MLK Labor

What MLK Labor does

MLK Labor, legally the Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council, is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington, affiliated with the National AFL-CIO. Founded in 1888 as the West Central Labor Union, the organization represents more than 150 affiliated unions and 220,000+ workers across diverse industries including aerospace (IAM 751 representing Boeing workers), healthcare (SEIU 1199NW), retail (UFCW 3000), hospitality (UNITE HERE Local 8), and public sector unions. The council operates under democratic governance with elected delegates, an Executive Board, and three-year leadership terms, and is staffed by approximately 10 employees at its Seattle Labor Temple headquarters.

MLK Labor's core operations span four functions: political endorsements and candidate support, organizing and member recruitment, workforce development, and community coalition building. Its technology-enabled product portfolio includes UNtemp (a union-backed dispatch platform for temporary work launched June 2026 in partnership with The Workers Lab), UnionHiringHall.org (a virtual hiring hall funded by the City of Seattle, King County, and the U.S. Department of Labor), and the People's Organizing Center (an umbrella organization formed January 2026 that houses the Seattle Presidents' Organizing Initiative and the MLK Worker Innovation Center). The People's Organizing Center has coordinated 21 local unions to organize 18,000+ new members since January 2020. Strategic initiatives include the FIFA Labor Standards Agreement for the 2026 World Cup and worker cooperative incubation through the MLK Worker Innovation Center.

The organization's business model relies on per capita taxes collected from affiliated unions based on their membership size, supplemented by grants from public entities (City of Seattle, King County, U.S. Department of Labor) and partnership resources from organizations like The Workers Lab and Movement Action Fund. As a 501(c)-style non-profit labor federation, MLK Labor does not charge workers directly for services and does not have traditional equity ownership; it is collectively governed by its delegate body. Since 2021, Executive Secretary-Treasurer Katie Garrow has overseen $80B+ in infrastructure funding wins for union-built projects, 16,000 workers unionized through multi-union organizing, and the election of 100+ union members to public office in South King County.

Name

MLK Labor

Legal name

Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council

Website

https://mlklabor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MLK Labor is the AFL-CIO-affiliated central labor council for King County, Washington, representing 150+ affiliated unions and 220,000+ workers across aerospace, healthcare, retail, and public sectors. It coordinates organizing, political endorsements, and operates workforce platforms including UNtemp and UnionHiringHall.org.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Council Services

NAICS

Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (813930), Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (81393)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Services Labor Staffing (BPACAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Data, Labor Market Intelligence (LMI) & Program Evaluation (EDAAAOAN), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Labor council services
• Worker organizing programs
• Union job placement
• Collective bargaining support
• Workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Per Capita Taxes from Affiliated Unions: MLK Labor represents over 150 affiliated unions. As a central labor body affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the organization collects per capita taxes from member unions based on their membership size to fund operations, political activities, and organizing programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MLK Labor (Martin Luther King, Jr. County Labor Council) is the central body of labor organizations in King County, Washington, affiliated with the AFL-CIO. It represents more than 150 affiliated unions and 220,000+ workers, coordinating labor organizing, political endorsements, collective bargaining support, and operating workforce development platforms including a virtual union hiring hall and a union-backed temporary work dispatch platform.

Product overview

MLK Labor operates as a central body of labor organizations in King County, WA, offering technology-enabled workforce development and worker organizing programs. Its core product portfolio includes UNtemp (a union-backed dispatch platform for temporary work), the People's Organizing Center (an umbrella organization housing innovative worker organizing programs), UnionHiringHall.org (a virtual hiring hall for union jobs), and the MLK Worker Innovation Center (a nonprofit incubator for worker cooperatives). The organization functions as a labor council representing over 150 unions and 220,000 workers, focused on building worker power through organizing, political action, and consumer advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• People's Organizing Center: Umbrella organization for workforce development and worker organizing innovation, including Seattle Presidents' Organizing Initiative and MLK Worker Innovation Center
• UNtemp
• UnionHiringHall.org

