SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL AND THE COWLITZ - WAHKIAKUM CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL INVITE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO JOIN US AT THE LABOR DAY PICNIC OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON.
Labor Day 2023 Flier.pdf

EEA's bargaining with the Evergreen School district is not going in a positive direction. Sadly, Evergreen educators are being met with anti-union opposition at the bargaining table. 

CCAHE, the Clark College faculty union, and the WPEA, the Clark College staff union, is shouting out a loud and proud THANK YOU to our SWWCLC brothers and sisters for your help staving off cuts to three of our essential Clark employees.    Yes, the cuts to Clark College employees from the CCAHE and the WPEA bargaining units are off the table.

This morning the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in Glacier Northwest v. Teamsters Local 174. As members of Organized Labor work to process the implications of this decision, we wanted to share some of the statements leaders in our movement have made today. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said, "Today, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with corporations over working people.

Please attend the Board of Trustees meeting in person OR virtually (this article will be updated when the Zoom link is shared, so be sure to check the SWWACLC web site before the meeting Wednesday) and let Clark College know that our community stands with our community college workers.

Our higher ed students need your support. Community and technical colleges serve over 260,000 students of all ages and backgrounds in local communities across our state. Investments in these students pay dividends for the future workforce in our state.  It's hard to reach the goal of setting students up for success, though, as we are losing expert faculty and staff.

The evening of February 25th saw nearly 200 union members and working people unaffiliated with Organized Labor (as yet) brave the snow and ice to honor those members of Southwest Washington's Labor Movement who made a difference for working people last year at the Second Annual Southwest Washington Labor Awards.

Delegates to the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council elected a new President and Executive Board member at the organization’s December 7, 2023 meeting. They, along with returning Trustee Theresia Lloyd Seimer, will be sworn in at the CLC’s monthly meeting on January 4th.

We all know that 2022 was an amazing year for working people in our region. We saw headlines about strikes, new organizing, and workers from across Southwest Washington standing up and standing together to fight for fair treatment in their workplaces. Behind each of those headlines are people in our community who took risks and volunteered their time and energy to make those stories happen.

Join us for a Labor Neighbor event in support of Labor-endorsed candidates Marie Glusenkamp Perez, Duncan Camacho, and John Zingale on Saturday, October 15 from 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM! This is our chance to have more pro-Labor representation in Southwest Washington! Take action to support our Labor-endorsed candidates (many of whom are union members) and get out the vote.
LD18 Flyer 101522 (1).pdf

It's been a rough couple of years. Isn't it about time we got together again.
Labor Day Picnic Flyer with Tips 2022.pdf

**UPDATED With Clark County Endorsements** The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council congratulates our 2022 endorsed candidates on their endorsement by the Washington State Labor Council at its recent COPE Convention. Find out more about our Labor-endorsed candidates, then get ready to go to work for these great candidates for working families!

US Senator Patty Murray and Governor Jay Inslee are in the midst of conducting a review that could lead to the removal of Lower Snake River Dams. Please let your Local know you support retaining the Lower Snake River Dams until we can find solutions to mitigate the impact of their removal on working families and implement them.

As you may have heard, we have lost a member of our Labor family here in Southwest Washington.  Machinists Local 885 member, SWWACLC Delegate and committed defender of working people's rights Gay Lincoln passed away on April 30. 

Union members have accomplished a lot for their fellow working people in the past couple of years, but there's still a lot of work to do. Let the AFL-CIO know the issues you and your fellow union members are concerned about

Please join us on Wednesday, May 4th at 6:00 PM for a Workers Memorial Day commemoration at the LiUNA 335 and Teamsters 58 Labor Center

The Boy Scouts of America's George Meany Award is presented to an adult union member who has made a significant contribution to the youth of their community through Scouting.

American democracy is under threat today from decades of inequality, the dismantling of workers’ rights, a scourge of attacks on voting rights, and the failure to adequately invest in our families and communities. To save American democracy, we need democracy in the U.S. Senate.

