Two Teamster Shop Stewards at King County have received a generous chunk of extra holiday spending money thanks to a Local 117 organizing program that provides up to $1000 for bringing new members into the Union.

Penny Karki  of King County’s Water and Land Resources Division and Cynthia Adams of the County’s Solid Waste Division split the $1000 dollar reward for helping to organize 10 non-Union County employees in the Capacity Charge program of the Wastewater Treatment Division. 

Both Karki and Adams are committed Union supporters and understand the power of a Union contract. “With the Union, we have bumping rights, guaranteed cost of living increases, and job security that non-represented staff don’t have,” said Karki.

So when one of their non-Union co-workers at the County approached them about organizing with the Teamsters, they encouraged her to pursue Union membership. “We told her that the Union provides protection and that the more of us that are unionized, the stronger our bargaining power,” Karki said.

The two Shop Stewards helped set up a meeting between one of the County’s non-represented Capacity Charge employees and Local 117 Business Representative, Betty Sorbo, along with Local 117 Director of Organizing, Leonard Smith. What followed was a process that led to the protections of a collective bargaining agreement for the Capacity Charge unit and a $1000 windfall for the two members to share.     

Says Cynthia, “I wanted to make sure that my friends at Capacity Charge knew that layoffs were coming and I wanted them to be represented. I told them that the Union provides solidarity and strength in numbers. With that strength comes a stronger voice in the workplace.”

Since being approved by the Local 117 Executive Board in 2005, the Union organizing program has paid out thousands of dollars to Local 117 volunteer organizers.   To learn more about the Teamsters Local 117 organizing program, contact the Local 117 Organizing Department at 206-441-4860.

To view a flyer on the program, click here.