One of the largest labor movements in recent history is coming to Spokane, as workers at the Shadle Center Starbucks on Wellesley Avenue filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize with Starbucks Workers United on Monday. If the NLRB approves the request, they'll join nearly 300 other stores across the country that have voted to unionize as part of a national campaign that began in late 2021. "We are tired of being treated as expendable, replaceable, and frankly disrespected," the Spokane workers wrote in a letter to Laxman Narasimhan, who took over as CEO of the Seattle-based coffee chain last month. The previous CEO, Howard Schultz, has pushed back against unionization efforts at his stores — leading to accusations of union busting, refusal to bargain in good faith and retaliation against pro-union workers. The NLRB has issued 80 complaints against Starbucks over its response to recent union activity. Jamie Jordan, a barista at the Spokane store, said in a Monday news release that unionization will give workers the "respect and dignity of fair wages, hours, and the ability to make our voices heard." (NATE SANFORD)
BETTER BIKE PARKING
Get your u-locks ready, because last week the Spokane Plan Commission approved recommendations brought forward by city staff that would create better bicycle parking throughout the city by allowing bicycle parking to substitute for some of the required vehicle parking spots in new buildings, differentiate between facilities for long- and short-term bike parking, and provide standards for how bike parking can be built. If approved by the City Council, new buildings could swap out up to 25 percent of required car parking spots for long-term bike parking, which must be inside of a building or protected in some way. The changes are part of a citywide effort to quadruple ridership over the next 15 years, with a goal of 5 percent of commuters riding a bike. The changes have already been reviewed and approved by the city's Bicycle Advisory Board, and will be before the City Council in a couple of weeks. About 250 people responded to an online survey about the changes. Most supported the update, but many noted that protected bike lanes as part of a connected network was more important to them. (NICHOLAS DESHAIS)
A CLOCKTOWER ORANGE
Gangs of children. Street fights. Robberies and assaults. There were echoes of Stanley Kubrick's 1971 dystopian film A Clockwork Orange last Thursday, when Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl told reporters that armed juveniles were "roaming in packs looking to prey on other people" near downtown Spokane and Riverfront Park. The chief said large groups of teens as young as 14 had been involved in four recent attacks, including a stabbing last Tuesday on the Monroe Street Bridge. Police said they've arrested 14 of the young people involved in those incidents and are still looking for more. During an unrelated walkalong with a pair of Downtown Spokane Partnership security ambassadors on a foot patrol last Wednesday, they also voiced concerns about trouble caused by large groups of youths. "There's groups that will clash with each other," said Chris Seim, one of the security ambassadors. "Some of these kids though, it's better down here than at home. Their home life is real bad." (NATE SANFORD)
