June 2025
Celebrate Pride!
By AFT Washington
In June, we celebrate Pride month to acknowledge all people identifying as LGBTQIA+ and in solidarity for full liberation and against injustice and oppression. While this work is a year-round endeavor, Pride month offers the opportunity to consider more deeply the struggle that remains, assess our individual and collective commitment to continuing in the struggle, and appreciate the contributions and sacrifices made by members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies.
Pride began as the celebration of the Stonewall Riots which occurred at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, memorializing the LGBTQIA+ community’s rejection of the imposed morality of an unwelcoming society as they rose up together to demand their rights, safety, and freedom. The uprising is generally agreed to have started when the police assaulted and arrested a Black lesbian, likely Stormé DeLarverie; Marsha P. Johnson and Zazu Nova, Black transgender women, and Jackie Hormona, a gender nonconforming sex worker, were key figures in the riots.
As we celebrate Pride month in 2025, the membership of AFT Washington stands together in recognition that the fight for liberation is not over. We recognize that the effort to dismantle the rights won by LGBTQIA+ activists over many years and the attempts to erase this community, beginning with the trans community, can be seen in the headlines every day. And yet, when you force a community to fight for their survival for decades, you create a formidable foe. We see so much evidence of support for the full recognition of and appreciation for LGBTQIA+ people around us: more Pride celebrations, bigger Pride celebrations, communities coming together to protect their LGBTQIA+ members from those who would do harm, and more. It is an inspiring, worthy fight, and we stand in solidarity.
We are confronting a time of backsliding on progress on expanding the human rights of historically marginalized people. Pride, celebrating a community’s demand for the same rights other Americans had at the time, is as necessary as it has ever been.
We demand freedom and liberation for all, regardless of who you love or what you look like.
From AFT Edmonds: Pride Month And Our Shared Legacy Of Solidarity
As we start the month of June, and on behalf of the Executive Council of the Edmonds College Federation of Teachers, AFT-Washington, and AFT-National, I would like to take a moment to recognize Pride Month and reflect on its significance, not only for members of the LGBTQ+ community, but also for all of us committed to justice, equity, and solidarity in our work and on our campus.
Pride Month commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, when LGBTQ+ individuals, many of them transgender people of color, resisted yet another police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. That act of defiance catalyzed the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, transforming grief and marginalization into a sustained demand for legal protections, cultural visibility, and dignity in public life.
Much like the early days of the American labor movement, which arose from unsafe working conditions, exploitation, and institutional neglect, the gay rights movement was born from a refusal to remain silent in the face of injustice. Both movements, though different in focus, share important commonalities:
- Each began at the grassroots level, fueled by ordinary people demanding dignity and safety.
- Each faced (and continues to face) fierce institutional resistance, from law enforcement crackdowns to legal and political exclusion.
- Each transformed pain into power through collective action, changing not only laws but also cultural consciousness.
- And each, at its best, has fostered broader coalition-building, centering the voices of those most impacted while expanding our collective vision of liberation.
As a union, we not only support but are also contractually empowered to ensure a workplace free from discrimination, including on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Our responsibilities under the collective bargaining agreement go beyond compensation and workload; they reflect our broader commitment to safeguarding the rights, dignity, and safety of every member of the bargaining unit.
This Pride Month, we encourage all of us to not only celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility and resilience but also to deepen our understanding of how the labor and LGBTQ+ movements, starting with acts of defiance like Stonewall, have informed and strengthened one another.
Our fights are interconnected, and so is our future.
State Budget Updates
By AFT Washington Staff
There have been some updates to the state budget; these are of particular relevance for CTC faculty and staff members.
The 1.5% cuts were apparently a typo; the across-the-board cut is only .5% for CTCs. The 4-years do take the full 1.5% cut proposed. The $28 million overpayment from last year wasn’t clawed back, but it also was not continued, so it looks like an additional loss (or a temporary gain, depending on your perspective).
On the high demand, nurse educator, and guided pathways money, WACTC requested that the State Board allocate that funding the way it has been, rather than folding it into the allocation model. The staff is recommending to the board that they do so. The board will vote on that today, June 12th, and we expect they will agree to that, which will mean no college will lose money in those buckets.
The COLA funding is less contentious than it initially sounded, but also more complicated. It seems to be only Lake Washington Technical Institute that’s balking at paying the full 3%; they’ve asked the State Board to ask the A.G. to clarify. There is, however, also debate about “the state” in the part of the law that says the state will fully fund the COLA. It seems like some colleges might interpret that as 100% state funding, as opposed to college local funds being considered state funding since colleges are state institutions. On June 6th, the State Board clarified to the colleges that they are required to allocate the actual cost of the legislated COLA to each college, regardless of whether the full amount was provided by the state. This may cause a problem where the State Board has to find the funds elsewhere in their budgets, rather than the colleges using local funds to fill the gap between the actual cost and the state appropriation. We expect there will be more to come on that.
The new allocation model goes into effect beginning July 1st, 2026, but it will be phased in over four years to spread the impact on colleges that will lose money.
Some colleges seem to be doing better than others financially; what we’ve learned is that the COVID funding helped colleges boost their reserves, but since enrollment hasn’t come back as fast as anticipated, they’re having to use those reserves. Colleges that had a healthy reserve before the COVID funding seem to be in better shape than those who didn’t; the latter are the colleges that are cutting positions and programs, etc.
As always, more to come as we learn more or more issues at colleges are flagged.
Does Your Local Have A Membership Chair?
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Get ready for membership drives! For a union, power comes from a robust, engaged membership – and that means finding your unrepresented bargaining unit members, as well as identifying ways to keep current members active and engaged. We’re here to help with this work!
