UAW 4121 Endorsements for November 2025

Deb Krishnadasan – Washington State Senator, 26th Legislative District

UAW endorses Deb Krishnadasan for Senate in the 26th Legislative District. Senator Krishnadasan got her start in public service serving on the Peninsula School Board, where she advocated for levies to increase public school funding and support teachers. Now Senator Krishnadasan serves on the Legislature’s Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, where she continues to be a champion for the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other workers. When interviewed, she demonstrated a desire to further support higher education as well. She is a strong proponent for progressive revenue, which contrasts with her opponent who sponsored a bill to provide tax relief to health insurance agencies. As the wife of an immigrant, Krishnadasan understands the barriers immigrants face in Washington state and is committed to expanding immigrants’ access to resources. Vote to retain State Senator Deb Krishnadasan!

Vandana Slatter – Washington State Senator, 48th Legislative District

Members across the state enthusiastically endorse Vandana Slatter for Senate in the 48th Legislative District! We are excited about endorsing a representative who received her Doctor of Pharmacy from UW, and who so intimately understands the importance of supporting and funding higher education workers and scientific researchers, having stood with our members at UW, WSU, and WWU during contract fights over the last several years. Last year, seeing the onslaught of attacks from the Trump Administration on our workforce, Senator Slatter passed the bipartisan Senate Resolution 8651 to recommit the state to scientific enterprise and evidence-based decision making. She has fiercely fought and defended student aid, including WA college grants for graduate and professional students. As an immigrant herself, Slatter is also a large proponent of protecting our immigrant and undocumented members. Vote Vandana Slatter for State Senator for the 48th Legislative District!

Edwin Obras – Washington State Representative, 33rd Legislative District, Position No. 1

Edwin Obras has earned UAW’s endorsement to continue representing the 33rd Legislative District in Washington state! In our interview, Edwin spoke about fighting for progressive revenue, and protecting higher education funding in our state. In his first year, he signed on to co-sponsor our bill, HB 1570, to expand collective bargaining rights to many student workers at Regional Universities If re-elected, his priorities for next session include supporting worker’s rights, and advocating for housing affordability (as he has already done in Burien/SeaTac), in contrast to his opponent, who has testified against rent stabilization. Vote to retain Edwin Obras!

Girmay Zahilay – King County Executive

UAW endorses Girmay Zahilay’s bid for King County Executive. Currently in his sixth year on the King County Council, and serving as its Chair, Zahilay is a dedicated urbanist and labor advocate focused on affordability, housing density, public transit, and the safety of pedestrians and transit riders. In his role as District 2 County Councillor, Girmay has consistently demonstrated his values with proposals such as: minimum wage increases, a guaranteed basic income pilot, a levy to fund crisis care centers, and a workforce housing proposal. When he was a child, Zahilay’s family arrived in King County as refugees from South Sudan, and he credits the county’s public safety net for their well-being. From this background, Zahilay profoundly  understands the importance of protecting and uplifting underserved and immigrant communities. The UAW believes that Zahilay’s council experience, demonstrated commitments, and personal history make him a deserving candidate for your vote this November. Vote Girmay Zahilay for King County Executive!

Katie Wilson – Seattle Mayor

Business as usual is failing to close the gaping economic disparities between working people and the extremely wealthy in the Puget Sound area while Trump and his regime continue escalating attacks on research, higher education, immigrants, and workers rights. This is a pivotal moment in Seattle, and we are excited to endorse Katie Wilson for Seattle Mayor with a fresh vision for Seattle that includes massive expansions of affordable housing and public transit, childcare, and building a city that centers on workers. Katie not only has the policies and priorities that our members are looking for in candidates, but has the organizing track records to get things done—we know this because she’s been a longtime ally of our union and worked alongside us organizing community support with the Transit Rider’s Union when we fought for a U-PASS for all employees at UW (and won!). Vote for Katie Wilson for Mayor of Seattle!

Erika Evans – Seattle City Attorney

Erika Evans has earned UAW’s endorsement for City Attorney. She plans to put workers first: by collaborating with other city offices (such as the Office of Labor Standards), and with local unions like us to ensure that employers in violation of labor laws are investigated properly and held accountable. Further, she intends to create a new Anti-Hate and Bias Crimes Unit in the City Attorney office focused on identifying and proactively prosecuting hate crimes in the city. We see this as advantageous for our members to ensure that instances of hate and bias crimes (which currently are inadequately addressed) are properly handled. Evans also has extensive experience with constitutional law and will leverage this experience to take a proactive stance on protecting Seattle residents from the widespread illegality of the current federal administration’s sweeping actions. Overall, we are confident she will be the best partner to have in the City Attorney office for our members, and Seattle residents as a whole. Vote Erika Evans for Seattle City Attorney!

