Tweeted about this on Monday but not everybody follows @jseattle so we’re still getting lots of questions. The noisy picket you see and hear on E Pine, we were told, is the local carpenters union letting people know about a sub-contractor on the People’s Parking lot development job site who the union says is paying sub-standard wages. The same picket was also seen earlier this summer downtown in front of Forever 21. The show of labor activity on the Hill is relatively rare these days. The rep we talked to said work at the site isn’t halted — the picket is only informational at this point. Informational and a little noisy, sure, but with noise comes attention.
the noise emitted by this construction site alone is enough to have psycho/physiological effects on humans.
http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Enforcement/Noise_Abatement/Noise
There’s enough psychotics on that stretch of Summit anyway. Not much more damage to be done.
The picketing at Summit & Pine by PNW Regional Council of Carpenters violates Seattle Municipal Code (SMC 25.08.500-D)
http://clerk.seattle.gov/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?d=CODE&s1=25.0
Please call Doug Tweedy, CEO of PNW Regional Council of Carpenters at (253) 945-8800 to ask them to stop their unlawful behavior.
Living right across the street from this I’m ready to start throwing eggs at these people! Can someone please shut them up, I don’t care what their cause is, all I know is I can’t get any sleep (I work nights).
Although I support the carpenters, I wish they would come and picket later in the day. They are not “a little noisy,” they are VERY noisy. I live across the street (as do many people) and they are very loud on top of the already loud construction noise, and then people honk in support and it’s tormenting those in my building.
I couldn’t agree more, the honking of everyone driving by is driving me crazy, I have tried playing music, movies, etc…. I just want to sleep lol
This DEVELOPMENT is disrespectful to the neighborhood! Im not surprised that the construction workers are getting screwed on this job.
Yeah, this picketing is completely out of line. Its an extreme nuisance to the residents (including me) that live nearby.
Somehow, i doubt they would enjoy me walking into their neighborhood while blowing whistles and chanting inane babble in a zombie-like tone.
These folks are also drifting into the bike lane on Pine St. forcing bicyclists into sketchy situations, AND they are doing a fantastic job of blocking the line of sight up the street when attempting to pull out onto Pine from Summit. I basically have to be pulled out all the way into the street before i can see oncoming cars… real safe.
I thought the construction was a bit irritating… turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg.
At this point, i could care less about what WHY they’re out there. It’s HOW they’re out there that is pissing everyone off.
Trust me – the noise is a complete nuisance. It’s interesting to watch their process…it appears they are recruiting folks right off the street and paying them to join the “crowd of frustrated workers”. Workers? I think not. Curious if THEY are paying full union wages to the protesters they are hiring? I find it annoyingly fascinating that they literally sit down on a scheduled basis for their “union break” – during a protest! What in the hell? Seriously? “Oh…..little protester tired from a bit of circle walking? Poor thing – better sit down and have a snack – maybe a nap?” Here’s an idea – maybe take a break from your walking and yelling and intimidating neighborhood residents and spend that time productively looking for a job that WILL pay you what you demand. This is doing NOTHING to improve the reputation of the “union worker”.
I’m all for protests, but starting at 7:30 AM every day for weeks is just going to piss off everybody around you.
The only thing I’ve learned from this is that Seattle’s quiet hours end too damn early.