March 23, 2020
As you know, I am the Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 174 in Seattle and the President of Joint Council 28 which includes all of Washington, all of the State of Alaska, and the panhandle of Northern Idaho. I am writing this letter in a moment of inner turmoil, for I have supported you for years in your role as the Governor for Washington’s working people. However, recent events have made it clear that your support for working people stops short of taking the bold and decisive actions that are needed to keep them safe: a statewide lockdown/shelter-in-place order.
As COVID-19 spreads through our state, we turn to our leaders to protect us and guide us away from harm. However, your lack of leadership in refusing to implement a lockdown/shelter-in-place order across our state puts our members at risk, and I will not stand for it. Teamster members are critical to a functioning supply chain. Our members bring groceries to store shelves; they deliver groceries to people’s homes; they deliver UPS packages containing critical supplies and medicine to homes and businesses; they work in health care and law enforcement; they work in sanitation – just to name a few of the essential industries in which our members are employed. For every day that goes by without a lockdown order, these hardworking members who keep our society running are put at greater and greater risk.
Nothing is more important to me than protecting my members and their families’ safety. If we want them to continue to perform their jobs and keep our society functioning, we need them to be healthy. And we have already seen in other cities, states, and countries that one of the best ways to keep people healthy is to implement a lockdown and prevent any and all unnecessary interactions between people. It is completely unacceptable that you are refusing to take this step.
I have supported you because I believed it was in the interests of the Labor community to support politicians that at least appear to care about our issues. However, in this moment of crisis, it no longer matters what you say – the only thing that matters is what actions you take. And by refusing to protect our members with a lockdown order, you are demonstrating exactly how little working people mean to you.
This is a time of crisis, where every minute counts. If you care at all about working people and their health and safety, you need to institute a lockdown/shelter-in-place order immediately. All eyes are on you right now, and they are all looking for leadership. As a young man growing up, my military father always preached to me that you can either lead, follow or get the hell out of the way. What choice will you make?
On behalf of Teamster Members,
Rick Hicks
Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 174
President, Joint Council 28