Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Homegrown Workers in Seattle Win After 119-Day Strike

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here's today's story.

Homegrown workers across Seattle voted 100 to 1 to ratify a new contract, after a strike to win reinstatement for an illegally fired coworker. Workers at the sandwich company's Redmond and Southcenter locations officially ended their strike after the reinstatement of union leader Sydney Lankford, who was fired Oct. 30.

"We won! It's been such a long and hard fight, but we won," said Kairi Beliz, a worker at the Homegrown's Southcenter location. "Even though it's been super hard, I'm so proud of us and everyone who stood by our side, and all of the young workers who have had the courage to be out on the streets with us. I hope we can inspire other workers, especially food workers, to stand up for themselves against unfair labor practices, and see that service work is not lesser work."

The Homegrown workers won affordable health care for themselves and their dependents, two years of successorship language that would protect the union in the event the company is sold, strong safety language, new tipping language, an immediate $3.25 across-the-board raise, a total of $7 in raises by 2026, heat pay language, paid 30-minute breaks, fair discipline and just cause language, air quality protections, and protections for immigrant workers, among other gains.