You already know this is an election year. While the presidential election draws all the news, here in Washington we will be electing a new Governor, Attorney General, and Commissioner of Public Lands.

Ballots for the primary election on August 6 have been sent out and may be in your mailbox soon.

WPEA empowers our members to make informed decisions based on their values and the issues that matter most to them. It is important to encourage informed and thoughtful voting rather than telling people who to vote for. When considering which candidates or policies to support, it’s beneficial to look at how their platforms and records align with improving labor conditions.

• Workers’ Rights: Candidates who prioritize protecting and expanding workers’ rights, including fair wages, safe working conditions, and the right to unionize, are often those who will improve labor conditions.
  
• Minimum Wage: Support for increasing the minimum wage to a livable level can significantly impact the quality of life for many workers.
  
• Paid Leave: Look for candidates who advocate for paid family and medical leave, which supports workers in balancing their job responsibilities with personal and family health needs.
  
• Job Training and Education: Policies that invest in job training and education can help workers adapt to changing job markets and secure better-paying, more stable employment.
  
• Worker Protections: Consider candidates who push for stronger enforcement of labor laws and regulations to protect workers from exploitation and unsafe conditions.

WPEA’s Political Action Committee and Executive Board have conducted interviews and reviewed candidates’ records, and have endorsed candidates we can trust to stand for public employees Governor:

Bob Ferguson

Attorney General Bob Ferguson has fought for worker safety at Hanford, against wage theft, and to stop corporate mergers that would harm employees. But perhaps most significantly, he requested and successfully lobbied for legislation to enable help staff in his office to form a union. This kind of pro-worker follow-through is what we need in our next Governor.

US Representative, District 6: Emily Randall

Senator Emily Randall has served as chair of the Senate Higher Education committee where she has helped pass bills to support our members at community colleges. She has earned a 99% lifetime voting record from the Washington State Labor Council while representing one of the last true “purple” districts in the state. Now she’s running for Congress, where her opponent is Hilary Franz, the current Commissioner of Public Lands. Our DNR members have made it clear that Hilary Franz does not deserve this promotion, especially when Senator Randall has been such a friend of labor over the years.

WA Senate, LD 1: Derek Stanford

Senator Derek Stanford has long been a champion for public employees. He has sponsored bills to improve our pension system, protect DNR law enforcement officers, and most recently the bill that solidified collective bargaining rights for legislative staff – WPEA’s newest members.

WA Senate, LD 5: Bill Ramos

Representative Bill Ramos currently serves as chair of the House State Government Committee, where he has been helpful moving bills that positively impact state employees, including HB 1533 – the bill that protected the private information of public employees who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or criminal harassment. Previously, he was a forester with the US Forest Service. He’s running for an open Senate seat.

WA House, LD 18: John Zingale John Zingale is a teacher and lifelong union member. He ran for this district in 2022, where he also earned WPEA’s endorsement. “I have spent most of my adult life in a union, from when I first started bagging groceries and collecting shopping carts, until I reached upper management in the grocery retail industry. Even then, I worked to ensure our union contracts were being fulfilled and kept grievances/issues of my employees to as close to zero as possible. I know the value of working with our union employees. Now as a public school teacher, and current building representative, I know what it means, and takes, to have a strong union. I have been on strike with my fellow teachers for better wages and working conditions as well, and know first hand why and how unions can lift up the employees, their families, and their communities.”

WA House, LD 22: Beth Doglio

Representative Beth Doglio sponsored last session’s bill to grant unemployment benefits to striking workers, and has been a co-sponsor and champion for bills to improve the state employee salary survey and protect the privacy of public employees.

WA House, LD 28: Dan Bronoske

Representative Dan Bronoske is a career fire fighter and union leader. He co-sponsored our bill to improve the salary survey and prime sponsored bills to protect worker health and safety. He serves as co-chair of the Working Families Caucus, a labor caucus in the House and Senate.

WA House, LD 29: Sharlett Mena

Representative Sharlett Mena took a political risk in her first year as a legislator and served as prime sponsor of HB 1533, the bill to protect the private information of public employees who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or criminal harassment. She faced down criticism from the newspaper owners and passed this vital bill for public employee safety.

WA House, LD 33: Mia Gregerson

Representative Mia Gregerson was the prime sponsor of HB1774, our bill to improve the state employee salary survey. She also served as chair of the House State Government committee, a role that she used to help shepherd through multiple bills to protect the privacy of public employees.

WA House, LD 34: Emily Alvarado

Representative Emily Alvarado was the prime sponsor of HB1200, a bill that standardizes the basic information that public employers share with unions. She has also sponsored bills to improve worker safety and workers compensation.

WA House, LD 39: Sam Low

Representative Sam Low has been a leader in starting a labor caucus among Republicans in the legislature. He co-sponsored HB 2246, the bill to increase the cap on state employee annual leave. His opponent is afar-right, anti-union politician who Low defeated in the previous election.

WA House, LD 49: Monica Stonier

Representative Monica Stonier is a union teacher and serves as the co-chair of the Working Families Caucus, the state’s labor caucus. She has sponsored many union-friendly bills in the past, including co-sponsoring our bill to improve compensation at the School for the Blind and the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth.

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You can also check out the candidates who have earned the endorsement of the Washington State Labor Council here .

Remember to get your ballot in by Tuesday, August 6.