Teamster power on the steps of the State Capitol in Olympia!

Hundreds of Teamsters 117 members and their families flooded the State Capitol in Olympia yesterday for our 2020 Lobby Day. 

SEE PHOTOS FROM LOBBY DAY HERE!

Teamsters from all sectors, including our newly-organized members at Maverick Gaming, spoke with legislators about how safe staffing levels in our prisons helps build safer communities.

"We need safe staffing and security for corrections because what we do protects the public," said corrections officer Samuel Coleman of the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton.

Coleman, along with over two hundred of our members from the Department of Corrections, took that message to the halls of the Legislative Building where we engaged legislators in short but pointed conversations.

Our talks with legislators also focused on another priority for our Union: To ensure that Local 117 workers in the gaming industry have a voice over any proposed expansion of gambling in Washington State. 

"We are stronger together and our voices are louder."

"I have been working at the Great American Casino in Tukwila for 15 years and am a single mother of three," said card dealer, Davy Men. "Every decision concerning gaming is important to me. Our voice should be heard."

The day's activities culminated with a rally on the steps of the State Capitol where Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer John Scearcy and member leaders led the group in chants and spoke about how our collective power has brought about meaningful legislative change.

"The work we are doing here is incredibly important," Scearcy said. "Our legislative agenda and priorities are built off of what matters to the workers we represent. When we fight for these priorities, we are improving lives and impacting our membership as a whole. We are stronger together and our voices are louder."

Thank you to all of the members who traveled to Olympia for Lobby Day. You make our Teamster voice powerful and loud! See a complete list of our legislative priorities for 2020 here.