Governor Signs Worker Protection Bill Championed by UFCW 3000 Grocery Store Workers into Law

OLYMPIA, WA – This morning, Governor Inslee signed into law Senate Bill 6007, a bill intended to protect grocery store workers and communities from the negative impacts of corporate megamergers in the grocery industry. Drafted in response to the news that grocery giants Kroger (owner of Fred Meyer and QFC) and Albertsons/Safeway are threatening to merge into one huge company, ESSB 6007 saw enormous support from local Washington grocery store workers and community allies, who advocated throughout the legislative session for its passage. 

“As I explained to legislators, we’ve already learned the hard way through past grocery chain mergers about the upheaval it causes for workers and shoppers when these chains merge and close or sell off neighborhood grocery stores,” said Yasmin Ashur, a UFCW 3000 member and checker at the Port Orchard Albertsons who testified in support of the bill and was on hand to see the governor sign it today. “We saw it in Port Orchard with the Albertsons/Safeway merger not that long ago. I am so proud to say I stood up with my fellow workers and helped pass legislation that will help protect our jobs.” 

This new legislation puts in place basic guidelines for large grocery stores when they change hands, like in an acquisition or merger, to ensure that essential food workers’ lives and our communities’ access to food and household necessities are not thrown into chaos. It requires public notice of new ownership, a period of job protection or re-hire for eligible current employees, protection of current working conditions and collective bargaining agreements, and mandatory engagement with local government if a merger would cause the closure of a store in an existing food desert. 

“The difference between unemployment caused by a pandemic and job loss caused by corporate buyouts is that the potential harm of a merger is foreseeable,” said Britt Leggett, a UFCW 3000 member and deli clerk at the Fred Meyer in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle who also testified in support of the bill and attended the bill signing today. “That’s what this legislation seeks to remediate: to help workers keep their jobs and seniority when their stores changes owners. The law also ensures that constituents will be served by grocery workers who they know well, who have the skills to do their jobs, and follow the health rules to keep food safe.” 

Hundreds of grocery store workers with UFCW 3000 across the state sent messages to lawmakers encouraging the passage of SB 6007, and some traveled to Olympia to meet lawmakers in person.  

“It’s a big sacrifice for everyday working people to take time out of their busy lives to try and engage with the local political process,” said Joe Mizrahi, Secretary Treasurer of UFCW 3000. “But being in a union means we can share the load, work together, and make real change that impacts entire industries.” 

UFCW 3000 Podcast Episode 11: Our Union and Politics

How and why does a union engage with politics? What's the "people power" we talk about in "people-powered politics"? Michaela talks with UFCW 3000 political organizer Derrick about the power of union members taking an active role in local and state elections and in politics beyond elections. Washington State legislature is now in session, and while this was recorded before the recent elections, it's also about all the work that UFCW 3000 members will now be doing to hold those elected lawmakers accountable! They discuss the potential corporate grocery mega-merger that our local is fighting against, and at the end of the episode you'll hear from longtime grocery worker and UFCW 3000 member Naomi speaking out at a press conference about that merger. Learn more about our political advocacy work, our 2024 legislative agenda, how to register to vote, and more at our website: https://ufcw3000.org/people-powered-politics Our Winter General Membership Meetings, also discussed here, are also coming up! Find your local quarterly meeting at: https://ufcw3000.org/gmmcall

UFCW 3000 union shop steward Michaela is always ready to answer fellow members’ questions about their union. She’s also a devoted murder podcast listener. Put those interests together, and she decided to start a union podcast to get all her coworkers’ questions and her own questions answered, and to meet as many people as possible who could share what it means to be a part of UFCW 3000. (No murder on this podcast, only solidarity!)

*The information shared on this podcast is offered by rank and file union member leaders of UFCW 3000. There may be inaccuracies or misstatements shared, as members will be speaking from the lenses of their perspectives and life experiences. While members are doing their best to share good information, we can make no claims to 100% accuracy and this podcast should not be construed as legal advice.

