Teamster 117 members from all corners of Washington State converged on Olympia today for the first Local 117 lobby day of the 2014 legislative session.

View photos from Lobby Day here.

Members came from as far as Spokane, Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, Clallam Bay, Aberdeen, Monroe, Vancouver and many other locations to speak with their legislators about critical issues facing Teamster families.  

Correctional employees teamed up with taxi cab operators, warehouse workers, nurses, cooks and county and city employees for dozens of meetings with legislators.  

Some of the issues that Local 117 members brought to their representatives included:

• Passing a bill (HB 1923) that would allow DOC medical staff the right to participate in the PSERS retirement program;
• Passing a bill (HB 2152) that would give taxi cab operators the choice to opt into the State's Labor & Industries program;
• Preventing prison overcrowding by ensuring that funds are appropriated to open a 256-bed medium security unit at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla;
• Passing a statewide paid sick leave bill (HB 1313);
• Protecting our state's workers' comp program. 

"My most important issue is staff safety," said Stevie Fonseca, who works at the Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW). "I'm a Teamster and I want to let legislators know that we have a vote.  When we show them that our vote matters, they will lend us their ear."

"We are all members of the Teamsters," said Mohinder Gill, a taxi cab operator with the Western Washington Taxi Cab Operators Association.  "That's what makes us strong."

Thank you to Political Action Coordinator Dustin Lambro for all of his hard work in making the day such a great success and to our fabulous lobbyist, Teresita Torres, for the wonderful job she is doing in Olympia.  

Most of all, thank you to all of the members who took time out of their busy schedules to make their voices heard.  You make all Teamsters proud!