TAKE A STAND!

Sign up! WSLC legislative events Feb. 19-20

OLYMPIA (Jan. 22, 2015) — The 2015 session of the Washington State Legislature is shaping up to be another challenging one. With the House and Senate controlled by different parties, legislators face significant operating and transportation budget challenges, and many pro-worker policy bills included in the Washington State Labor Council’s Shared Prosperity Agenda also await action.

With so much at stake, it’s more important than ever for trade unionists to stay engaged and make sure labor’s voice is heard in Olympia on working families’ issues. That’s why all leaders, staffers and rank-and-file members of WSLC-affiliated unions are encouraged to participate in the council’s annual Legislative Reception and Conference set for Feb. 19-20 in Olympia. (Registration information below.)

The WSLC Legislative Reception will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19 at the Olympia Red Lion. As always, this is a great opportunity to mix and mingle informally with state lawmakers and fellow union members.

The WSLC Legislative/Lobbying Conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at the WSLC’s Olympia office building, 906 Columbia St. SW. Buses will pick up folks at the hotel that morning to shuttle them to the WSLC office, where parking is limited.

Like last year, instead of meeting at the hotel for speeches from lobbyists and legislators, conference participants will have breakfast at the WSLC office, get a quick briefing and lobby training, and then walk to the nearby Capitol campus at around 10 a.m. to begin discussing priority issues with their senators and representatives.

At noon on Friday, there will be a rally on the Capitol steps in support of the 2015 Shared Prosperity Agenda, which ALL union members and community supporters are urged to attend (whether or not they are participating in the conference.) Get details.

Folks will return to the WSLC office for boxed lunches and a debriefing, and buses will return Red Lion guests to the hotel at around 1:30 p.m.

It’s all about getting more hands-on experience at the Capitol and face-to-face contact with the lawmakers and the legislative process. Last year’s participants reported that they learned more and felt their efforts were more constructive under this format. So please attend and also urge other rank-and-file members of your union who are interested in learning about the legislative process to join you.

A registration fee of $100 covers admission (plus hors d’oeuvres and drink tickets) at the Feb. 19 Legislative Reception, and the Feb. 20 Legislative/Lobbying Conference, including the breakfast and lunch served that day. Register online here or you can download a registration form and mail/fax it to the WSLC with your payment.

To make onsite registration for the reception and conference go more quickly, the WSLC will be opening early registration in the Red Lion lobby at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19.

The WSLC has reserved a block of rooms at the Olympia Red Lion Hotel for the evening of Feb. 19. Rooms that have not been reserved by Feb. 9 will be released and not available at the WSLC group rate. So make your reservations now by calling 360-943-4000 or 800-325-4000 and tell them you are with the Washington State Labor Council conference.

For more information, call 206-281-8901.

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