PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 11th, 2012 UNION ANNOUNCES INTENT TO FILE LEGAL CHALLENGE AGAINST

PROPOSED SODO ARENA **PLEASE NOTE: Press Conference To Be Held on Monday October 15 at 10:00 AM, Broderick Building Atrium, 615 Second Ave. (2nd and Cherry), Seattle WA 98104 (Seattle, WA) The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 19 will be announcing on Monday October 15, 2012 that it plans to le a lawsuit in King County Superior Court, to challenge Seattle and King Countys approval of Seattle and King Countys decision to move ahead with a proposed sports arena in in SODO. Our union supports the return of the NBA to Seattle and we are not opposed to an arena somewhere in the Puget Sound region. But we cannot stand idly by while Mr. Hansen and his well-connected lobbyists, along with our elected ofcials, build an arena in a location that threatens the livelihood of our members and many other workers in the maritime industry and SODO, said Cameron Williams, ILWU local 19 President.

Max Vekich, of the International Executive Board of the ILWU remarks that building a third sports venue and an entertainment center smack in the middle of a freight corridor adjacent to the Port of Seattle will erode our citys maritime, industrial, manufacturing, and warehousing future. The ILWU will be co-represented by David Mann and Peter Goldman. Our clients wish they did not have to turn to the court at this time but our elected ofcials have given them no alternative, said Peter Goldman. Because only the SODO site is acceptable to Mr. Hansen, the SEPA alternatives process will be a sham and the public should not be required to invest a year of its time and money in a stacked deck SEPA process that ies in the face of the law and good government. The lawsuit will argue that the MOU, as currently drafted, itself is a proposal that should have been subject to SEPA review. The MOU is a proposal because it effectively xes the site of the arena in SODO and sets business terms that apply only to the SODO site. It triggers a design and NBA team recruiting process that applies only to the SODO site, and makes a mockery of the requirement that government agencies considering public projects consider alternative sites in an environmental impact process. Cameron Williams, Max Vekich, Peter Goldman, and David Mann will make statements and take questions at the press conference. Contact: Cameron Williams, ILWU: 206-623-7461 David Mann: 206-356-0470 Peter Goldman: 206-223-4088 x. 3 ###