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MintyHawk

@minty_hawk

Apr 16

Joe Mizrahi is the Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW 3000, the largest private-sector union in Washington state. He also sits on the Seattle School Board representing District 4.

For decades, UFCW locals have used front groups to block WinCo stores from opening. Now a Portland-based entity with no apparent Washington presence has derailed WinCo's first Seattle store, and Mizrahi's union, which has a direct financial interest in keeping non-union grocers out of the market, has said nothing.

All while publicly mourning the loss of grocery access in the same Council District (5). /1

First, the basics. UFCW 3000 represents more than 50,000 workers across Washington, mostly in grocery and healthcare. Mizrahi is the #2, elected to the Secretary-Treasurer role three times. He co-chairs a $2 billion pension fund. He's not a figurehead. He runs the operation.

(Source: , LinkedIn) /2joe4schools.com/about

Between August and September 2025, Kroger announced it was closing four Fred Meyer stores in the Puget Sound region: Lake City (Seattle), Everett, Kent, and Redmond. UFCW 3000 said 703 workers would be affected across the four stores.

UFCW 3000 was furious. Their statement called it a threat to "food access for working class communities" and noted that three of the four closing stores were in zip codes below median income.

(Source: Fox 13, 8/19/25) /3

Read 20 tweets

MintyHawk

@minty_hawk

Apr 15

https://x.com/minty_hawk/status/2044134232021446839

Seattle's Hearing Examiner just blocked WinCo Foods from opening in the old Sam's Club at 13550 Aurora Ave N, a building that's been vacant since 2018. The SEPA appeal was filed by a group called "Lake Washington Working Families."

Sounds like concerned neighbors, right? Let's talk about a pattern. /1

https://x.com/minty_hawk/status/2044134232021446839

WinCo is the 2nd-largest employee-owned company in America. 145 stores across 10 states. 20,000+ employee-owners. Over 500 employee-owners are millionaires through the company's ESOP (employee stock ownership plan).

They sell groceries cheaper than Walmart. No credit cards. No frills. Bag your own. /2

There's one thing WinCo doesn't have: a UFCW contract.

The United Food and Commercial Workers union has been trying to organize WinCo for decades and failing. WinCo employees repeatedly decline unionization because they don't want to risk their ESOP.

So the UFCW adopted a different strategy: if you can't organize the workers, block the stores. /3

Read 21 tweets

MintyHawk

@minty_hawk

Apr 2

A Senate Majority Leader wrote a $2/gallon tax incentive for sustainable aviation fuel.
The company that benefited most from his legislation hired him when he left office.
He now earns $30K–$60K/year from them.
This is how apparent conflicts compound into public costs. /1

Andy Billig (D-Spokane) sponsored SB 5447 in 2023 as Senate Majority Leader.

It created a $2/gallon tax incentive for sustainable aviation fuel producers and users in Washington State.
The bill passed. Gov. Inslee signed it. /2

SkyNRG Americas announced an $800M fuel plant in Walla Walla shortly after.

Their own statement cited “new business-friendly legislation” as the reason they chose Washington.

The tax incentive Billig sponsored is worth up to $100M in forgone state revenue on that plant’s projected output alone. /3

Read 9 tweets

MintyHawk

@minty_hawk

Mar 30

https://twitter.com/minty_hawk/status/2037251358340829667

Update.

We pulled the City of Seattle's consultant contract database. It's more interesting than we thought. /1

https://twitter.com/minty_hawk/status/2037251358340829667

Noel Frame was the Director of Policy and Planning at BDS Planning when she won her primary in August 2016.

Before her election: 7 city contracts, 2 departments, $286,000 total. About $63K/year. After her election: 15 city contracts, 6 departments, $1,308,175 total. About $145K/year.

Her firm's city revenue more than doubled the day she took office. /2

The firm's single largest contract in its entire 14-year history with the city? $400,000 for "Comprehensive Business Improvement Area Support." Awarded May 2024. The same year Frame became Vice Chair of Finance on Ways & Means. /3

Read 8 tweets

MintyHawk

@minty_hawk

Mar 26

A Washington State Senator runs a consulting firm. The legislature created a program at the Department of Commerce. Her firm got the contract to run it. She now controls Commerce’s budget. /1

@NoelFrame has been at Uncommon Bridges (formerly BDS Planning) since 2016. In August 2025, she was formally named Managing Partner. The firm has 16 employees and specializes in government consulting. Her F1 shows she earns $60K-$100K from the firm. That’s more than her Senate salary. /2

@NoelFrame In 2022, the legislature passed HB 1724, creating a Permanent Supportive Housing Advisory Committee at the Department of Commerce. It passed 96-1. Frame voted yes. She didn’t sponsor it. She didn’t need to. /3

Read 10 tweets

MintyHawk

@minty_hawk

Mar 21

@seiu775 paid @LizBerryWA 's firm $86,950 over two years. Two signed public filings describe that money. They don't match. /1

Berry's Washington State F1 disclosure calls the work "Software Development." SEIU 775's federal LM-2 filing calls the same payments "Representational Activities." Both are signed under penalty of perjury. /2

"Representational Activities" is the LM-2 category unions use for lobbying and member advocacy. It is not the category for buying software. The category for that is "General Overhead" or "Office and Administrative Expense." /3

Read 8 tweets

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