Past Grinch of the Year Winners
‘Grinch of the Year’ candidates are nominated for their actions that lead to social and economic injustices, including stomping on our rights to organize or other wrongs that cause harm to our community. Previous winners and candidates of the vote have met an untimely demise, such as former Seattle School Board President Nancy Waldman, former US Senator Slade Gorton and former UW President Richard McCormick.
JwJ activists pledge “we’ll be there,” we’re not scared of any Grinch. By publicly awarding the Grinch of the Year, our expectation is that the 3 Grinches’ hearts will grow 3 sizes bigger, as Dr. Seuss envisioned.
Pierce County Grinch
2002
They came from California to acquire our garbage haulers
They cut service and staffing to squeeze profit dollars
To hell with safe driving and health codes
Bah Humbug to living wages and fair workloads
Don't let our taxes go to this corporate Hannibal Lecter
Demand quality service from a union garbage collector
A diverse group of community and union leaders delivered a strongly worded letter from State Senator Rasmussen (see below) and the JwJ Grinch award to Assistant Vice-President of Waste Connections Keith Kovelenko on behalf of Vice-President Westmoreland today. The delegation was composed of leaders of organizations such as the Pierce County Central Labor Council, Longshore Union Local 23, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Jobs with Justice, and Teamsters 313.
Management kept the delegation waiting outside of the administrative office with unfulfilled promises of a Waste Connections manager appearing. When representatives of the JwJ delegation entered the office to deliver the letter and award and then leave, management suddenly called the police and asked us to leave their property. We then left the property promptly, attaching the award to an empty nail in the wall next to the other Waste Connections’ plaques. Later outside the plant gates, Kovelenko appeared and we confronted him with helping orchestrate the Waste Connections attack on our community.
Finally, 3 police cars arrived after most of us had dispersed.
Waste Connections won overwhelmingly as the Rotten Grinch. Recently, the 37 year old multi-millionaire CEO of Waste Connections Ron Mittelstaedt, grinchily responded to a photo of one of his scab crashed trucks, "...only wish a union peuk (sic) was under the front bumper!!" (11/1 TNT article, also see more quotes below). District manager Eddie Westmoreland, current resident of Gig Harbor, has grinchily spear-headed the Waste Connections' assault on our community.
Background
Three finalists were submitted by JwJ member organizations. The losers were Joe Miniace, mini-Grinch of the Port and Tim Eyman, Permanently Offensive Grinch.
CEO Mittelstaedt also had these choice words recently: “As far as proving there are upset accounts, I can tell you there are a lot less upset customers today than when we had those worthless union pukes you call drivers, (sic) didn’t mean to insult you, you’re probably one of them. Good luck in your new career, unemployment.” How grinchy can you get?
Seattle Grinch
2002 2001
A union contract came to Sky Chef they wished to reject
After 10 years, the immigrant workforce wanted more respect
The bosses devised a plan, using national security as an excuse
“We’ll sneak in the INS…and then we’ll let them loose”
What would INS agents look like dressed as bosses?
Faking a concern about stews and sauces?
Workers were offered overtime for attendance
Instead, they were deported by INS agents
For these crimes against workers - We rocked the Airport employers
Think twice about this attack - And we will be back!
Tim, Seattle Sky Chef Assistant Manager accepted the Jobs with Justice award on behalf of General Manager Mark Jensen. Mark Jensen won as the Homeland Insecurity Grinch for using national security as an excuse to attack organized immigrant workers. While Tim was pleasantly smiling and encouraging us to pursue our concerns through the "proper administrative" avenues, we expressed that Sky Chef's callous and shifty treatment of its dedicated workers was no laughing matter. Our delegation was diversely representative of our broad immigrant worker rights community including activists from organizations such as APALA, Carpenters, LELO, SPEEA, SEIU, CAGJ, Painters, and CISPES.