Eddie Lin – Seattle City Council, District 2

UAW endorses Eddie Lin in his bid for Seattle City Council District 2. Lin is currently a lawyer with experience working in labor law. He plans to use his position on Council to support labor priorities and the working class in Seattle. Lin is also interested in working to pass a progressive tax code to fund social safety net programs, such as childcare, and cares deeply about expanding access to affordable housing. He is also strongly opposed to the increasing surveillance programs in Seattle and wants the money that supports those programs to go towards efforts to protect immigrants, such as providing know-your-rights materials. Lin has also joined multiple protests in support of federal workers and has canvassed with the MLK Labor Council. We encourage you to vote for Eddie Lin this November!

Alexis Mercedes Rinck – Seattle City Council, Position 8

UAW proudly endorses Alexis Mercedes Rinck for City Council Position 8. Rinck was the only council member to openly support Seattle’s social housing initiative, Proposition 1A. In her first year on council, she initiated the Federal Response Task Force to help protect Seattleites from federal over-reach, including introducing the Seattle Shield Initiative, which raises taxes on wealthy large businesses to pay for human services. As a Seattle renter herself, she understands the struggles many of our members face, and is committed to enhancing renter protections and affordability. Rinck has stood with UAW 4121 on picket lines in the past, and we encourage you to stand with her in the polls this November. Vote Alexis Mercedes Rinck for Seattle City Council, Position 8!

Dionne Foster – Seattle City Council, Position 9

UAW endorses Dionne Foster for Seattle City Council Position 9. As the Executive Director of the Progress Alliance of Washington, Foster has played key roles in protecting labor and immigrants, and supporting progressive revenue efforts. Foster’s Progress Alliance has fought to block a rollback of Seattle’s gig worker protections championed by her opponent in 2024. Further, Foster has passed–and subsequently defended–Washington’s capital gains tax and Climate Commitment Act, and established unemployment benefits for undocumented workers alongside the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network. Foster consistently demonstrates her commitment to protecting workers and immigrants in our community, and these commitments—at a time of federal rollbacks—are exactly what we need. Vote for Dionne Foster for Seattle City Council, Position 9!

Joe Mizrahi – Seattle School Board Director, District 4

UAW endorses Joe Mizrahi for Seattle School Board District 4. Mizrahi is a member and elected leader of his union, UFCW 3000, and his organizing experiences motivate Joe to serve on the school board as a way to ensure that the needs of underserved Seattle students and families are heard loud and clear. This means supporting access to specialized programs and mental health services. Further, Mizrahi is a champion for progressive revenue, and rejects inequitable austerity measures for dealing with budget shortfalls. As a voice for labor on the School Board, he would be a key ally for teachers’ and other school employee unions during negotiations. We are excited for labor to continue having a strong advocate on the Seattle School Board. Vote Joe Mizrahi for Seattle School Board, District 4!

Yes on Prop. 2 – Changes to the Business and Occupation Tax

UAW recommends a Yes vote on the Seattle Shield Initiative. The Seattle Shield Initiative is a progressive revenue proposal that plans to restructure the City of Seattle’s Business and Occupation Tax so that 90% of the city’s businesses will pay less and 75% will not pay the tax at all. The goal of this is to protect small businesses. The remaining 10% of the city’s largest and wealthiest businesses (those that generate more than $2 million in annual revenue) will pay higher taxes, generating an estimated $81 million in annual revenue for the City of Seattle.  This revenue will go towards both the city’s general fund and to address the financial impacts of federal policy changes on local social services, including the Office of Labor Standards. The proposal will benefit our members by making the wealthiest corporations pay what they owe, while simultaneously supporting small businesses and worker’s rights. We’re excited to vote Yes on the Seattle Shield Initiative this November!

Yes on Prop. 1 – Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy

The renewal (and expansion!) of the Family, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) levy will be on the ballot this year. Seattle voters initially approved the levy in 2018, and now have the opportunity once again to support the investment of 1.3 billion dollars in our city’s youth. The levy will support increasing access to Seattle’s preschool program, the establishment of additional school health centers in K-12 schools with the capacity to provide mental healthcare for students, and will expand post-secondary career support–including universal access to free, two-year degree programs and increased access to trades certification programs. Voting yes on FEPP is a straightforward way to help support our members who are raising families in Seattle, and to ensure that access to higher education is preserved. Vote yes on FEPP!

Sarah Perry – King County Council, District 3

UAW endorses Sarah Perry for King County District 3! Perry consistently champions working-class families and public-sector employees—advocating vigorously for living wages, reliable public transportation, and affordable housing, including her work on the 2024 King County Comprehensive Plan that decreased barriers to building affordable housing in a way that supports the environment and addresses the needs of rural King County. Perry approaches her role on King County Council by centering the voices of workers and students, and prioritizing  climate and racial justice. For example, she worked to protect civil liberties by prohibiting widespread facial recognition use by the county. Perry has been a strong ally while representing UW Bothell campus, and we are excited for her continued leadership  as our representative for King County District 3. Vote Sarah Perry for King County Council, District 3!

You can also see previous endorsement posts and announcements here.

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