SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Arena debate: Whose job is worth more?
Jul 31, 2012, 7:39 AM | Updated: 9:44 am
 The proposed new Seattle arena is pitting unions against each other in the struggle for jobs. (AP image) |
Arena investor Chris Hansen joins the Brock and Salk
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Stream
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While the King County Council has signed off a new Seattle
arena and the Seattle City Council continues negotiations,
local unions are at odds over the proposal. It raises the
question “whose job is worth more?” And it’s putting the
Seattle’s Morning News crew on opposite sides as well.
“The machinists members love the idea of a new NBA team
and having the Sonics back, but not at the expense of our
jobs and the Port,” Larry Brown of the Washington
Machinists Council tells KING 5 as the maritime industry
continues its strong opposition to the arena in SoDo.
They’ve got Bill Radke on their side.
“The Port, that whole maritime industry down there is a
whole sector of our economy that we need to not take for
granted and the fact that some people will get some jobs
building an arena for a few months […] that seems like a
short term consideration,” Radke said.
On the other side of the argument are construction workers
and resident philosopher Tom Tangney.
Tangney calls the situation a “moral wash,” or a clash of
two goods, arguing both sides have a legitimate stand.
“We have thousands of dockworkers, machinists jobs on the
line versus thousands of construction workers and some are
going to have the jobs and some are not. To me, if it’s a
wash and we get an arena out of it, I’d just as soon go
with the construction workers, I think.”
Keith Weir of the Building and Construction Trades tells
KING 5 it’s simply a matter of survival for many workers.
“I need to put my people to work. We’re facing a
recession. They’re on unemployment. Some of our people
have been out of work for three years now and we need the
jobs,” he says.
Should we be choosing sides?
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By Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