UFCW 3000 Member Story: Amber Wise

Amber Wise ready to go to work to break down a side of pork!

Amber Wise is truly one of the busiest UFCW 3000 members we have featured here in our Member Stories. Amber is an apprentice meatcutter at PCC Redmond, a mother of two children with her husband Daniel, is serving on the UFCW 3000 Racial Justice Advisory Board and on our Climate Justice Advisory Board, and to top it all off, she is running for public office this November!

Amber moved to Western Washington 10 years ago and began working as a preschool teacher at Harborview Hospital while going to school to get a degree in Childhood Development. It was at Harborview that she learned about the importance of health care workers to the community and the stresses and challenges they face every day. She left work at Harborview in 2020 shortly before the birth of her second child, and delivered the baby at Evergreen Hospital. Amber made connections with the health care workers there during an extended stay, reinforcing what she had learned at Harborview.

It was at about that time that her husband started a small business and Amber knew she needed a job with flexible work hours that could provide health care benefits for her family. She got a job working as a deli clerk at the Redmond PCC which had what she needed. As Amber worked there she met two women in the meat department who recruited and mentored her to apply for a position as an apprentice meatcutter. She started attending classes with the Puget Sound Apprentice Meatcutting Program at the Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center (pictured above) to learn the tools and skills of her new trade. She has almost completed the 2-year program and will be graduating in January of 2024!

As she worked at PCC, she got more involved with her union. Amber’s union rep asked her if she would be interested in running for public office, specifically as a Commissioner for Public Hospital District 2, which covers Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland. Because of the commitment to advocacy and community that she had learned both from working at Harborview Hospital and the care she received from Evergreen Hospital staff, Amber said yes!

Amber then attended the Washington State Labor Council’s Path to Power conference where rank-and-file union workers learn how to run for and win public office. She filed to be a candidate for Public Hospital District 2, and now ballots for the November 7 election have begun arriving around the area! She is hoping to win and become a strong advocate for the patients and workers at Evergreen Hospital and to bring mental health resources to the area.

Want to know which other pro-worker candidates are on the ballot this year? Find our union’s endorsements for the November 7 election here. If you want to hear more about how inspiring Amber is, check out the 9th episode of the UFCW 3000 Podcast, where podcast host and union shop steward Michaela interviews Amber about her journey!

UFCW 21 Endorses Nikkita Oliver for Seattle City Council

UFCW 21 PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Date
Contact: Tom Geiger, 206-604-3421

One of Region’s Largest and Most Influential Labor Unions Endorses Nikkita Oliver for City Council Seat

Seattle, WA – Adding significant momentum for Nikkita Oliver’s bid in Seattle’s At-Large Position 9 City Council race, UFCW 21 today announced its endorsement. UFCW 21 represents nearly 50,000 workers across the state in grocery store, health care, retail, and other industry jobs. The union represents over 10,000 workers who either live in, or are employed in, the City of Seattle. The union has been a leader in most of our city and region’s largest workplace and social issue efforts over the last decade – from higher wages, Paid Sick and Safe Leave Paid Family Leave, Secure Scheduling, to greater protections in the COVID 19 pandemic, as well as strongly supporting efforts to reform policing, and improve equity in housing and in cannabis legalization.

“We are excited to endorse Nikkita Oliver and look forward to educating voters across the city on their record of helping the working people of the Seattle,” stated Jeannette Randall, a grocery store worker from Seattle and UFCW 21 member. “We know that having Nikkita on the Council, who will complement Teresa Mosqueda as the other at-large council member, will fight to give a fair shot to those of us who want to afford to live and work in Seattle.”

