Resolution In Support of the Coalition of City of Seattle Unions Fight For a Fair Contract

August 17, 2023

WHEREAS, the Coalition of City Unions (CCU) and the City of Seattle have been in contract negotiations since September 2022 and continue to work under a contract that expired on December 31, 2022; and

WHEREAS, PROTEC17, LiUNA, Local 242, Council 2 (AFSCME), Local 104, Seattle Dispatchers Guild, Sheet Metal Workers Local 66, IBEW Local 46, IAM District 160, Teamsters 117, Teamsters 763, IATSE Local 15, SW Regional Council of Carpenters, Unite HERE Local 8, IUPAT DC5 Local 300, the Inland Boatman’s Union, and IUOE Local 302 have joined together to ensure that all CCU members reach fair agreements with the City of Seattle.

WHEREAS, CCU members are struggling to afford increased rent, transportation costs, and groceries to feed themselves and their families;

WHEREAS, the CCU delivered a 50-foot petition with nearly 6,000 signatures from union and community members demanding a fair contract and sent thousands of emails to both the Mayor and City Council; and

WHEREAS, the City of Seattle touts itself as a labor-friendly employer yet refuses to utilize the independent market wage analysis demonstrating that many classifications throughout the City are severely below market; and

WHEREAS, the City is unwilling to accept language ensuring the safety of employees working in the downtown corridor and other city facilities as well as employees who work in extreme heat during the summer months;

WHEREAS, the City has only offered a 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2023, and below inflationary rates for subsequent years, to coalition members despite historic levels of inflation; and

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Martin Luther King Jr. County Labor Council and its affiliate members will support the CCU’s September 19, 2023 rally at the steps of City Hall at 3:30 p.m.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Martin Luther King Jr. County Labor Council will send a letter of such support to City of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and members of the Seattle City Council, and take other steps as necessary and appropriate to ensure that CCU members reach a fair contract.