Delegates of our Regional Executive Commitee (REC) gathered at the Teamsters Hall in Tukwila, Wash. on Sat., Oct. 20 for the annual fall meeting. This meeting was a special one, as our union celebrated 100 years of being a champion for workers’ rights, and revealed a sneak peek at our new PROTEC17 brand.
Nearly 90 people were on hand to conduct the business of our union, to connect with their fellow members from across the region, as well as to reminisce over a historic slideshow of images from our last century, have fun in the photobooth, and enjoy some PROTEC17 cake.
The meeting – themed ‘Looking Forward’ – was lead by PROTEC17 President Hossein Barahimi who reflected on our past, and welcomed a new century of unionism. He also congratulated the room, full of some of our most dedicated members, on the incredible work they’ve done during 2018 – one of our most challenging years yet, given the Supreme Court’s decision in the Janus case and other internal struggles.
Despite the challenging year, Interim Co-Executive Directors Amy Bowles and Denise Cobden spoke about the many positive initiatives that have been happening at PROTEC17 that are revolutionizing our union in preparation for the next 100 years, including installing a new database with better tools to assist our members, building an enhanced member benefit and rewards program, and revamping our look and website in order to attract new members and to help current members access the information they need. They also discussed how well our union has fared since the Janus decision made membership optional, with only a handful of opt-outs.
PROTEC17’s Communications Director Deidre Girard recapped this year’s rebranding process for the REC, which had approved of the project in 2017, and presented a sneak peek at the new logo, colors, and website, which will launch in January (see related story on p. 5). The reveal was met with a lot of positive feedback and excitement.
The REC also continued to work on their search for our next Executive Director, including a discussion of the job description and forming a hiring committee. The committee will be comprised of all members of the Executive Board plus six REC Delegates, per the constitution. They anticipate having a new director by the March REC meeting.
Delegates also heard from the two candidates who were running for the Executive Board (see story on page. 5), and had time to ask questions and share ideas for future initiatives.