events that led to the strike.

This is a major victory for the workers at La Lot and for SeaSol. The outcome of the 
strike obviously improves conditions for workers and serves as a potent demonstration of 
their power as an organized force. It is also a milestone in SeaSol history, as our first 
strike involving multiple workers. We hope this is the start of a trend of organizing 
larger numbers of workers to fight for their rights against their bosses. Just as 
important, this fight was not only about recovering stolen wages, but also about allowing 
the striking workers to return to work after the strike.

As we celebrate this exciting victory, we remain mindful that the working class' struggle 
against exploitation always goes on. Make sure you are signed up to receive updates from 
SeaSol, and keep up to date on this and other opportunities to support struggles by brave 
workers standing up for their rights!