Members of Teamsters Local 117 joined hundreds of union members and their supporters on the steps of the State Capitol in Olympia on Friday to rally for statewide paid sick leave, protections against wage theft, an increase in the minimum wage, and wage increases for state employees, including 5600 state correctional employees. 

The rally was organized by the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) to promote its shared prosperity agenda designed to lift up middle class workers through public policy that is "good for workers, good for families, and good for communities."

Legislative session began on January 12 and since then there have been a lot of developments that impact members of Teamsters Local 117.  

Most notably, our DOC Lobby Day took place on January 27 when over 200 correctional employees and their families met with dozens of legislators to talk about funding our DOC contract.  

You can read about Lobby Day and other developments in Olympia, including updates on several important bills we are tracking, in our Local 117 Report from Olympia.

• View a PDF of our Local 117 Report from Olympia here.

As session progresses, we will continue to keep you posted, and we will likely be calling on you to take action on proposed legislation that impacts working families.  

The 2015 legislative session kicked off today in Olympia and will run for 105 days.  With a divided legislature, advancing our Union's legislative priorities will be challenging to say the least. 

Our ability to be successful in protecting and expanding the rights of working families will depend on our willingness to get engaged in the political process, to speak up, and get involved.  

One of our most important priorities this session will be funding our DOC contract.  To achieve that goal, we have organized a DOC/Teamsters Lobby Day on January 27.  

You can register for the event online here.  

We will also be working on a bill that would provide Teamster taxi cab operators with the choice of whether to participate in the State's L&I program and one that would create a more level playing field for drivers in the State's for-hire and personal transportation industry.

View a complete list of our priorities after the flip: 

On January 27, 2015, we will be holding our Department of Corrections Lobby Day in Olympia, where we will talk face to face with our legislators who will decide whether to fund our DOC contract.  

How can we make sure our state representatives listen to us and prioritize funding for our DOC contract? The simple answer is we must show up.  In big numbers.  Can you join us?

 Sign up to join with your co-workers as we take over the Capitol on January 27th.

Before you make the trip to Olympia, be sure to check out our legislative priorities and to talk to as many of your co-workers as possible.  See you on the 27th!