Labor remains far from united behind one candidate for mayor. Hours after one the city’s biggest labor unions, Service Employees International Union Local 775, announced its support for Jenny Durkan, the Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council endorsed Jessyn Farrell and Bob Hasegawa last night.
“For sure, workers at the Council want a Seattle mayor who has experience holding public office—a leader with a proven track record taking votes on issues that affect our quality of life in one of the most dynamic, and expensive, economies in the world,” said Nicole Grant, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the MLKCLC, which represents about 150,000 workers. Grant called Farrell “a fresh female policy powerhouse who has delivered victories on transportation infrastructure and women workers’ pay equity” and Hasegawa “a veteran Teamsters President, known for his work on public banking options and revenue reform.”
Farrell is currently third in fundraising in the mayoral race, with about $94,000 raised. Durkan has raised about $353,000 (and is benefiting from external spending), and Hasegawa has contributed about $11,600 to his own campaign. (The state senator can’t fundraise because the state legislative session is ongoing.)
In other labor endorsements, Durkan has the backing of the Seattle Firefighters Union, Frost Insulators and Firestop Containment Workers Union, Local 7, and the Operating Engineers Local 302.
Along with the Labor Council, Farrell has been endorsed by Laborers Local 1239, Sheet Metal Workers Local 66, Teamsters Local 117, UFCW Local 21, Aerospace Machinists Lodge 751, and Unite HERE Local 8
And Hasegawa has also received endorsements from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 23, Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, the Seattle Education Association, Teamsters Local 174, Teamsters Local 763, and the Washington Federation of State Employees Local 304.
In a statement, the Labor Council’s Grant also reiterated its endorsement of Teresa Mosqueda in the race for an open city council seat, citywide Position 8. Mosqueda, who has worked on health care and labor issues, has nearly run the table on union endorsements.
