May 2026
From the President
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a cohort of labor leaders, organized by the Labor Education and Research Center, where we focused on what it means to manage with labor’s values. The transition from a rank-and-file union member, to an organizer, to being entrusted to lead AFT Washington and serve our 6000+ members, has been rewarding, challenging, and if I’m honest, a bit isolating. As leaders yourselves I’m sure you can empathize because this seems to be an almost universal experience. Being in community with others who have or are navigating this arc was inspirational and transformative, and I am more excited than ever to engage with the work we do in our labor movement.
That experience reminded me of one of the first union leadership programs I attended years ago: Powerful Locals. This was pre-COVID, when many of our events were in person, facilitating easy conversations and the flow of ideas. And like our upcoming event (more information on that below!) it was at The Evergreen State College. For those of you who were there, you remember staying in the dorms and being impressed by how good the food was; you are also still carrying lessons learned into how you engage with other union members at your local. I know all of this, because I still hear about it!
Back then, those of us on the organizing track concluded our experience by doing house visits to our colleagues who hadn’t yet had their first union conversation. I was nervous, but then I was invited in to talk about our experiences working at Pierce College, and how our union was a resource, and an opportunity to work collectively on our issues. I left with more confidence in my ability to listen to coworkers and communicate the value of organizing. As it turns out, that confidence has stood me in good stead over the years as I’ve made the transitions I detailed above!
This upcoming August will be my first chance to participate, in person, again at Powerful Locals since 2019, and I am so excited to meet a new group of emerging union leaders! We have a whole slate of new workshops based on requests from members, including introducing new tools that were developed because of the work from our Job Security Task Force and a workshop on writing bylaws that work for your local. I am also looking forward to maybe running into a deer on the walk to the cafeteria and then having coffee and conversation with members over breakfast.
The program is open to whoever you feel would benefit from training on contract management and bargaining or member engagement and membership drives. This is a great opportunity for emerging leaders as well as for seasoned leaders who want a brush-up on these topics. We have more information – and a registration link – in this issue, and I invite you to join us.
Programs like Powerful Locals strengthen not only individual leaders, but entire locals and communities. I know the experience will shape how I approach the coming year as President, and I hope we welcome a record number of first-time attendees this August.
In solidarity,
Jacqui Cain, President