January 2026
From the President
Last week marked my six-month anniversary as President for AFT Washington, and what I’ve been looking forward to the most has finally arrived. January has turned out to be a month of action!
I was able to cross ‘taking the train to Portland’ off my bucket list (highly recommend) and was inspired by working with other union leaders at our regional meeting. Members noted the workshops on fighting authoritarianism and the evening discussion with Randi Weingarten as highlights and standout learning opportunities.
For myself, I would like to elevate the vigil and rally at that regional leader meeting to honor and remember Renee Good, and to stand in solidarity with all the communities impacted by these events and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence. It was powerful to stand with AFT members and listen to Randi Weingarten, as well as elected representatives and labor leaders, remember Renee and share our commitment to our progressive values and the social justice movement.
Just this week, Martin Luther King Jr.’s day was another opportunity for action. I had the privilege to be at the state capital and introduce our AFT members who were invited to a Senate Higher Education & Workforce Committee work session. Members turned out to share with legislators their experiences, as well as the experiences of others, when there are no guardrails on how student complaints are processed on our campuses. This builds on the work of AFT Washington’s Human Rights Committee and the Anti-Racism in Collective Bargaining project spearheaded by that committee, which developed bargaining language to strengthen transparency and faculty protections during the complaint investigation and evaluations processes. We know and have documented that faculty from traditionally marginalized communities, women, and contingent faculty, are disproportionately impacted in the face of retaliatory complaints. (If you aren’t familiar with the ARC-B’s work, you can find the reports on our website, under Resources > Anti-Racism Resources.)
Listening to our faculty’s experiences, including their real fear of retaliation for speaking out on this issue considering the current political climate, shows what is possible when we remain steadfast and support each other. This work is ongoing, and we were encouraged by the positive response from Senator Nobles and others on the committee.
Having the opportunity to be in Olympia with the other organizations and our community partners such as WEA and Communities for our Colleges, keeps me optimistic in the face of what is gearing up to be a challenging legislative session. We are just getting started with this new year, but we know that when we fight, we win, and showing up is the first step!
We have plenty of opportunities to come together over the year, for testimony on bills, events in person at the Capitol, this summer’s Powerful Locals, May Day, the next No Kings protest, and the midterms. The calendar is already full, so maybe it’s better to say that this is shaping up to be a year of action!
But first up is Lobby Day. Come join us and let’s stand together as a strong AFT community. See you there on February 16th!
In solidarity,
Jacqui Cain, President