April 2024
From the President
I was pretty thrilled a couple of weeks ago when I went to the fifth Mariners’ game of the season with my son, daughter-in-law and a couple of friends, scored a Julio bobblehead, and witnessed a win! But wait, those weren’t even the highlights of the evening! The real highlight was when Vicky, my son’s friend, greeted me with a big hug and “I have a great report for you on our contract!” The last time we spoke was in July when she and her city librarian co-workers were in a struggle to get a respectable COLA … at that time it seemed the struggle might go on for a while. And it did, given this was on April 1st and they had just ratified a contract with meaningful retroactive raises. I was happy with their win but thrilled by Vicky’s display of pride and satisfaction with the collective power of her and her co-workers. The fact that it was the first thing she wanted to tell me about put me over the moon!
When I sat down to write my column this month, several topics came to mind - this summer’s conventions, resolutions on climate, workplace respect, and investments in the common good, our newest local’s ratification of their first contract and our two soon-to-be new locals. As I reflected on the commonalities among the list, I thought about Vicky and the theme was obvious – the power of the collective and the uplifting effect it has on all of us in the labor movement when we achieve and share those wins that make jobs, and our lives, better.
The Washington State Labor Council and AFT hold their conventions in July in Wenatchee and Houston, respectively. Conventions give us the chance to take an active role in the labor movement and to build relationships with our union siblings across professions, learning about challenges and wins, and discovering our common ground.
The WSLC convention (July 16 – 18) provides the opportunity to work with labor allies to pass resolutions in support of our members. We’ll engage organized labor to resolve to fight for better wages and respect on the job for our school-related personnel and for investments in the staff and faculty of the community and technical colleges. Workshops covering a wide range of topics will be on offer and we’ll hear from labor and community leaders, along with plenty of time for relationship building, aka socializing.
AFT’s convention has a different feel…with 3000+ delegates that’s not a surprise. We attend committee meetings to discuss resolutions, hear from national leaders, and learn about the constituencies and programs of AFT. I always leave convention refueled and having gained clarity on the power we hold as a collective of working people.
AFT Washington is consistently underrepresented at these conventions, as well as at Central Labor Council activities. I want to urge you to put this topic on your next leadership meeting agenda and consider ways you can increase the voice of your memberships within the larger labor movement. Sometimes the mutual benefit of engagement isn’t all that clear when you’re immersed in locally based demands, but the benefits are many. Getting the support of the labor movement on our legislative agenda helps to elevate our interests during the legislative session.
Participation in Central Labor Council meetings translates to the opportunity to gain support from other unions in a tough bargaining situation or collaborating on community building activities. The Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council spoke up for our Federation of Head Start members when their voices were needed, urging the board of directors to take seriously the needs of the workforce; our faculty local at Tacoma Community College is working with the WFSE local and our staff to host a candidate forum for the congressional district 6 race underway. Working together in this way paves the path to a stronger voice in the future, for example when the administration wants to cut jobs or implement anti-worker policies … both of which are threats our members face on a regular basis. And collaboration works a whole lot better if you’ve gotten to know one another before you’re facing a crisis.
Deadlines are fast approaching for AFT’s convention (your local president should have received information about AFT’s convention in mid-March) and WSLC’s registration has just opened, so take action now.
As the end of another school year approaches, I expect that most of you are looking forward to a break, a slower pace, maybe even a vacation. While you’re planning your summer schedule, save the date for union building! AFT Washington’s Powerful Locals conference is happening in person for the first time since 2019. It will be held at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and will include several workshops as well as classes designed to position locals to optimize their power through leader development. Please reserve 7/31 – 8/2 for a team from your local to join us. We can’t wait to see you there!
Additionally, we have another “most important election of our lifetimes” in November, and that means active engagement throughout the summer to support the candidates that we are counting on to support us as lawmakers. At the same time, we anticipate a robust legislative agenda in 2025 and these next seven months are a critical opportunity to talk to our legislators; they have a little more time and a little more focus to better understand our interests when not in the thick of a legislative session. We will need you and your members to heed the call when it’s time for door knocking, text-banking, etc. With so many seats open in the state legislature, plus a number of statewide races, to say nothing of the federal races, this is going to be a very active election cycle for us all.
I know that sometimes these letters sound like the work of the union is just that – work – but then moments like the one at the ballgame happen, and it reminds me every time that we put in the work to be able to enjoy the benefits of worker power and our union. Just one of those benefits is in coming together to secure and celebrate our wins. Another is strategizing for future wins, and yet another is building our stronger communities. With that in mind, quite a lot of the feeling of work slides away, but the joy and solidarity shine through.
In solidarity,
Karen Strickland, President