John,

On June 4, voters in DC will have the opportunity to vote for two champions for working families and workers' rights on the DC Council.

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO is proud to announce our endorsements of the following DC candidates in the June 4 primary:

Ward 2: No endorsement (no candidate returned questionnaire)
Ward 4: Janeese Lewis George
Ward 7: No endorsement (no candidate met two-thirds majority threshold)
Ward 8: No endorsement (no candidate returned questionnaire)
At-Large: Robert White

In addition to the regularly scheduled primary on June 4, recall campaigns against Councilmembers in Ward 1 and Ward 6 are currently in the signature collection process.

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO strongly opposes both DC recall campaigns and encourages all voters to reject the recalls.

"The DC COPE committee unanimously opposes the recall effort against Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau and Charles Allen," said Herbert Harris Jr, DC COPE Co-Chair and State Representative – DC, of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "Councilmembers Nadeau and Allen have proven through their tenure on the Council to being committed to DC residents, and are working diligently every day in the interest of the people of the District of Columbia."

"These recall campaigns are a dark-money, underhanded attempt to undermine democracy in the District of Columbia," Harris added. "Union members in Wards 1 and 6 should carefully read and not sign any recall petitions.”

Endorsement process

In April 2024 the DC Committee on Political Education (COPE) sent questionnaires to all candidates for DC Council. See all the responses to our 2024 candidate questionnaires.

Candidates who submitted questionnaire responses were invited to participate in in-person interviews with DC COPE members. Based on both questionnaires and interviews, the committee chairs presented recommendations to the Delegates at the May 20, 2024 Delegates meeting. At last night's meeting Delegates voted to accept the recommendations.

The Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO unites over 150 union locals who represent more than 150,000 workers in every industry in Washington DC and five counties in Maryland. Together we advocate, educate, and organize to improve the lives of all working people in the DC region.

We look forward to working in solidarity with our Affiliate unions to support our endorsed candidates between now and June 4, and to oppose the recall efforts later this year.