Click Here to See Our Union's Endorsed Candidates
Local delegates, executive board members, and members of PEOPLE, our union's political action fund, came together on April 27 to decide which candidates our union endorses in a critical 2024 election season.
Many members were 1st-time attendees to the endorsement conference, which focused on selecting candidates based on their stance toward labor issues.
No Workforce Has More at Stake
Since no other workforce has more at stake in decisions made by elected officials than us, these discussion-based meetings are vital in helping elect officials who want to fund our contracts, protect our healthcare, and ensure job security.
WFSE officers interviewed candidates on their relationship with labor, both personally and as political figures. The main issues focused on in interviews were salaries and pay raises, job security, working conditions, and workers’ right to bargain. Pro-labor candidates are more likely to receive an endorsement, no matter their party alignment.
“We want friends in the Republican and Democratic caucuses,” said Dennis Eagle, WFSE’s Labor and Political Action Director. He acknowledged that all candidates have a variety of issues that they care about, but WFSE’s endorsement process hinges on labor issues.
Because of this, members making endorsements consider whether a candidate has a labor-loyal, or just labor-friendly, voting history.
How Endorsements are Made
Before endorsements were made official, members were given the opportunity to comment on lobbyist and officer recommendations. Members asked about candidates’ stances on women’s health, treatment of workers, and demeanor in interviews.
If members weren’t satisfied with answers about candidates’ stances on labor or how they have treated workers in the past, they motioned to interview candidates again with certain people present, take no action to endorse, or endorse a different candidate.
During the conference, a candidate with a positive voting history towards labor got a suggested endorsement from WFSE officers and lobbyists. In one instance, DCYF members had personal experience of the candidate being unsupportive of their work and motioned to interview the candidate with a panel of DCYF members.
After any motion, a vote was taken. A 2/3rds majority is needed to successfully move any vote forward, and if that wasn’t achieved, voters were allowed to put forth additional motions. This ensures a democratic process and allows members to voice any concerns they have about candidates.
Input from community members all over the state is vital since our representatives come from communities all over Washington.
Are you interested in having a voice in who WFSE endorses for election?
Join PEOPLE today to be invited to events like the endorsement conference. Who WFSE endorses has real implications for workers in every county and community in Washington—sign up today and let your voice be heard!
