W.S.L.C.
Nominate members, unions for WSLC’s 2024 awards
WENATCHEE, Wash. (May 9, 2024) — Each year at its annual convention, the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO presents awards recognizing the efforts and accomplishments of specific union organizations and individual union members. At the WSLC’s 2024 Constitutional Convention at the Coast Wenatchee Hotel and Convention Center on July 16-18, these awards will once again be presented to honor exceptional work within Washington’s labor movement.
The WSLC is calling on its affiliated unions to submit names for consideration. The deadline for nominations for all awards is June 1. If you would like to send in a nomination for this year’s awards, please submit your nomination form online or email your completed form to Willa Kamakahi at wkamakahi@wslc.org. (Follow the links below to download nomination forms.)
Here are descriptions of the awards that will be presented for the WSLC’s 2024 Constitutional Convention.
The WSLC Mother Jones Award has been recognized for decades as the state labor movement’s award that recognizes our own members in their struggle for dignity and respect for all working men and women in our state. Traditionally, two awards are given, one to an individual and one to an organization. Candidates for the award will best exemplify the tradition of Mary “Mother” Jones’ immortal statement, “Mourn for the dead, but fight like hell for the living!”
In 2023, The organizational Mother Jones Award went to the Public Employees Benefits Board Stakeholders’ Medicaid Coalition for their advocacy protecting the healthcare benefits of public sector retirees. The individual Mother Jones Award was given to Shahraim Allen (1975-2019) of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 238 in Tacoma who was hailed as “a trailblazer, leader, and a warrior for working-class people in every sense.”
The WSLC Economic Development and Transportation Committee reviews nominations and recommends recipients for this award to the WSLC Executive Board.
The WSLC Education, Training and Apprenticeship Committee gives an annual “Bruce Brennan Memorial Award” to the individual who has contributed the most to further the cause of apprenticeship, education and training in Washington state. In 2023, it was awarded to Luis Licea of the Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust (NWLETT).
The WSLC Women’s Committee presents this award for the advancement of women in leadership roles and/or for activism on behalf of women within the labor movement. The Elsie Schrader Award honors the advancement of women in leadership roles and/or for activism on behalf of women within the labor movement. Last year, the Elsie Schrader Award went to Charlotte Murry, Secretary-Treasurer of the Snohomish and Island County Labor Council. For more information about this award, see the Elsie Schrader award criteria.
CHECK OUT THE UNION DIFFERENCE in Washington: higher wages, affordable health and dental care, job and retirement security.
FIND OUT HOW TO JOIN TOGETHER with your co-workers to negotiate for better wages, benefits, and a voice at work. Or go ahead and contact a union organizer today!
