On Thursday, June 25, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity (OWLS) is initiating a Picket and Rally to Stop Racism and Bigotry at Metro/King County. Transit workers and their supporters will gather at the South Base Complex of Metro at 11919 East Marginal Way S., in Tukwila from 12 noon to 1:00pm to put a spotlight on racist threats and harassment, that have created a toxic and unsafe work environment at the complex.

The protest is in response to a classic KKK-style death threat at the job site and Metro’s failure to act. Since early June, Metro has known about the placement of a Black figurine on a flagpole at the Transit Agency’s South Base Complex, near what resembles a noose.  The incident is the latest in a long pattern of racial harassment and discrimination against Black and Brown workers at Metro. Often, those who speak up face retaliation, further harassment, and even discipline.

The rally will feature workers from Metro’s Vehicle Maintenance, Transit Facilities, and Operations Divisions, as well as those who have worked at other departments within King County. Speakers will address the need for accountability and action from King County Executive Dow Constantine, and the failure of current programs and systems that are supposed to ensure social justice and equity within King County.

Organizers are demanding the following:

• Immediate termination of the perpetrators involved in the incident at South Base Complex.
• Restitution for all who have filed complaints previously on racist incidents and harassment without satisfactory resolution.
• Posters at King County department jobsites that expressly state acts of racist harassment and discrimination, as well as sexism and other forms of bigotry, will not be tolerated at Metro or King County.
• Immediate action when racist threats occur.