Letter sign on: maintain antidiscrimination contract language!

Snohomish County

On a white background the text reads, "PETITION SIGN ON: Maintain antidiscrimination contract language!" The WSNA and PROTEC17 logos are in the bottom right.

PROTEC17 and Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) union members at Snohomish County have been proposing to maintain antidiscrimination language in our contracts, but have continued to be rejected. For context, our contracts with the previous health district have always included this type of nondiscrimination language.

Please read the proposed letter HERE and fill out this simple form to add your name to the letter signature. PLEASE DO NOT FILL OUT THIS FORM IF YOU ARE NOT A PROTEC17 OR WSNA SNOHOMISH COUNTY UNION MEMBER.

To sign on, please fill out this survey by 5 p.m. on Tues., May 7, 2024.

To: Snohomish County
From: [Your Name]

Dear Executive Sommers and Snohomish County Council,

We, the undersigned, are proud Snohomish County employees and union members from PROTEC17 and the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA). We strongly believe that it is crucial to include antidiscrimination language in our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The proposed language existed in our previous contracts with the former health department. Taking out the language would destroy the work that both our union and Snohomish leadership did to instill stronger antidiscrimination protections—doing a disservice to our efforts to increase protection from identity-based discrimination.

In nearly every contract that our unions hold with other government entities, strong antidiscrimination language is typically in article one or two of the contract—this is not by chance. Our values as a union strongly uphold the rights of all workers to be free from discrimination from both their employer and their union.

While we wish that we lived in a world where antidiscrimination language was not needed in the workplace, sadly that is not the reality that we live in. Workers across all industries face discrimination based on gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability, and other protected classes in the workplace.

Snohomish County has an Equal Employment Opportunity Policy (EEOP), and if the County truly believes in upholding these values, there should be no reluctancy to include antidiscrimination language in our contract. While it may seem redundant to have laws, policies, and contract language on nondiscrimination, it is critical in providing union members a mechanism for accountability and enforcement through our established grievance procedure. If we can resolve contract disputes through grievances for all other articles, we can surely do the same for antidiscrimination language.

We the undersigned, passionate Snohomish County employees and union members, respectfully demand that Snohomish County include our standard antidiscrimination language in our contract. Holding both parties accountable for discrimination is something that the County should be proud to agree to.