Martin Luther King Labor Council Votes to Remove SPOG

by Teasha Karell, PNWSU UFCW21 Chapter Representative

On Wednesday June 17th, 2020 the Martin Luther King County Labor Council voted to expel the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG).  As hundreds of more delegates poured into the Zoom based meeting than I had ever seen attend before, it became widely apparent that the debate of SPOG’s place within the council, as well as the bigger question of how labor will take on this work of police accountability was going to be a bigger fight than members in support of expulsion anticipated. Coming from four generations of union membership and activism, the idea of voting out any fellow labor group from the protections of a CLC was not something I would imagine taking part of. However, the point of expelling SPOG is because we as union members, staff, and activists must confront our responsibilities for undoing the anti-black, systemic racism that is embedded within our movement and throughout society. This transcendences arguments of solidarity when black and brown people are being murdered by members of the organization in question. 

There were hours of debate, multiple attempts of calling the process out of order, hacking of the meeting, and other attempts from SPOG’s supporters to prevent expulsion or even the vote itself. But after a nearly 5 hour meeting, for simply one item, a roll call vote solidified what community groups, BIPOC activists, and our own members had been demanding of labor: accountability. The resolution did not pass with a wide enough margin to feel local labor leaders have grown in our accountability to our own members, staff, and communities of color, just barely over 60%. Local SEIU chapters such as 925 and 1199NW, teacher’s unions such as SEA and HEA, Longshoreman, and UFCW21 had been the biggest champions of removing the guild. Unfortunately our union siblings within the building trades, steelworkers, firefighters, and baker’s unions did not agree with us. 

As was written in our delegation group chat from my local as the night went on: “Sometimes there are moments to act. Organizers seek such movements. We are in one. Process is never perfect, SPOG can earn their way back in. Re-affiliation with the Labor Council based on PROVEN change not promised change is very real progress. It is our responsibility to build PROVEN change together”. 

For additional background see: https://crosscut.com/2020/06/king-county-labor-council-expels-seattle-police-union