Oliver reacted to the endorsement: "UFCW 21 has been at the forefront of pushing our elected officials towards bold, equitable policies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the union was key in ensuring the health and safety of essential, frontline workers throughout the state. As a Seattle City Councilmember, I would be honored to continue to fight alongside them for workers' rights, housing justice, and cannabis equity. The power of organized labor and movements for racial justice is undeniable. Together, we can push for the redistribution of political and economic power to working people in our city."

“Far too often candidates for office shy away from leading on the hard, important issues. Nikkita Oliver is not the typical candidate – they have worked with us over many years, both out of the lime-light and in the streets, to improve workplace safety, to take on corporate power, to increase worker protections in the cannabis industry, and build support for police accountability,” said Zion Grae-El, a Budtender at Have a Heart in Seattle and UFCW 21 member. “Nikkita has continuously demonstrated commitment to speak up against injustice and foster transparent and open communication. We believe they will be a very good addition to our city council as we continue to push to address workers’ rights, housing and homelessness, racial and social inequities, and the need to further police accountability reform.”

UFCW 21 has a long history of successfully taking on corporate power and monied interests in contract negotiations as well as in the halls of government. UFCW 21 is building a more powerful union for economic, political, and social justice in our workplaces and communities. We pursue that mission through organizing workers who want a union at their job, negotiating and enforcing standard-setting contracts, partnering with other unions and organizations, and supporting candidates and then holding elected officials accountable in local, state, federal office. One way to advance the interests of working people is to elect the best candidates for office who will hold true to their word once elected. We believe Nikkita Oliver is such a candidate. To find out more about UFCW 21, our members, and our community partnerships, go to UFCW21.org

Sanders and Medicare for All Could Improve Workers’ Power

Sanders and Medicare for All Could Improve Workers’ Power

Faye Guenther and Sue Wilmot

It is not surprising that a majority of democratic primary voters have identified Health Care as their top issue in the upcoming election. One of the most significant drivers of working people’s economic trouble is health care costs and related stress. This is central to why UFCW 21, the state’s largest private sector union, has endorsed both Medicare for All as well as Senator Bernie Sanders for President.

There are four key reasons why a large union, with many members who have negotiated strong health care plans for themselves, supports Medicare for All.

One: Employers try to get rid of our union-negotiated health plans or increase the costs nearly every time we go into contract negotiations. A few years back, 30,000 Puget Sound-area union grocery store workers nearly went on strike to prevent their employers from cutting health plans for workers and their families. While this was an immense show of worker power and community support, grocery store workers were fighting to keep what we had, not make the proactive improvements we needed. This dynamic is all too common, where health care coverage is a major obstacle during bargaining. Medicare for All would remove that challenge, and we as workers could focus our negotiations on other essential topics, like wages and working conditions.

Two: Linking a worker’s health care to their job, as is often the case for union workers with health care, makes us too dependent on our employer and limits our freedom to move from one job to another. Even now, when there is very low unemployment, worries about losing health care coverage can cause us to stay at one job instead of moving to another that would be better for our career, pay higher wages, or work better with our family’s schedule. Medicare for All would solve that problem.

Three: If all workers had access to quality, affordable health care coverage, independent of their employment, it would remove one of the reasons why workers without a union are fearful about trying to organize one in their workplaces. Why? They wouldn’t have to stress about the very real risk of not being able to afford coverage if their employer retaliated against them for their unionizing efforts. A bully employer might try to intimidate you out of building a union at work, but those threats would no longer concern your family’s access to health care coverage. Medicare for All would provide insurance for everyone as a universal right, as is the case in almost every other nation on earth.

Four: By passing Medicare for All, we would see a national shift in the inflation of health care costs. We at UFCW 21 have shown that a smartly run health plan can avoid the runaway cost increases that have become all too common for many working people. The health plan we have negotiated for tens of thousands of our members has avoided large increases in premiums, out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, prescriptions and other health care costs by negotiating with providers on a massive scale and incentivizing workers to be more invested in their own health. For the economy as a whole, when our nation stops spending hundreds of billions of dollars a year to pay for increasing health care costs that make insurers, health care conglomerates, and drug companies rich, we as a nation will be able to spend those resources on health for the many instead of wealth for the few.

