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McGinn Booed at Labor Rally

City Hall   March 18, 2010 at 11:01 am Josh Feit

We weren’t able to hit the  Seattle/King County Building and Construction Trades Council/AFL-CIO rally at Westlake Center yesterday, but the PI’s Chris Grygiel has a report on what sounds like a newsworthy event.

Mayor Mike McGinn (who’s disliked by labor right now for his perceived obstruction on the 520 project and for his anti-waterfront tunnel position) and King County  Executive Dow Constantine (a big labor Democrat who told the crowd it was time to stop “dithering and hand wringing” on 520) both spoke to the crowd.

From the PI report:

“The highest priority of city government has to be jobs and it will be my highest priority,” the mayor said.

But McGinn, who was opposed by most unions last fall, was interrupted several times during his brief remarks by chants of “What do we want?” – “Jobs!”

…

McGinn talked to the crowd about 520. “We’re working to get light rail over that bridge,” he said. “If we’re going to ask people to pay tolls to cross it, we should give people a good transportation alternative. We think if we can get a bridge that has light rail on it, that that’s something that could get public support and we could get that passed. I’m going to work to get that done.”

Many in the crowd booed McGinn at that point.

We have a call in to McGinn’s office for a comment on the chilly reception.




  • tpn

    Perhaps, a recap of what McGinn has done to piss off organized labor thus far, is in order?

  • David G

    You have to enjoy watching the new left fight the old left….we moderates can just sit back and watch politicians lead from the center.

  • UNION

    McGinn, in my opinion has done nothing to offend the union. He is a liberal mayor, and we, the union –would have no problem working with him. I am sure he is in our side.

  • Wells

    The deep-bore tunnel is a travesty, an engineering pile of crap, a fiasco. If a tunnel is to be built, the only sensible option is a Cut/cover beneath Alaskan Way.

    Cut/cover advantages:

    -Strongest seawall.
    -Most stable Alaskan Way
    -Accommodates Ballard-bound traffic
    (Doesn't displace said traffic onto Alaskan Way or through residential Lower Queen -Anne via Mercer West. Mercer east of Aurora looks pretty good. Don't do Mercer West.)
    -HUNDREDS more jobs than deep bore tunnel.
    -Offers beautiful gardened walkway up to Steinbrueck Park.
    (Current Alaskan Way design is entirely dedicated to heavy traffic and is otherwise engineered very poorly in many respects.)
    -New bridge at Broad St over railroad tracks sooner.
    -South Portal preliminary work applicable to Cut/cover,
    -etc etc.

    Deep-bore advantages:

    I can't think of any. There's no avoiding the construction mess to remove the AWV and rebuild the seawall, sidewalks and streets. A cut/cover construction process is manageable — consecutive 2-block trenches and traffic returned to completed surfaces, nicely staging the construction process. WSDOT directors and department chiefs gambled voters would approve the elevated monstrosity in 2007, and they disengenuously exaggerated the construction process. WSDOT continued to revise the Cut/cover (Scenario 'G') for more than a year suggesting it hadn't been fully vetted and ready to put before voters. Furthermore, WSDOT has no business presenting final design for SR520 with totally inadequate transit connections.

    Thanks, Union Guy, for standing up for Mayor McGinn.

  • Soapboxin'

    Both the left and the right are fractured, and polarized against each other. The well is poisoned. Politics has become a joke.
    -
    Not the first time in history, though. Life somehow goes on.

  • Soapboxin'

    Beep. This is a recording. Beep.

  • ivan

    Wells is a bot.

  • Anc

    The Unions hate McGinn….? Hmm… maybe he isn't so bad afterall…. ;)

  • Ballardwatch

    Well let's see… he was endorsed by a couple SEIU locals, UFCW 21, UNITE HERE 8 …

    And they were “organized” enough to help him win.

  • Mike T

    Gee- if the construction unions dislike McGinn who's next the bicyclists?