3 Major SEIU Locals Announce Endorsement of Dow Constantine for King County Executive
July 15, 2009 -- In the most significant endorsement to date in the highly contested King County Executive's race, three major SEIU locals announced today a sole endorsement for Dow Constantine. SEIU Locals 6, 775NW and 1199NW represent more than 20,000 workers in King County. This includes nurses and other health care workers, home care and nursing home workers, and janitors and security guards. Overall, SEIU is the largest union in the state - representing more than 100,000 workers.
"Working Families can't afford to elect Susan Hutchison - a stealth right-wing candidate backed by corporate special interests," said Lari Power, a home care worker from Mercer Island and a member of SEIU Healthcare 775NW. "Dow Constantine has been willing to take her on, and has the vision and the experience to be the best candidate to take her on in the general election and keep King County moving in a progressive direction."
Dow is a former state senator and current Chair of the King County Council and has been a strong champion for working families. As a state senator he established the Gates Commission which called for restructuring our inadequate and regressive tax system. He has advocated for adequate funding for public health, mental health and other human services in King County. And he has been a reliable supporter of the rights of workers to organize and bargain for living wages and good benefits.
"Our healthcare system is under tremendous stress, and we need a leader like Dow who is committed to protecting Harborview and our public health system. As a Harborview nurse, I know how essential these services are to our community. Dow has a track record from when he was in the state legislature of always standing up for health care and for working families," said Georgetta Hachiya, a nurse from Harborview Medical Center and a member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW."
King County is the second largest government body in Washington and is larger than nine states. Thousands of our members live and work here and the County has a significant impact on issues like affordable housing, transportation, economic development, and public health and human services that affect our members. King County Executive is also a common stepping-stone for statewide office – like Governor, Attorney General, or U.S. Senate.
"SEIU represents tens of thousands of working families in King County. Our members - like all workers - need affordable housing, a transportation system that meets the needs of working people, living wage jobs, and an effective and efficient county government," said Kathy Jude, a security officer/dispatcher for Sound Transit and member of SEIU Local 6. "We believe Dow Constantine is the candidate with the experience and the vision to get us there."
SEIU's endorsement is one of the most coveted in Washington because SEIU brings not only significant financial resources ot campaigns but also the largest army of grassroots volunteers in the state. Last Fall, SEIU members knocked on 100,000 doors to elect Governor Gregoire and the PI's Joel Connelly called SEIU the "biggest winner" of 2008.
The SEIU locals made the endorsement after a lengthy and comprehensive process that includes a candidate questionnaire, individual meetings between candidates and the leaders of the local unions, and an interview with members of each of the SEIU locals. Susan Hutchison failed to fill out a candidate questionnaire and was therefore not invited to the interview. All 4 other candidates did complete questionnaires and particiapted in the interview process.
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SEIU Local 6 SEIU Local 6 represents more than 4000 building service workers, including janitors and security guards throughout the Puget Sound area.
SEIU Healthcare 775NW
represents 38,000 long-term care workers across Washington State and Montana, including in-home care, adult day health, and nursing home workers.
SEIU Healthcare 1199NWSEIU Healthcare 1199NW represents 22,000 health care workers in Washington State including nurses and other hospital workers, mental health, and community clinic workers.
Video Clips from the Endorsement