Products and services

• UNtemp

Quantifiable outcome

• Organized 18,000+ new union members since January 2020 through the People’s Organizing Center
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Workers LabcoreTechnology or Integration · 2 June 2026The Workers Lab provided designers and engineers who partnered with the MLK Worker Innovation Center to develop UNtemp, a union-backed dispatch platform for temporary work. This web platform connects unionized cooperative members with MLK Worker Innovation Center administrative staff and paying clients.
• SEIU 6 Property Services NWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEIU 6 represents the Seattle Janitors Cooperative, one of the first two cooperatives operating under the UNtemp platform for temporary work associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• Seattle Event Services CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the first two worker cooperatives operating under the UNtemp platform, providing structure for workers to coordinate jobs, pool resources, and sustain work collectively for temporary events.
• UFCW 3000majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000 collaborated on the UNtemp initiative and received acknowledgment for guidance and partnership in redefining temporary work standards.
• IATSE 15majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 15 partnered on the UNtemp initiative for worker protections during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• FIFA Local Organizing CommitteemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FIFA Local Organizing Committee partnered with MLK Labor to develop a first-of-its-kind Labor Standards Agreement for the 2026 World Cup in Seattle.
• King County Councilmember Teresa MosquedamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncilmember Mosqueda provided guidance and partnership as part of the coalition working to ensure temporary workers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are held to high labor standards.
• Movement Action FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovement Action Fund contributed resources and partnership to the UNtemp initiative and worker-centered temporary employment standards.
• City of SeattlemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Seattle provided funding for the Virtual Hiring Hall workforce development project, which later rebranded as UnionHiringHall.org.
• King CountymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKing County co-funded the Virtual Hiring Hall workforce development initiative alongside the City of Seattle.
• National AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLK Labor is affiliated with the National AFL-CIO, the central labor organization in the United States representing more than 13 million working people. The AFL-CIO provides national coordination, resources, and shared policy frameworks.
• Washington State Labor CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMLK Labor works with the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) on shared legislative priorities, political campaigns, and statewide labor initiatives.
• Puget Sound Labor AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Puget Sound Labor Agency is labor’s food bank serving the community for over 40 years, providing assistance to families, individuals, seniors and disabled clients through food bank, family support services, community services, and union retiree resources.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York City Central Labor Council: AFL-CIO central labor council coordinating 300+ affiliated unions representing 1.5 million+ workers in New York City. Direct peer because it performs the same umbrella coordinating, organizing, and political mobilization role for a dense urban membership base.
• Los Angeles County Federation of Labor: One of the largest AFL-CIO central labor councils in the U.S., representing 300+ unions and 800,000+ workers in LA County. Direct peer because it performs the same central labor council function in a different major metropolitan region, with comparable organizing, political, and workforce development activities.
• Washington State Labor Council (WSLC): The state-level central labor body in Washington, affiliated with AFL-CIO. Direct peer because it operates one tier above MLK Labor in the same federation structure, coordinating 600+ affiliated unions statewide on the same organizing, political endorsement, and policy advocacy functions.
• San Francisco Labor Council: Bay Area AFL-CIO central labor council representing 150+ affiliated unions and 150,000+ workers. Direct peer due to comparable coastal urban structure, focus on tech-sector and service-worker organizing, and similar hiring hall and workforce development activities.
• Chicago Federation of Labor: An AFL-CIO central labor council representing over 300 affiliated unions in Cook County, IL. Direct peer due to identical central body structure, political endorsement process, and member organizing focus in a major U.S. metro region.

Broad incumbents

• Service Employees International Union (SEIU): A national labor union representing 2 million+ healthcare, property services, and public sector workers. MLK Labor's affiliated local SEIU 1199NW is a major council member, and SEIU's national organizing model directly informs the People's Organizing Center's collaborative multi-union approach.
• UNITE HERE: A national labor union representing 300,000+ workers in hotels, gaming, food service, and related industries. One of MLK Labor's largest affiliated unions (via UNITE HERE Local 8, whose president sits as MLK Labor's Vice President). Comparable in worker organizing and contract negotiation functions but at national union scale rather than central council scale.
• AFL-CIO (National): The national federation that MLK Labor is directly affiliated with, representing 13 million working people across 60+ national unions. Broad incumbent because it operates the umbrella coordination framework MLK Labor participates in, providing national policy, branding, and resource allocation.

Peers

• Strategic Organizing Center (SOC):

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mlk-labor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MLK Labor