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About AFT Washington

AFT Washington is a state federation affiliated with the 1.6 million American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. We represent about 6,500 members including faculty from community and technical colleges and pre-K through 12 classified employees. We also jointly represent professors at Eastern, Central, and Western Washington universities and The Evergreen College with the Washington Education Association.

Our Mission

The mission of AFT Washington is to voice the ideals of our locals and members for workplace fairness and social justice while strengthening and focusing their collective power to attain those ideals.

Our Vision

The vision of AFT Washington is a just society with access for all to unions, education, health care, and social programs that provide equal opportunity. To that end, we will encourage and provide resources for potential members to become members, members to become activists, and activists to become leaders, growing the union, its scope, and its depth, so that our members see the power of the union, are drawn to it, and realize that the power comes from them, their commitment and involvement.

Our Values

AFT Washington values transformational unionism that includes: 

  • Strength through solidarity
  • Unity among diverse members
  • Action toward our goals
  • Democracy in our locals
  • Quality programs for students
  • Fairness for members

Toll free number for AFT Washington:

1-866-99-AFTWA or 1-866-992-3892


AFT Washington Committees

Listed below are the AFT Washington Committees and their chairs and staff liaisons as of 10/05/19. Please contact us if you would like more information or to participate in their work.

Audit Committee
Barb Randall-Saleh, Chair, AFT Washington VP for ParaProfessional Classified Personnel
Geno Amador, AFT Washington Staff

Budget Committee
Kenneth Pimpleton, Chair, AFT Washington Treasurer
Geno Amador, AFT Washington Staff
 
Contingent Faculty Issues Committee
Michael Boggess, Chair, VP for Contingent Faculty Issues 
Bob Downing, AFT Washington Staff
 
COPE Committee
Vacant, Chair, AFT Washington VP of COPE
Vacant, AFT Washington Staff

Human Rights Committee
Tracy Lai, Chair, AFT Washington VP for Human Rights
Ray Carrillo, AFT Washington Staff

Legal Defense Committee
Tran Phung, AFT Washington VP for Legal Defense

Legislative Affairs Committee
Jim Howe,Chair, AFT Washington VP for Legislative Affairs 
Carolyn Brotherton, AFT Washington Staff

Retiree Committee
Susan Levy, President, Retiree Chapter 8045R
Cortney Marabetta, AFT Washington Staff

About AFT PSRP

The Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel (PSRP) division of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, represents more than 350,000 school support staff in K-12 districts, colleges and universities. Our jobs include office employees, custodians, maintenance workers, bus drivers, instructional paraprofessionals, food service workers, school nurses and health aides, technicians, groundskeepers, secretaries, bookkeepers, mechanics, special education assistants and hundreds of other job titles.

About AFT Higher Education

The AFT represents higher education faculty (including both full- and part-time), professional staff and graduate employees, in all sectors of higher education—public and private, two-year and four-year institutions of higher education.

History of the AFT

Learn the history of the AFT, including the union's founding in Chicago in 1916, its affiliation with the AFL-CIO, its battles for workers and human rights and its continued work to uphold the proud traditions on which the union was created.

AFT Mission Statement

The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.


About the AFT

Learn more about the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), which was founded in 1916 to represent the economic, social and professional interests of classroom teachers and is an affiliated international union of the AFL-CIO.