As public employees, politics play a huge role in PROTEC17 members’ lives. Lawmakers at every level make decisions that impact funding for the work we do, as well as our contracts, wages, healthcare, and retirement. And they can support or block important policy that affects our families and broader communities. As a union, we want to make sure that those in office are supporting our priorities, communities, and strong union jobs.
As the 2021 election season is already upon us, we have launched our 2021 political endorsement program and Political Action Committee (PAC). This program is a unique opportunity for PROTEC17 members to share our work with political candidates, as well as to show our support to those who are committed to supporting working people and their families.
In May, we sent out a political engagement survey asking members for their input on questions and topics to ask our candidates in forthcoming questionnaires and interviews, and to get a good sense of the issues that are important to you. Thank you to everyone who submitted their feedback.
The survey also solicited interest in participating on the PAC and in the endorsement process, and invited members to our political engagement training on June 9 to learn more about the process and to have fun getting to know other politically active members. This statewide, member-driven committee will inform our endorsement decisions.
“Just as our union values improve the wages and working conditions of jobs in the communities beyond where our members work, we can help uplift the underrepresented by leveraging our collective voice to influence policy,” said Dan Stanton, a member of the PROTEC17 PAC.
So far, the summer interview schedule includes candidates for Spokane City Council, King County Council, and the Seattle Mayoral race. More candidates and interviews for local races will be added shortly, as part of our new “Lunch Counter with the Candidates” programming that invites politicians to chat with PROTEC17 members during lunchtime on Wednesdays and Fridays through the end of July.
As a reminder, no dues money ever goes towards political candidates, only voluntary contributions to the PAC fund are used for that purpose. If you would like to contribute to the PAC, you can use our new online form to donate via payroll deduction at: protec17.org/pac-donation.
If you have questions about our political program, or if you’re interested in joining the PAC, there’s still time! Please reach out to our Political Organizer Nikki Dias at