October 2026
From the President
I’d like to spend some time focusing on the upcoming mid-term elections. Hopefully, many of you were able to participate in the No Kings day events last Saturday, focused on early voting, and if you haven’t voted yet, you have planned to submit your ballot and have your vote counted.
As a union member, you know that to get your voice heard you must use it; if you want representation, you must participate; if you want change, you must show up. That is a primary tenet of the labor movement and the foundation of our democracy.
What I have learned in the union leader spaces over the past few months, is that organized labor plays an outsized role and serves as safeguards against democratic backsliding. When bad actors attempt to chip away at our institutions and norms, unions provide critical defense because we understand the power of organizing and leveraging the solidarity of the working and professional classes against the economic power of the 1%, which is why we are going to defeat the attempt to rescind the millionaire’s tax and safeguard the future of our state and our ability to provide access to quality education for all Washingtonians.
Historically, we have seen union members fight and win against fascism play out in Poland in the 80s, and more recently in Hungary where the people fought back against a dictator and prevailed. We also saw it in South Korea, where workers mobilized and prevented the government from declaring martial law that would have disenfranchised their political opponents.
That wanna-be dictator is now sitting in jail.
When organized workers rise to defend democracy, the odds of preventing backsliding on democratic values and ensuring the safety of our communities more than double. The only thing preventing us from flexing our solidarity against the messaging coming from elected leaders is our own pessimism that we would not have an impact. In this, we as representatives of labor must lead the way and stand up to authoritarian overreach.
We know our leadership is essential and possible because we stand together every day to fight for better working conditions and for social and economic justice. We also know that an attack against one is an attack against all, so if we see attempts to disenfranchise our siblings in other communities and states, we will stand in solidarity with them.
I trust our members to help each other participate and make sure all voices are counted. Included in this issue is information about the upcoming elections, including our endorsements and information about how to make a voting plan. This is our moment to stand together for each other, our neighbors, and our fellow citizens: I trust you know what to do.
In solidarity,
Jacqui Cain, President