Published May 05, 2008
Labor Council backs Gregoire
Only the opposite would have been a surprise: The Washington State Labor Council has endorsed Gov. Chris Gregoire in her re-election bid.According to the parties involved, the Democrat received a unanimous endorsement from 350 delegates at the council’s annual convention over the weekend. The council includes unions representing 400,000 people, including the Washington Federation of State Employees.Council President Rick Bender pointed to her management skills, which include presiding over an expansion of union rolls, mainly in the public sector:
She has overseen the creation of more than 220,000 new jobs, has doubled the number of apprenticeship opportunities in the state and is presiding over the lowest unemployment rate in the history of our state. Her management skills have made Washington the 5th best place in the country to do business and at the same time we have moved to 4th in union density proving that good business and good working environments go hand-in-hand.
Bender also said the challenger, Republican Dino Rossi, opposes key union issues, like a high minimum wage, expanding unionization rights, and tight protections for overtime pay.