We applaud Senator Sanders and our representative Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal for their long-time support of Medicare for All and feel their records show a commitment to doing this policy right for working people in our country.

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ABOUT UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State.

Faye Guenther is President of UFCW 21. Sue Wilmot is a long-time UFCW 21 member and workplace leader at Safeway.

UFCW 21 Endorses Medicare For All

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2020
Contact: Joe Mizrahi, jmizrahi@ufcw21.org

UFCW 21 Endorses Medicare For All

WASHINGTON— United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 21 (UFCW 21), the largest private-sector union in the state and the largest UFCW local in the country, is announcing the endorsement of a comprehensive Medicare for All health care plan. Medicare for All legislation has been introduced in the House (H.R. 1384) by U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and in the Senate (S. 1129) by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). 

UFCW 21 has long been at the forefront of advancing the rights and dignity of working people, and our democratically elected member executive board voted Tuesday night to make this endorsement.

“All our members and their families deserve access to high-quality comprehensive health care they can actually afford to use, said Faye Guenther, President of UFCW 21. “While we have fought hard to protect and improve our union health care plans over the years, Medicare for All would cover everyone in our communities, help address the current racial inequities in access to health care, and give our members the flexibility to bargain for other improvements to their benefits and working conditions. We are so proud that our very own Congresswoman Jayapal is leading the way on this important issue for our members.”

 “As someone who works in an ER, I see the effects of our broken health care system every day, as patients skip getting the care they need because they can’t afford it, leading to worse health outcomes and higher costs for everyone. And as a union member, Medicare for All relieves us of the burden of long, drawn-out fights to maintain our health care plans, freeing working people from the crushing consequences of getting sick and opening doors for wage increases and other benefits,” said Jose Hernandez, UFCW 21 executive board member and emergency department assistant at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. “Even health care workers don’t always have good health care plans.”

This election cycle, issues and candidates on the ballot will determine the long-term health and future of the labor movement. UFCW 21 is committed to supporting candidates and policies that further strengthen workers’ voices, both at the federal level and here at home.

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ABOUT UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State.

UFCW 21 Endorses Bernie Sanders and Medicare For All

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2020
Contact: Joe Mizrahi, jmizrahi@ufcw21.org , 619-955-2970

UFCW 21 Endorses Bernie Sanders and Medicare For All

WASHINGTON— United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 21 (UFCW 21), the largest private-sector union in the state and the largest UFCW local in the country, is announcing endorsements of Bernie Sanders for President and Medicare for All. UFCW 21 has long been at the forefront of advancing the rights and dignity of working people, and our democratically elected member executive board voted Tuesday night (1/28) to make these endorsements because our members understand what is at stake for workers in the upcoming election.

“Bernie Sanders has by far the most pro-worker labor agenda of any candidate, and we have already seen him use his platform during this campaign to support organizing in the industries we represent,” said Faye Guenther, president of UFCW 21. “As a union, our fundamental goal is to expand worker democracy and power. We are so excited to see a candidate committed to expanding the electorate and inspiring even more people to engage with the democratic process, both in their workplaces and in this election.”

“Bernie understands that even health care workers don’t always have good health care plans,” said Jose Hernandez, UFCW 21 executive board member and emergency department assistant at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. “As someone who works in an ER, I see the effects of our broken health care system every day, as patients skip getting the care they need because they can’t afford it, leading to worse health outcomes and higher costs for everyone. And as a union member, Medicare for All relieves us of the burden of long, drawn-out fights to maintain our health care plans, freeing working people from the crushing consequences of getting sick and opening doors for wage increases and other benefits.”

