May 21, 2026

WHEREAS, the voters of the Central Puget Sound region approved Sound Transit 3 (ST3) in November 2016 to expand regional high-capacity transit service through light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit investments connecting working-class communities across King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties;

WHEREAS, the ST3 plan was adopted through a broad democratic process and promised major investments, including extensions to Everett, Tacoma Dome, Ballard, West Seattle, Tacoma Community College, South Kirkland, and Issaquah, along with expanded Sounder commuter rail and regional transit access improvements;

WHEREAS, the Sound Transit 3 plan established timelines and delivery commitments to the public, including opening schedules for major light rail extensions and transit investments throughout the region;

WHEREAS, ST3 was designed to address severe regional congestion, improve mobility for workers, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expand equitable access to jobs and education, and support long-term economic growth and sustainability throughout the Puget Sound region;

WHEREAS, the ST3 program was projected to support more than 223,000 direct and indirect jobs over the 25-year construction period, including thousands of Union construction jobs and apprenticeship opportunities under project labor agreements;

WHEREAS, Sound Transit’s own adopted policies recognize the importance of prevailing wages, apprenticeship utilization, workforce inclusion, and labor standards in implementing ST3 projects and transit-oriented development;

WHEREAS, Sound Transit’s Enterprise Initiative and proposed Resolution R2026-11 acknowledge that extraordinary inflation, rising construction costs, financing pressures, and other economic conditions have created affordability challenges estimated at approximately $34.5 billion;

WHEREAS, the proposed “Affordable ST3 Capital Program” under Resolution R2026-11 would delay, partially fund, defer, or leave unfunded key voter-approved projects and project phases, including portions of Ballard Link, Graham Street Station, Boeing Access Road Station, Sounder South improvements, Sounder Extension to DuPont, and other critical regional transit investments;

WHEREAS, Sound Transit’s own public engagement findings show strong and broad public support for delivering the full ST3 program and for pursuing every available funding tool rather than canceling projects;

WHEREAS, survey respondents ranked securing new state and federal funding as the highest priority and expressed opposition to delaying or canceling projects approved by the voters;

WHEREAS, the Sound Transit Board has publicly reaffirmed its commitment to deliver the full voter-approved ST3 system and recognized its obligation to honor the promises made to the voters and the region’s working people;

WHEREAS, labor unions and labor councils throughout the region have long supported investments in public transit infrastructure because such investments create good union jobs, expand access to employment, improve public safety and mobility, reduce transportation inequities, strengthen environmental sustainability, and improve the long-term economic health of working families;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Martin Luther King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO, and its affiliated unions strongly support the full funding, construction, and completion of the entire voter-approved Sound Transit 3 system as approved by the voters in 2016; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the MLK Labor Council opposes the permanent cancellation, elimination, reduction, or abandonment of any voter-approved ST3 projects, stations, extensions, or system components; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MLK Labor Council calls upon the Sound Transit Board, the Washington State Legislature, Congress, local governments, and regional stakeholders to pursue every available local, state, federal, and alternative funding mechanism necessary to fully deliver ST3, including grants, financing reforms, progressive revenue options, value capture strategies, bonding authority, and other tools identified by Sound Transit; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the labor movement will actively fight, organize, advocate, and mobilize to ensure that ST3 is built in full, on the timelines promised to the voters, and without unnecessary delays or reductions in scope; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MLK Labor Council demands the Sound Transit Board green-light the West Seattle Link Extension and keep all projects on track, May 28, 2026, at the Board meeting, and VOTE YES ON R2026-11; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MLK Labor Council urges Sound Transit to prioritize project delivery methods that maximize union labor standards, prevailing wages, apprenticeship utilization, local hire, workforce equity, and project labor agreements across all ST3 projects and transit oriented development; and come to an agreement for a first contract with PROTEC17 that includes strong wages, benefits, and working conditions, including return-to-office commitments for members that organized over a year ago.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the MLK Labor Council supports accelerating project delivery wherever possible in order to preserve union jobs, reduce long-term inflationary construction costs, maintain public trust, and deliver the transportation benefits promised to the people of the Puget Sound region; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Sound Transit Board of Directors immediately.