Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer John Scearcy and President and Director of Corrections & Law Enforcement Michelle Woodrow

Brothers and Sisters -

On February 14, more than 230 members of Teamsters 117 and their families converged on the State Capitol in Olympia for our DOC Lobby Day.

It was our biggest, most successful Lobby Day event ever. Local 117 members met with dozens of legislators to discuss issues that directly impact their lives.

Our Lobby Day event exemplifies the kind of Union we are working to build. It’s a Union where members are engaged, organized, informed, and politically active.

Over the last few months, we have been developing a strategic plan that will shape the future of our Union. More than 2,400 members filled out our membership survey to provide input into the plan.

"We have been developing a strategic plan that will shape the future of our Union."

The survey asked questions about our Union’s mission and purpose, how best to build unity, improve communication, and increase member involvement.

You can view the results of our membership survey here.

We’ve also held meetings of member leaders to critically analyze our Union. What are our strengths? Where do we need to improve? What do we need to prepare for? And what opportunities will we want to capitalize on in the future?

Based on your feedback from the surveys and at these meetings, we have established four strategic priorities that will guide our Union into the future. They are:

1. Fortify our Union against attacks on workers;
2. Build our power through new organizing;
3. Invest in member leadership and development;
4. Build our political power.

These are the issues that you identified as critically important to building unity and power for all working people and to help lift up our communities.

Over the next several weeks, we will be continuing to build our plan around these priorities. We have formed sub-committees to work on each priority, and we will be developing our plan at our upcoming Shop Steward Seminar on March 11.

Your ongoing input in the plan is important. If you are interested in working on a specific priority, please email [email protected]. 

Thank you for everything that you do.

In Solidarity,

John Scearcy
Secretary-Treasurer