Katie Garrow, Rex Habner join WSLC Executive Board

SEATTLE (March 1, 2022) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is proud to welcome two new vice presidents to the WSLC Executive Board: Katie Garrow (Laborers Local 242) and Rex Habner (IBEW Local 77). They join an executive board representing affiliates and constituency groups whose leadership guides the council’s work advocating for more than half a million rank-and-file union members and their families in Washington.

Katie Garrow, the Executive Secretary Treasurer of MLK Labor, was elected to that position in Fall 2021 after previously serving as Deputy Executive Secretary. Born in Grays Harbor County, Garrow got her start in the labor movement organizing domestic workers and day laborers through a hiring hall in the San Francisco Bay Area. She went on to represent public sector workers at the City of Seattle at PROTEC17. At MLK Labor, she has led MLK Labor’s work around anti-racism, climate change, and workforce development.

“I’m so excited to amplify the voice of King County’s workers on the WSLC board with my fellow first district vice presidents,” Garrow said. “I think our local labor movement has a lot to offer, and deserves a strong voice at the table.”

Rex Habner is a third generation high voltage lineman and a lifelong Washingtonian. He serves as the Business Manager / Financial Secretary for IBEW 77, representing members across Washington and northern Idaho. Previously a journeyman lineman with IBEW Local 997 at Puget Sound Energy, Habner has also served as Manager/President of IBEW 997 on the Olympic Peninsula.

“My passion has always been to protect and serve with the gifts I’ve been given, with balance and respect,” he said. “It is this passion I carry with me in all that I do. I hope to share that in this work we do together at the Washington State Labor Council.”

“Katie Garrow and Rex Habner share a lifelong commitment to advocating for workers and thriving communities for working families,” said WSLC President Larry Brown. “Their addition to our board holds great promise for growing our movement and building power for working people in Washington.”

Members of the WSLC Executive Board, which establishes the WSLC’s policies and priorities between conventions, are elected to 4-year terms by the affiliated union organizations. By Constitution, 20 Vice Presidents are elected by district. In addition, At-Large Vice Presidents may be appointed by the Executive Board, including representatives of any international union that pays per capita on 10,000 or more members, but doesn’t already have an elected representative. AFL-CIO affiliated constituency groups also have Vice Presidents elected to represent their unique interests.