Background
Most of the arrested workers are Latino or Asian American and had worked up to 10 years at the company. This Sky Chef trickery provoked several community and union protests this summer culminating in a major protest inside SeaTac Airport on July 27 covered by all four TV networks. Sky Chef is an airline food preparation subsidiary of Lufthansa not located on airport property. The company was nominated by Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), a member organization of JwJ.
Three finalists were submitted by JwJ member organizations. The losers were Low, Low Pay Grinch John Sherman of Wal-Mart and School Board Glass Palace Grinch Nancy Waldman.
Today in a holiday-spirited visit to McCormick's office, members of University of Washington Campus unions and JwJ, as well as student and campus activists, presented the Seattle Grinch of the Year Award directly to the UW Grinch himself. During McCormick's acceptance speech, he addressed academic student employees with the Grinchy advice that they would be disappointed if they got their union GSEAC/UAW because union dues and higher taxes would bring lower paychecks. He then stated that he didn't deserve the award.
Paul Bigman, Jobs with Justice Co-chair, noted that McCormick's statement was stunningly inappropriate. "McCormick demonstrated a Grinch-like arrogance just a few days before Christmas, flagrantly threatening and insulting union members and demonstrating, clearly -- why he so merited the award this year." Another Jobs with Justice Executive Officer, Lynne Dodson, said, "Now we see why McCormick won the Grinch of the Year when up against such deserving candidates as Phil Condit and Tim Eyman. After all, McCormick was the only state boss to discipline workers participating in statewide job actions. His own boss Governor Locke said nobody should be disciplined. How Grinchy can you get?"
Rene DeVine, a campus staffer and President of UW chapter of SEIU, said to McCormick, "I was disciplined for participating in the statewide strike. Today, I wear my letter of discipline as a badge of honor. This award is your letter of discipline, Dr. McCormick. I'm curious to see how you will wear it." We filed out of his office singing converted carols, like "The Grinch Patrol is Coming to Town" and "Alone in Your Office" (to the tune of "Away in a Manger"). All of us pledged to return and grow McCormick's heart 3 sizes bigger, as Dr. Seuss envisioned. Stay tuned for future actions. To all UW alumni: when donating to the UW, please attach a note for Grinch McCormick about recognizing and bargaining fairly with all union members.
JwJ held its annual Seattle Grinch Party and vote on December 19, 2001. More than 200 community,labor, faith, and student activists votes were cast. This year's winner was nominated by Service Employees International Union Local 925 (SEIU) and Graduate Student Employees Action Coalition-United Auto Workers (GSEAC-UAW). McCormick won for fighting the academic student employees' union organizing efforts; for peppering state employees with petty discipline while they stood up for higher education budgets; and for trying to nickel and dime tuition hikes from low-income undergraduate students. McCormick was one of three "candidates" submitted by Jobs with Justice member organizations. Close runner-ups for "Grinch of the Year" were Phil Condit, Boeing Grinch, and Tim Eyman, Permanently Offensive Grinch.
Whatcom County Grinch
2002 2001
Bellingham City Council Member - fought against the Living Wage Ordinance
Washington State Jobs with Justice held its annual Whatcom County Grinch Party and election with more than 140 community, labor, faith, and student activist votes cast. Ashcroft won for using the war abroad to launch a war on Americans; for trying to undermine every basic freedom in our Constitution; for conducting racial profiling; and for still having time to strike down democratically elected state laws in the Northwest.
Ashcroft was one of many deserving "candidates." Close runner-ups for "Grinch of the Year" were Marlene Dawson, formerly of the Whatcom County Council and a member of the Sandy Point Improvement Company, and Tim Eyman, Permanently Offensive Grinch.
Jobs with Justice activists pledge, "We'll be there, we're not scared of any Grinch."
By publicly awarding the Grinch of the Year, our expectation is that Ashcroft's heart will grow three sizes bigger, as Dr. Seuss envisioned. This year's Grinch candidates go against the grain of what it means to be an American. They could have shown great leadership to support people in need at a time of national unity. Instead they have turned to Grinchy motives. "Grinch of the Year" candidates are nominated for doing the most harm to working families in our community.
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