DOC Teamster Marc Baker on the first day of the convention, ready to cut his teeth on Teamster politics.. 

The 31st International Brotherhood of Teamsters Convention is happening this week in Las Vegas. It's an incredible event when thousands of rank-and-file Teamsters from across the country come together to talk about ways to build worker power.

One of those rank-in-filers is Marc Baker, a Shop Steward and Corrections Officer at the Monroe Correctional Complex. Baker has been involved in many aspects of our Union including signing up new members, lobbying in Olympia, and participating in DOC contract negotiations. But this is his first foray into the greater Teamsters political arena.

We wanted to hear a little about his experience as he jumps into his role as one of the Local 117 delegates to the convention.

What were your expectations coming to the IBT Convention?

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. I just wanted to see what it was all about and connect with Teamsters from across the country. 

What has your experience been like so far? Have there been any surprises?

I've been impressed at how Teamsters from across the country have such similar goals and values to those of us in Washington State.

What can you tell us about Local 117's delegation to the Convention?

 Local 117 has a very large, diverse delegation, and we show up!

What would you like your co-workers at MCC and other Local 117 members to know about your experience?

If I could convey one message to my colleagues at MCC it would be to impress on them the amount of energy, time, effort, and money that the Teamsters put into making the working class strong again. I would also like to impress how disturbing it is when people avoid paying their dues because the work we're doing here is mission critical and they are only harming that.

Talk about what this experience means to you as a member of Local 117?

This experience has reinforced in me the notion that labor is the only positive political movement. You can be Republican and pro-labor. You can be Democrat and pro-labor. You can be Independent and pro-labor. If you can chew gum and walk - whatever it is that you do - you can be pro-labor. We all need to start walking the walk.

Our Local 117 delegation to the 31st Teamsters International Union Convention.