WSLC endorses Lisa Brown for Congress

The following is from the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO:

SPOKANE (Oct. 3, 2017) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO has announced an early endorsement of Lisa Brown for Congress in the 5th District to replace six-term Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. The WSLC is the state’s largest union organization, representing the interests of approximately 450,000 rank-and-file members.

“Lisa Brown has legislative leadership experience and a clear understanding of the needs, concerns and aspirations of working families in the district,” WSLC President Jeff Johnson said. “Cathy McMorris Rodgers has overstayed her welcome and continues to disappoint by voting for bills like Donald Trump’s American Health Care Act, which would have thrown thousands of her own constituents off of their health coverage and raised costs for seniors and people
with pre-existing health conditions.”

Johnson adds that the early endorsement, more than a year before the congressional election in November 2018, reflects the eagerness of organized labor to unite behind a uniquely qualified challenger and to begin work immediately to inform union households why Brown has earned the nod.

“The Spokane Regional Labor Council, representing a diverse membership of working people in Eastern Washington, is excited to support the candidacy of Lisa Brown for Congress,” said Tina Morrison, the council’s Secretary Treasurer. “Lisa’s past service provides a record of accomplishment demonstrating an ability to listen and find common ground. We believe she is capable of building the bridges necessary to fully represent the working people of our region.”

Brown served 20 years as State Representative and Senator, including an 8-year stint as Senate Majority Leader, during which time she earned a 91 percent lifetime voting record on workers’ issues from the WSLC. She was a professor of economics at Eastern Washington University and Gonzaga University’s master of organizational leadership program while serving in the Legislature. Since resigning her Senate seat in 2013, Brown has served as chancellor of Washington State University Spokane as the new Health Services Campus and medical school was built.