WSLC resolutions chart course for Washington’s ‘voice of labor’

SEATAC (Aug. 2, 2023) –The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, the state’s largest union organization, represents the interests of over 600 affiliated unions with more than half a million rank-and-file members. The “voice of labor” in Washington is a democratic organization where any participating union — big or small — can propose what should be the WSLC’s policies and priorities each year.

That happened last month at the WSLC’s 2023 Convention, as hundreds of delegates representing affiliated unions from across the state gathered in SeaTac to debate and approve resolutions that will guide the WSLC in the coming year. Resolutions were approved on topics ranging from apprenticeship to train crew sizes.

See all of the approved 2023 WSLC Resolutions here.

The 2023 WSLC Resolutions included:

Resolution 2023.01 on Medicare — The WSLC reaffirmed its opposition to Medicare privatization, and “level the playing field” for our most efficient and effective public health care program by advocating for “(1) adding benefits to traditional Medicare now only offered in private Medicare Advantage plans (adding vision, dental and hearing, eliminating the 20% Medicare co-pays and setting an out-of-pocket cap), (2) eliminating the excessive administrative costs and profits in the Medicare Advantage and ACO-REACH programs, and (3) recouping funds for the Medicare Trust Fund from fraud and abuse by Medicare Advantage plans and ACO-REACH contractors, as confirmed by the Department of Health & Human Services or Congressional investigations.”

Resolution 2023.05 on water infrastructure — The health and safety of all Washingtonians is impacted by our state’s aging water infrastructure which we rely upon to pump, divert, transport, store and deliver safe drinking water to all. This resolution calls on the WSLC to “advocate that the state of Washington act swiftly and in a coordinated manner to fully leverage federal and state funding opportunities to update, improve and expand our state’s water infrastructure wherever it is outdated, unsafe or insufficient.”

Resolution 2023.12 on manufacturing — The WSLC will step up efforts to create and maintain good union jobs in manufacturing and “call on the state to implement an industrial strategy that ensures the competitiveness of, and continued investment in, existing Washington manufacturing and maximizes the state’s production of materials and products used in a clean economy.”

Resolution 2023.26 on safe working climates — As climate chaos leads to higher temperatures and more wildfires, the WSLC will advocate to strengthen protections for outdoor workers from excessive heat and smoke, support state rulemaking for indoor heat and air quality standards and mitigation, and “support capital funding requests to assist school districts, local governments, state government, and non-profit service providers to update HVAC systems to increase air filtration and provide air conditioning.”

Four resolutions were also approved to establish long-term goals for the WSLC that were the product of a strategic planning initiative by the WSLC Executive Board (pictured above) earlier this year. These resolutions create a roadmap for building political power, creating climate jobs, growing organizing capacity, and connecting racial, gender and economic justice in the WSLC’s work.

In addition, multiple resolutions set the WSLC’s legislative priorities for the coming year.

At the state level, those priorities will include creating a joint legislative task force on the underground economy, supporting adequate staffing at the Department of Corrections, granting interest arbitration to Public Safety Telecommunicators, providing sanitary protections for construction workers, and achieving pay equity for part-time and contingent faculty at state colleges plus defending contingent faculty’s right to unemployment insurance, and more.

At the federal level, the WSLC will strongly support passage of the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, fair trade policies, minimum train crew sizes, and an emergency national labor conference in defense of reproductive justice, among other things.

See all of the approved 2023 WSLC Resolutions here.

If your union is not yet affiliated with the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, find out how you can join together with Washington’s voice of labor by emailing Willa Kamakahi.

WSLC Wednesdays is a feature of The Stand where different departments of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO describe their recent activities and the services they are providing to WSLC-affiliated unions.