It's no secret that 2021 was an amazing year for working people, with strikes and worker organizing dominating the headlines in "#Striketember, #Striketober, #Strikesgiving and #Strikesmas. On February 4, 2022 more than 200 union members, supporters, and community members gathered at the Vancouver Hilton to pay honor to the people behind those headlines at the first annual Labor Heroes of Southwest Washington Awards

Delegates to the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council elected new officers and Executive Board members at the Council's January 5, 2022 meeting. The following officers and Board members will lead the Council for the next next two years:

Vancouver Fire Fighters from the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 452  are counting on You to join your union family at the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council (SWWCLC) in voting YES on Proposition No. 2 on February 8th. Voting YES on Proposition No.
Support Local Fire Fighters.pdf

Do you or someone you know live in the Hockinson or Evergreen School Districts? If so, the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council urges you to vote “yes” on the school levies that will appear on your February 8th Special Elections ballot because you will be voting to provide support where it’s needed most: K-12 students.

History tells us where we’ve been. And it shows us the path for moving forward. Join working people from around the nation on January 16th and 17th for the 2022 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civil and Human Rights Conference as we talk about what we built together in 2021 and what we’ll fight for in 2022.

2021 has been a year full of worker energy and activism in Southwest Washington and all across the nation. Unfortunately, the people working hard in our community to make things better for for working families often don’t get the recognition they deserve. The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council and the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Central Labor Council think it’s time to change that.

**Updated - A tentative agreement has been reached, and the Kaiser Strike has been called of! Congratulations to OFNHP and all the unions who stood strong against Kaiser!**

Your ballot for the 2021 general election should arrive in your mailbox any day now - don't let it sit.

Vancouver Public Schools leaders have put the health and safety of their staff and students at risk by refusing to offer fair compensation to classified school employees, or fill dozens of empty positions in the district.   Send a message to Superintendent Snell and President Sproul that enough is enough - it's time to offer your employees a fair contract!

As you may have heard, we’ve been forced to call off this year’s Jeff Washburn Labor Day Picnic at Kalama’s Heydu Park. That doesn’t mean we won’t be celebrating you - the working people of Southwest Washington and the unions who bring them together - on Labor Day! We’re planning to show off Southwest Washington’s Union Pride on Monday, September 6th through the Council’s social media channels… and we need YOU to make that happen.

Every election matters.

We were overjoyed to see this message from the Clark College Association For Higher Education in our inbox: _____________________________ Clark College's faculty union (CCAHE), wants to thank the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council (SWWCLC) and its affiliates for providing ongoing support over the past year in our efforts to successfully stave off faculty layoffs and cuts to benefits. While Covid restrictions made it difficult to organize...

On this Workers Memorial Day, The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council honors all 119 Washingtonians, and especially those in Clark, Skamania and West Klickitat Counties, who died on the job in 2020 - and we ask that you call your Senators today and urge them to pass the PRO Act so that working people can have a voice on the job about safety issues.

It takes more, not less, to educate and support our students during the pandemic. Our state and federal government recognized this by sending $35 million in COVID relief funds to Clark College. So why is Clark College insisting on making 5 percent cuts at this time?

Ride (or Run... or Walk...) To Stop Diabetes According to a 2019 report by the Washington State Department of Health, about 682,600 adults (or 1 in 8) have diabetes in Washington state...

The American economy is not working for most Americans. While corporations and the wealthy continue to capture the rewards of a growing economy — working families and middle-class Americans are being left behind. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act restores fairness to our economy by strengthening the federal laws that protect workers’ right to join a union - but Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler hasn’t committed to standing with working people and supporting the PRO Act...

As you know, The Washington State Legislature begins its 2021 session today at the State Capitol in Olympia. It's no secret this will be a very unusal session as legislators work to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and conduct their business remotely.
21-WSLC-Leg-Agenda_21Jan08 (002).pdf

Ballots are arriving in SW Washington mailboxes - it's finally time to  VOTE!!! Still trying to decide who to vote for? These candidates have been endorsed by the Southwest Washington Central Labor Council - our region's voice for working families.
Southwest Washington Central Labor Council endorsements 2020.pdf

The Washington Public Employees Association is asking all union members and working people in Southwest Washington join them for a rally at Esther Short Park on Saturday October 17 to stop the cuts to classified staff at Clark College.

The election is coming up soon and our Labor-endorsed candidates need YOUR help! Sign up now to call voters in our area from the comfort of of your own home in support of Carolyn Long Daniel Smith Tanisha Harris And more! All phone banks will be Zoom calls - no in-person calling! Links will be sent to all that have signed up.