“We know what it’s like to go up against big corporations and win—and we know Bernie doesn’t back down from a fight,” said Kyong Barry, UFCW 21 executive board member and front-end supervisor at Albertsons in Auburn. “Union workers are facing an uphill battle at the federal level as corporations are attempting to systematically dismantle the protections the union movement has fought for. We’re supporting a candidate who understands the structural change needed to rebuild the union movement.”

This election cycle, issues and candidates on the ballot will determine the long-term health and future of the labor movement. We also see Senator Warren as another strong candidate. In the Washington Primary, you can only vote for one person and we feel that Sanders has a strong track record and set of policy proposals to support union and not-yet-union workers.

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ABOUT UFCW 21

UFCW 21 is working to build a powerful union that fights for economic, political and social justice in our workplaces and our communities. We represent over 46,000 workers in retail, grocery stores, health care, cannabis, and other industries in Washington State.

UFCW 21 Legislative Agenda

The 2019 legislative session begins on January 14 in Olympia and our lawmakers will once again face important decisions that affect our workplaces. In order to make progress on our priority issues this year, our elected leaders need to hear from us, hear our stories, and hear why these issues matter to us.

As the legislative session continues we will keep you updated on how we plan to keep up the pressure in order to make progress on these issues.

Workers across Washington are standing up for safer working conditions, fair wages, healthier workplaces, and the right to organize. In contract bargains, at the ballot box, and in cities across the state, workers are winning. It is time that state law makers put the needs of Washington workers above corporate greed. We believe that when workers are respected for their labor with fair wages, benefits and working conditions, those workers and the people they serve are all better off. With action by the 2019 legislature, we can make progress to achieving this.

2017 Primary Election Candidate Endorsement Recommendations

UFCW 21 Candidate Endorsement Recommendations

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Everett

Candidate: Brian Sullivan
Office Running For: Mayor of Everett

Candidate: Paul Roberts
Office Running For: Everett City Council Pos. 1

Federal Way

Candidate: Jim Ferrell
Office Running For: Mayor of Federal Way

Jefferson County

Candidate: Cheri Van Hoover
Office Running For: East Jefferson County Public Hospital District 2 Position 1

Kent

Candidate: Dana Ralph
Office Running For: Mayor of Kent

Candidate: Satwinder Kaur
Office Running For: Kent City Council Pos. 2

Candidate: Tye Whitefield
Office Running For: Kent City Council Pos. 4

Olympia

Candidate: Clark Gilman
Office Running For: Olympia City Council Pos. 4

Sammamish

Candidate: Jason Ritchie
Office Running For: Sammamish City Council Pos. 1

Candidate: Rituja Indapure
Office Running For: Sammamish City Council Pos. 5

Shoreline

Candidate: Chris Roberts
Office Running For: Mayor of Shoreline

Spokane

Candidate: Breean Beggs
Office Running For: Spokane City Council Pos. 3

Tacoma

Candidate: Victoria Woodards
Office Running For: Mayor of Tacoma

Candidate: Catherine Ushka
Office Running For: Tacoma City Council Pos. 2

Candidate: Chris Beale
Office Running For: Tacoma City Council Pos. 5

Candidate: Pastor Gregory Christopher
Office Running For: Tacoma City Council Pos. 6

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45th Legislative District

Candidate: Manka Dhingra
Office Running For: State Senate

King County

Candidate: Dow Constantine
Office Running For: King County Executive

Candidate: Dave Upthegrove
Office Running For: King County Council District 5

Port of Seattle

Candidate: John Creighton
Office Running For: Port of Seattle Commissioner Pos. 1

Candidate: Stephanie Bowman
Office Running For: Port of Seattle Commissioner Pos. 3

Candidate: John Persak
Office Running For: Port of Seattle Commissioner Pos. 4

Seattle

Candidate: Jessyn Farrell
Office Running For: Mayor of Seattle

Candidate: Teresa Mosqueda
Office Running For: Seattle City Council, Position 8

Candidate: Lorena González
Office Running For: Seattle City Council, Position 9

Candidate: Pete Holmes
Office Running For: Seattle City Attorney

Auburn

Candidate: Larry Brown
Office Running For: City Council Pos. 2

Bellingham/Whatcom County

Candidate: Roxanne Murphy
Office Running For: Bellingham City Council At-Large Position

