Item No.:     8a Motion 
Date of Meeting: April 12, 2011 
PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION 
MOTIONS HONORING AND SUPPORTING PUBLIC EMPLOYEES 
AS READ INTO THE RECORD AND ADOPTED on April 12, 2011 
Statement in Support of Motions 
The labor movement has been central to Washington's history and Washington has a proud
record of supporting and passing worker protection laws ensuring workplace safety and honoring and
safeguarding living wage jobs. The Port of Seattle also has a rich history of working men and women on
the docks, in the trades, and other occupations. These workers have provided vital services to our
region with professionalism and integrity, and have worked hard to make our communities good places
to live, work, and raise families. 
Public employees at all levels of government in Washington State are talented, skilled, and hardworking
neighbors and family members. The Port of Seattle is responsible directly and indirectly for
over 194,000 jobs for our region, and directly employs close to 1,600 public employees. Port employees
provide professional, dedicated service throughout their employment, and many of them are union
members. 
Public employees throughout our nation have lost their jobs and have experienced reduced
wages and benefits as a result of the devastating recession.  Labor unions and employees around the
country  including at the Port of Seattle  have stepped forward to voluntarily participate in wage and
benefit reductions, furloughs and/or other cost-saving measures to preserve the jobs of their fellow
employees and assist in managing the impacts of the recession on governmental budgets. These
employees have also worked with management to develop creative ways to reduce costs and improve
efficiencies. 
With this motion, the Port Commission wishes to reaffirm our support to all workers and
workers' rights for Port employees as well as employees of Port-related businesses, as expressed in the
Commission motion passed in honor of Labor Day on September 1, 2009. 
Motions 
The PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION hereby moves the following: 
(1) The Commission honors and respects the work of all our public employees, and will continue to
call on them to carry out their duties and be creative about making the Port more transparent,
productive, and efficient. 
(2) The Commission reaffirms our support for workers across Washington State to organize and to
bargain collectively. We oppose any attempt to restrict or eliminate collective bargaining in the
State. 
(3) The Commission reaffirms our commitment to a fair and respectful process and to bargaining in
good faith with our public employees.