There have been some troubling developments recently at Clark College.  The Clark College Board of Trustees recently contracted an accounting firm, Moss Adams, to conduct an audit of staffing and organizational structures within the college for efficiencies.

Guess what, working people in Southwest Washington - you're getting your very own podcast! The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council is very proud to announce that our new podcast, Working to Live In Southwest Washington, will premiere this Labor Day weekend, on September 5th.

Did you see this Letter to the Editor supporting Labor-endorsed candidate Daniel Smith in today's Columbian?

Have you been putting off electrical repairs or upgrades in your home due to today’s economic uncertainties? IBEW Local 48 knows that money is tight for many working people in Southwest Washington, and they’re here to help with a $200 discount on qualified electrical services. To take advantage of this $200 discount, visit https://www.qualifiedelectricianspdx.

This is not sponsored by a Central Labor Council affiliate, but one of our delegates brought this to our attention and we wanted to share it with you. Virtual Town Hall: Resiliency and Mental Health During a Pandemic Wednesday, July 15th 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM Register here: https://rb.

We are members of various unions in Southwest Washington. We are parents, we are workers, and we are citizens in our communities. The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council firmly stands together in unity with and for our black brothers, sisters, and siblings of the labor movement, and for ALL black lives in our communities and around the world.

The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council is committed to the principle that all people are equal, and therefore deserve respect and fair treatment - regardless of sex, gender identity/expression, or sexual orientation.

The Southwest Washington Central Labor Council congratulates its 2020 endorsed candidates on their endorsement by the Washington State Labor Council at this weekend's MARATHON virtual COPE Convention. Be sure to click the links below the candidates photos to get to know them better.

This is not sponsored by a Central Labor Council affiliate, but one of our delegates brought this to our attention and we wanted to share it with you. Together We Will Build A Better Tomorrow! We're coming together...
Essential Workers’ in SW Washington for a Virtual Town Hall.pdf

This is not sponsored by a Central Labor Council affiliate, but one of our delegates brought this to our attention and we wanted to share it with you. Dustina Haase-Lanier MSW is offering support to front line workers via phone and internet...
frontline flyer2.pdf

Many union families in Southwest Washington are suffering economic hardship amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which had its U.S. epicenter in Washington state.

Labor's Community Service Agency has been a champion for the health, well-being, and stability of families and individuals throughout the Columbia-Willamette region for forty-five years.  Now they're stepping up to help working families in our region during the Covid-19 pandemic.
LCSA Emergency Fundraiser - COVID19.pdf

Like educators in many school districts around the country, members of the Vancouver Education Association are wearing red on Wednesdays as a part of the #RedForEd campaign. The VEA is taking things a step further, though, with its #TradesTuesday campaign.

Last year, thousands of Marriott workers represented by UNITE HERE went on strike because “One Job Should Be Enough.” (Workers at Marriott’s Westin Hotel in Seattle avoided a strike by securing a groundbreaking new contract.

SW Washington Central Labor Council delegates held elections for officers, members of the Executive Board and Trustee positions at their February 5, 2020 meeting. Shannon A Walker (IAM W536 was re-elected president.

The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, H.R.2474 will finally have a vote in Congress next week. Congressman Kurt Schrader is the only Democrat in Oregon’s Congressional delegation who does not support this critical legislation. Many SW Washington union members work on both sides of the Columbia.

Join Washington’s public employees and their supporters on the Capitol Steps in Olympia on Thursday, February 6 as they speak out to protect their families’ privacy and safety. Under the Public Records Act, their home addresses and certain other personal information are supposed to be kept private. But in 2019, the courts ruled that their birth dates are public information.

A Tentative Agreement has been reached between Clark College and the CCAHE.

Calling all sisters, brother, siblings of labor and friends!!!! ACTION NEEDED In Support of the Clark College Association of Higher Education!!! Even if you are not in the area, please send in an email to Clark College letting them know Vancouver is a union town with support all over.

Our friends at Labor's Community Service Agency posted this on the Presents From Partners Facebook page today: Presents From Partners Toy Drive Competition Results! GREAT WORK UNIONISTS.