Author: RFPU

Housing is Healthcare! Seattle needs long term, sustainable solutions for our neighbors, many of whom are our patients in the hospitals we work within. This includes a dedicated, progressive revenue source, not unfunded mandates. RFPU – NW endorses the House our Neighbors campaign, in opposition to the Compassion Seattle Charter Amendment.

#DeclineToSign the “Compassion Seattle” charter amendment! If you’ve already signed mistakenly – it’s not too late to remove your signature (see graphic below for how you can remove your signature).

Check out House Our Neighbors, a coalition of folks who are currently homeless, residents who have experienced homelessness, and advocates who are committed to ending the homelessness crisis in Seattle for more information.

We have the utmost confidence that these candidates will be allies and partners with our union, healthcare workers, and the labor movement at large in the Seattle region.

Read below to learn more about who we endorsed and why we encourage you to vote for these candidates in the August primaries.

Seattle City Council, Position 8:

RFPU – NW is honored to endorse incumbent Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda for re-election. CM Mosqueda (she/her) currently serves in this at-large seat, an office she has held since 2017. CM Mosqueda has succeeded in many large accomplishments in her short time on the Council, including championing the country’s first Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, and most recently leading the passage of JumpStart Seattle – a progressive revenue plan and COVID relief bill that brings in $214M/year to fund affordable housing, equitable development, and green new deal programs that invest in small businesses and our most vulnerable workers. CM Mosqueda has also been a healthcare champion for not only our city, but also our state – having served on the WA Affordable Care Act Exchange Board where she fought for healthcare access for working families, women, people of color, immigrants, and the lowest wage individuals. In addition to her nearly decade long experience working for the state labor council, we are confident CM Mosqueda will continue to fight for all residents and workers in Seattle – and we’re thankful for her past support in our fight for a fair contract (see the video she made for US in our last round of bargaining!) against UW. 

You can read her response to our endorsement questionnaire here.

Seattle City Council, Position 9:

RFPU – NW is honored to endorse Nikkita Oliver for City Council, Position 9. Nikkita Oliver (they/them) is a community organizer, cultural worker, artist, and attorney. They have organized with key community groups working towards social justice, including Decriminalize Seattle, Free Them All Washington, and No New Youth Jail. They are currently the executive director of Creative Justice, an arts-based alternative to incarceration for at-risk youth. Over the past summer, Nikkita Oliver helped advance the participatory budgeting plan through the Seattle City Council, which ultimately invests $30 million in community investments and could be expanded by the next City Council. Nikkita Oliver plans to address the affordable housing crisis, a key issue for our membership, by ending exclusionary zoning, building “missing middle” housing ($400 million units/year for 10 years), and investigating rent control options in association with the Tenants Union “No Debt, No Evictions” campaign. The Nikkita Oliver campaign is further committed to supporting working people by advancing progressive taxation, expanding access to affordable childcare, and implementing legislation to protect workers’ rights. Nikkita Oliver has demonstrated strong support for labor rights and working people and has been endorsed by many local unions, including SEIU Local 925 and UAW Local 4121. Through their work with other UW worker’s unions, they are familiar with the adversarial techniques used by UW to limit contract benefits and believe in ensuring good faith bargaining. 

You can read their response to our endorsement questionnaire here.

Seattle, Mayor:

UPDATE (8/4): Andrew Grant Houston did not make it through the primaries. Councilmember Lorena González now receives our sole endorsement for Mayor of Seattle.

RFPU – NW is honored to endorse Andrew Grant Houston and Lorena González for Seattle Mayor. We are confident both candidates have the skills, experience, and intersectional mindset that Seattle needs for this influential role.

Andrew Grant Houston (“Ace”) (he/him/his) is a queer, black and latino architect, environmental advocate, housing activist, and high-risk individual living on Capitol Hill. Ace is Founder and Head of Design of House Cosmopolitan, board member of Futurewise, and is a member of American Institute of Architects (AIA). He has been a longtime advocate of more housing at all income levels, and highlights the urgency of addressing our homelessness, housing, and climate crises. Andrew has also recently served as the Interim Policy Manager in Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s office. Ace furthers his commitment to housing by advocating for Functional Zero, a rigorous standard for ending homelessness. This standard is a milestone that indicates a community has measurably ended homelessness for a population — and that they are sustaining that end. Ace solidified his platform on advocating for housing issues through his Stay in Seattle Plan, which includes building 2,500 Tiny Homes, fighting for rent control, updating Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA), and a $23 minimum wage by 2025. Ace is a strong supporter of worker’s rights, being one of the only mayoral campaign’s with unionized staff and membership in Transit Riders Union (TRU). He has also been fighting for the right of Architects to organize through The Architecture Lobby, a national organization pushing for the unionization of architectural workers. Ace’s personal and professional experience advocating for housing issues, climate issues, and commitment to the labor movement, make him a candidate likely to fight for the communities who need it most.

You can read Andrew Grant Houston’s response to our endorsement questionnaire here.

Lorena González (she/her/ella) currently serves in the District 9 at-large seat, an office she has held since 2015, and was elected Council President in 2020. Lorena has a lifelong commitment to fighting for workers, having been born & raised in a migrant farm-working family in the Yakima Valley – she received her first paycheck as a migrant farmworker at the age of eight. Lorena went on to work as a civil rights attorney fighting for the rights of workers, victims of wage theft and employment discrimination, and victims of police misconduct and sexual abuse. At the state level, Lorena successfully fought for a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program. She has also prioritized childcare funding and accessibility issues in Seattle, an issue of great importance to many of our members. While many mayoral candidates have similar platforms, Lorena has been a consistent advocate for housing issues within Seattle – having passed various funding measures for rental subsidies, incentives for building affordable housing for renters and homeowners, and legislation to protect communities at high risk of displacement due to zoning. Lorena’s personal and professional experience demonstrates her ability to connect with and prioritize those in our community who are struggling to make ends meet. Lorena has also received the labor endorsements of MLK Labor, UAW4121, PROTEC17, SEIU925, SEIU6, SEIU1199NW, SEIU775, Teamsters 28, UFCW 21, Unite Local 8, IUPAT DC5, AFT1789, and Laborers Local 242. 

You can read Lorena González’s response to our endorsement questionnaire here.