Candidate: Michael Shepard
Office Running For: Port of Bellingham Commissioner District 1

Candidate: Barry Wenger
Office Running For: Port of Bellingham Commissioner District 2

Bremerton

Candidate: Greg Wheeler
Office Running For: Mayor of Bremerton

Burien

Candidate: Pedro Olguin
Office Running For: Burien City Council Pos. 1

Candidate: Jimmy Matta
Office Running For: Burien City Council Pos. 3

Candidate: Nancy Tosta
Office Running For: Burien City Council Pos. 5

Candidate: Krystal Marx
Office Running For: Burien City Council Pos. 7

Des Moines

Candidate: Chad Harper
Office Running For: Des Moines City Council Pos. 7

UFCW 21 Endorsed Candidates

State Auditor
Jeffrey Sprung

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Chris Reykdal

7th congressional district     
Pramila Jayapal              

9th congressional district
Adam Smith                   

US Senator
PATTY MURRAY

State Auditor
Pat McCarthy

Govenor
Jay Inslee

Lieutenant Governor
Cyrus Habib

Insurance Commissioner
Mike Kreidler

Attorney General
Robert Ferguson

SECRETARY OF STATE
TINA PODLODSKI

LAND COMMISSIONER
Hilary Franz
 

Seattle Initiative 124: Yes

Prop 1 Transit: Yes

State initiatives:

