Inslee urges construction industry labor groups to back COVID shots

SPOKANE — Leaders of construction industry labor organizations can save lives by encouraging their members to get COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday at the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council Convention.

“I just want to ask you to join me and try to help your members, your family members and your relatives to at least think hard about getting this vaccine,” Inslee said to attendees at The Davenport hotel. “I don’t want you to lose a single one of your members, and it just hits me right in my heart when we lose people to a preventable disease.”

The Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council is a coalition of more than 60 construction-related labor organizations. The organization also performs research and member outreach.

Inslee told the group his decision to implement a statewide vaccine requirement for state employees, health care workers, those in education and other groups, was not easy but necessary to save thousands of lives and allow schools to remain open.

Under the mandate, workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 18.

Regarding the infrastructure debate in Washington, D.C., Inslee said persistence is key when advocating for the federal spending that could fund several projects across the state, adding he was frustrated by the lack of progress on the bill.

“There’s big needs in our state … everyone should go and do everything they can to get legislators to have serious discussions to really get this ball going,” he said. “I would have hoped we would have had more progress today from some of our legislators. As my frustration builds, I will continue to try to inspire them to come up with some consensus.”

Inslee touted the Career Connect Washington Program, which was created in 2017 to connect youths with learning opportunities that prepare them for high-demand, high-wage jobs.