Seattle city workers union backs Katie Wilson for mayor

The largest union representing city of Seattle workers is backing Katie Wilson for mayor, a notable endorsement in favor of the person trying to unseat its members’ boss.

The union, PROTEC17, represents about 3,000 workers for the city. Director Karen Estevenin said Thursday that members see Mayor Bruce Harrell, who’s been a City Hall fixture since 2008, as someone who’s “maintaining” the status quo. Wilson, on the other hand, represents the city’s larger potential, she said.

“I think people are really looking for transformation,” she said.

Up to now, both labor and business have largely sided with Harrell. The MLK Labor council, a coalition of around 150 unions, voted to endorse the incumbent mayor in May, a shift from 2021 when the organization backed his challenger, M. Lorena González.

Estevenin said PROTEC17’s decision to endorse Wilson was difficult. She respects Harrell and “what he’s trying to do at a very, very difficult time.” Her union supported the mayor’s housing and transportation ballot measures and was pleased with the contract he helped to negotiate.

At the same time, the union has been frustrated with Harrell’s demands that workers return to the office and the bumpy rollout of a new payroll system that has resulted in a class-action lawsuit.

Estevenin said the union came to its conclusion after several rounds of outreach to members yielded a decisive tilt toward Wilson.

Speaking Thursday, Wilson said, “I know that it is not an easy thing for people and organizations with skin in the game to support a challenger to such an incumbent, especially when that incumbent is your boss.”

The outcome of this year’s race for mayor will hinge on whether voters crave stability in the face of an oppositional federal government or change away from establishment politicians.

Harrell is betting on the former — that now is not the time to learn on the job — while Wilson is hoping the shift toward the left in New York’s mayoral race has implications for Seattle.

Wilson is matching Harrell on fundraising, with both having amassed nearly half a million dollars and bumping up against the cap candidates agree to in order to collect fundraising vouchers. Independent political committees have also started pouring money into the race. A committee for Harrell has raised nearly $200,000.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Harrell’s campaign said, We are proud to be the labor backed candidate in this race, and pointed to support from MLK Labor and other unions, including the Seattle Fire Fighters Union.