Clackamas County Employees’ Association (CCEA), a union representing over 1,300 Clackamas County Employees, has made candidate endorsements in the upcoming Clackamas County elections for the first time.
CCEA is endorsing Sonya Fischer for Clackamas County Commissioner Position 5 in the May 19 primary election. Fischer is running against incumbent Ben West, who declined to fill out CCEA’s endorsement form.
CCEA is also endorsing Catherine McMullen for County Clerk in the November 3 general election. McMullen is the incumbent and has been vocally supportive of CCEA during her time as clerk.
In the past, CCEA was politically neutral. But last year, as CCEA came close to striking and filed multiple unfair labor practice complaints with the state, conversations began about the role the union could play in local politics.
“A lot of our members were shocked by the actions our Board of County Commissioners took during bargaining, and how hostile they could be to the union during that time,” said CCEA President Alex Gonzalez. “So people kept asking, how do we make sure we have elected officials in place who actually support the workers next time?”
CCEA recently filed another unfair labor practice complaint with the state. Allegations include the concealing of information by Clackamas County in response to information requests, and unilateral changes to the layoff process without notifying CCEA or providing the opportunity to bargain as required by the Public Employees Collective Bargaining Act.
“Our members love serving the community,” said Gonzalez. “That’s why they work in public service. And they deserve county leadership that supports them. Catherine McMullen has always been supportive, and we believe that Sonya Fischer is the pro-labor voice we need on the Board of County Commissioners. A strong workforce means strong support services for the public and we need elected officials to support that.”
CCEA opted not to make endorsements in all races, but may make additional endorsements if there are November runoff elections.
