This summer, several of our employers annnounced return-to-office policies for PROTEC17 members at the City of Seattle, King County, the Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), and our newly organized workers at Sound Transit. While the policies are widely varied, and we are working with each employer separately to bargain the impacts, PROTEC17 members from across Chapters are coming together to talk about the bigger picture of what work will look like in the future, and how workers themselves can help shape that future.
In late summer, we sent out a survey to members at these four employers asking them to think about the factors related to in-office work that affect their quality of life. In an overwhelming response, we received over 1,700 surveys back. In their responses, members named commuting, dependent care availability and costs, health concerns, and environmental impacts as a few of the top impacts of employers requiring more time in the office.
Shortly after the survey was launched, the first ‘Future of Work’ committee meeting was held virtually on Sept. 5 with over 50 members in attendance. The committee is now developing branding and strategy for the campaign, and creating subcommittees to focus on key areas of the work – like research, planning, outreach, actions, and community organizing and engagement. They are thinking creatively, with an eye on the big picture of what worker- and family-friendly employment would look like five or ten years from now. No idea is out of the realm of possibility – from incentives for in-office work, to better accomodations for health issues, to the 32-hour workweek, and more.
To accomodate varying schedules, the committee meets twice monthly – on the first Thursday of the month at noon, and the third Thursday of the month at 5 p.m. If you would like to join the committee, please reach out to Membership Organizing Coordinator Brenna Stroup at .