ABOUT OPEIU LOCAL 8

Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 8 is a democratically run union that has been working for social and economic justice since 1945. The leaders of the union are elected from within the Local's membership by the members of the union. Local 8 members vote on important union decisions at monthly Membership Meetings which are always voluntary.

Local 8 has more than 4,000 members from 65 different workplaces, or bargaining units, throughout Washington, including Group Health Cooperative, Providence Hospital-Everett, Seattle Housing Authority, Valley Medical Center, King County/Metro, The Fremont Public Association, Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Coastal Community Action Program, Unemployment Law Project, Willapa Harbor Hospital, Low Income Housing Institute, Washington Dental Service, Washington State Ferries, and many others.

Each workplace bargaining unit has its own union contract that defines, guarantees and protects all conditions of employment and is unique to that workplace. Employees within each bargaining unit decide what improvements they want made in wages, benefits, hours and working conditions. They determine the issues and what gets negotiated with their employer, they elect a team of fellow employees to sit at the contract bargaining table along with the Local 8 staff union representative. Once a tentative agreement is reached with management, employees vote on whether to accept or reject what has been negotiated.