1433: Yes

1464: Yes

1501: Yes

732: No

Lisa Wellman, State Representative, Legislative District 41

Derek Stanford, State Representative, Legislative District 1, Position 1

Andrew Billings, State Senator, Legislative District 3

Marcus Riccelli, State Representative, Legislative District 3, Position 1

Timm Ormsby, State Representative, Legislative District 3, Position 2

Jason Ritchie, State Representative, Legislative District 5, Position 1

Lynnette Vehrs, State Representative, Legislative District 6, Position 1

Sharlene Lichty, State Representative, Legislative District 6, Position 2

Robert Hasegawa, State Senator, Legislative District 11

Zachary Hudgins, State Representative, Legislative District 11, Position 1

Steven Berquist, State Representative, Legislative District 11, Position 2

Tim Probst, State Senator, Legislative District 17

Samuel Hunt, State Senator, Legislative District 22

Beth Doglio, State Representative, Legislative District 22, Position 2

Kevin De Wege, State Senator, Legislative District 22

Mike Chapman, State Representative, Legislative District 24, Position 1

Jamie Smith, State Representative, Legislative District 25, Position 1

Michelle Chatterton, State Representative, Legislative District 25, Position 2

Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Legislative District 27

Laurie Jinkins, State Representative, Legislative District 27, Position 1

Jacob Fey, State Representative, Legislative District 27, Position 2

Marisa Peloquin, State Senator, Legislative District 28

Mari Leavitt, State Representative, Legislative District 28, Position 1

Christine Kilduff, State Representative, Legislative District 28, Position 2

Michael Pellicciotti, State Representative, Legislative District 30, Position 1

Ruth Kagi, State Representative, Legislative District 32, Position 2

Mia Gregerson, State Representative, Legislative District 33, Position 2

Eileen Cody, State Representative, Legislative District 34, Position 1

Joseph Fitzgibbon, State Representative, Legislative District 34, Position 2

Irene Bowling, State Representative, Legislative District 35, Position 1

Noel Frame, State Representative, Legislative District 36, Position 1

Michael Sells, State Representative, Legislative District 38, Position 2

Kirk Pearson, State Senator, Legislative District 39

Frank Chopp Jr, State Representative, Legislative District 43, Position 2

John Lovick, State Representative, Legislative District 44, Position 1

Roger Goodman, State Representative, Legislative District 45, Position 1

Gerald Pollet, State Representative, Legislative District 46, Position 1

Jessyn Farrell, State Representative, Legislative District 46, Position 2

Patricia Kuderer, State Representative, Legislative District 48, Position 1

Sharon Wylie, State Representative, Legislative District 49, Position 1

Monica Stonier, State Representative, Legislative District 49, Position 2

Hans Dunshee, Snohomish County Councilmember 

*This list may not be the complete list of endorsed candidates.  For full list please see the 2016 Washington State Labor Council Endorsement list website

New District Elections Brings New Opportunity to Shape City Hall: Candidate Endorsements Mostly New Faces with Strong Community Ties

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This year, UFCW 21 did an early endorsement for Mike O’Brien (District 6) and Kshama Sawant (District 3). Today, UFCW 21 is announcing the rest of our endorsements for Seattle City Council.

With both Congress and the State Legislature tied-up in knots and mostly stalled in partisan gridlock, many active organizations across the nation are finding that city halls can be the best chance for creating change. Local Seattle examples from Paid Sick Days to a higher minimum wage have not only passed, but helped contribute to a nationwide movement for change. As a result, local Seattle City Council races are more important than ever.

In addition to the early endorsement (5/6/15) of O’Brien and Sawant, and our endorsement of Bruce Harrell (District 2), UFCW 21 Seattle City Council Endorsements include these new candidates for City Hall:

Lorena González: Position 9, City Wide

Jon Grant: Position 8, City Wide

Rob Johnson: District 4

Dual Primary Endorsement: Sandy Brown and Halei Watkins: District 5

“The new labor standards we have passed in Seattle in the last four years are great, but workers still face many struggles that require legislative solutions, like affordable housing, transportations, hours and scheduling, police accountability, and environmental protections.”

— Sarah Cherin, Political and Public Policy Director of UFCW 21.

Lisa Herbold: District 1

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With every city council position open this year, 2015 provides a real opportunity for a set of values in city hall and local expertise on issues that matter most to our members and the communities we all live in:

Mike O’Brien
(Champion for labor, environment, accountability and our community benefits)

Kshama Sawant
(Leader on Higher Wages, better labor enforcement)

Jon Grant
(Housing)

 Rob Johnson
(Transportation)

Lorena González
(Employment rights and labor enforcement)

Sandy Brown
(Social Services)

Halei Watkins
(Civil Rights)

Lisa Herbold
(People’s knowledge of City Hall, strong progressive)

Bruce Harrell
(Ban the Box, Minimum Wage, Worker Scheduling)

UFCW 21 Endorses Early for O'Brien and Sawant in Seattle Council Races

UFCW 21, the state's largest private sector union, announced this morning that it has endorsed both Mike O'Brien (District 6) and  Kshama Sawant (District 3) for the 2015 Seattle City Council races. These are early endorsements. More decisions are yet to be made about other candidates for Council seats.

"Mike O’Brien and Kshama Sawant have given our members many reasons to vote for them and have earned the support of UFCW 21. Both have been leaders on the Council for working families.  They fought for a strong minimum wage law and they understand good jobs have to be part of smart development for all," said Todd Crosby, Secretary-Treasurer for UFCW 21.

O’Brien was a champion for the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Days law and both he and Sawant have supported the strong enforcement of the law.

These two elected officials consistently consider the interests of workers and good jobs over the interests of big developers and big corporations. O'Brien and Sawant are proven leaders on the council and have led on issues important to us. We look forward to them returning to the Council.

UFCW 21 has over 10,000 members who live or work in Seattle. These members are part of our large union of 45,000 members across the state. UFCW 21 members work in grocery stores, retail, health care and other industries. Our union considers endorsements for candidates who are champions for working people.  

Kshama Sawant (District 3) 

Mike O'Brien (District 6)