This fall, your UORs will be working with locals to increase membership numbers and member engagement, and it all starts with a membership drive. To set your local up for success, talk with your board members and identify a membership chair or membership point person. Connect them with your UOR; we will begin prepping for membership drives in late August by discussing best practices for making your local’s drive a success!
Mark your calendars for August 27th, 10 AM to 1 PM. We’ll send out more information and a registration link soon!
Save The Date For Leader Trainings!
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
On August 25th, 26th, and 27th, we will be running a series of three trainings that will include Worksite Representative Training, Contract Enforcement, and Member Engagement. These will be shorter trainings, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM each day. More information and registration will be coming soon!
Please note that Powerful Locals has gone biennial and will return in 2026. However, we are updating the Powerful Locals tool this summer, and the updated version will be available in these trainings.
Changes To Per Capita Passed At Convention
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
At this year’s 2025 convention, AFT Washington leadership asked delegates to vote in favor of adjusting the per capita rates and adding two additional categories. The proposed increase has several components: [1] an inflation adjustment of 3% to categories A, B, D, E and F; [2] make no change to the rate for Category C to create more consistency in the dollar amount change across categories and [3] the addition of Categories G and H to account for the salary increases of our highest paid members.
For 2026: Apply a 3% cost of living adjustment to each category, and increase Category H; between September 1, 2025 and September 1, 2026, Categories G and H pay the same amount.
Fulfilling our union objectives requires dedicated, knowledgeable, and skilled staff who work closely with our locals to ensure they are equipped to defend their rights at work and build the most powerful local possible. The need and capacity of each local depends on a number of factors, resulting in some locals operating more autonomously than others. These factors include access to paid release time for union work, the extent to which management is more or less inclined to support the workforce, the level of experience in union leadership, etc.
Our staff play an essential role in ensuring that the leadership of each local is well-equipped to both meet the needs of the membership and build the collective power of the union through member engagement.
In addition, the State Federation works actively with the broader Washington State labor movement; our national union, the American Federation of Teachers; and community organizations toward the policies, laws and funding needed to benefit our members and their working conditions, e.g. salary and wages, as well as to strengthen our educational institutions and the communities where we exist. Our work with the state legislature, electoral politics, and agencies such as OSPI, WSAC, the Office of Head Start, and the SBCTC is critical in achieving gains and fighting off attacks on issues of importance to our members. Ultimately, we strive to achieve an educational system, workplaces, and communities characterized by racial, social, and economic justice, where all of us have the freedom to thrive.
Since our 2023 convention, circumstances in our state and in our country have changed dramatically. We had made significant gains in support for public education and in building local union power in the previous two years. The challenges we face at the present time are varied and significant: an enormous state revenue deficit, threats to revoke federal funding in public education, the undermining of public institutions such as the Office of Head Start and the Department of Education, among others, and economic uncertainty at both the personal and societal levels. There are also other challenges, such as the Freedom Foundation.
A fair, adequate and sustainable per capita system is essential to meeting this moment. Over the years, per capita increases have been sporadic, diminishing our ability to keep up with the increasing cost of the work we do. In the last several years we have changed our system to draw more revenue from locals with higher-earning members by increasing the number of categories from 4 to 6 while keeping the range within each category as narrow as possible.
The increased revenue does not fully address our budget needs; we will continue increasing membership within existing locals and organizing new locals to ensure a healthy treasury that allows us to do the work to build powerful locals and improve our lives at work and at home.
With no increases for many years, we kept our per capita fairly low, but that also made it difficult to fund the valuable programs, advocacy and local support needed to achieve the gains and tackle the challenges we face.
These changes, unless note for 2026, will take effect starting September 1, 2025.
If you have any questions about the per capita passed at the convention, please reach out to your UOR or contact us at aftwashington@aftwa.org.
Welcome Our New Executive Board!
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Convention delegates elected new board members who will take office on July 16th. The new roster at that time will be:
- President: Jacqui Cain, Pierce College Federation of Teachers Local 4821
- Secretary: Eric Hamako, Shoreline Community College Local 1950
- Treasurer: Tomas Ramos Macias, Tacoma Community College Local 2196
- At-Large VP: Jim Drinkwine, Whatcom Community College Local 3591
- At-Large VP: Steve Horn, Everett Community College Local 1873
- At-Large VP: Nina Benedetti, Everett Community College Local 1873
- VP for Community and Technical Colleges: Dave Norberg, Green River College Local 2195
- VP for Contingent Faculty Issues: Timothy Mackie, Cascadia Community College Federation of Teachers Local 6191
- VP for C.O.P.E.: Mark Gorecki, Centralia College Local 4469
- VP for Four-Year Colleges and Universities: Bill Lyne, Western, Local 2084
- VP for Higher Education Classified: Florena Gouacide, Lake Washington Institute of Technology Local 4787
- VP for Human Rights: Valerie F. Hunt (dr. beloved), AFT Seattle Local 1789
- VP for Legal Defense: Scott Haddock, Edmonds College Local 4254
- VP for Legislative Affairs: Jaeney Hoene, Green River College Local 2195
- VP for Paraprofessional Classified Personnel: Laura Robyn, Tacoma Public Schools Local 461
- VP for School Related Personnel: Melissa Roach, Tacoma Public Schools Local 461
We also want to acknowledge the contributions of our outgoing board members and thank them for representing their constituencies and the membership so well. Diane Hollstrom, Vice President for School Related Personnel, Travis Margoni, Vice President for COPE, and Kip Zwolenski, Co-Vice President for Community and Technical Colleges all served with diligence and thoughtfulness, and we appreciate them for it!
AFT President Randi Weingarten On The Situation In Los Angeles
On Sunday, June 8th, AFT put out a statement from Randi Weingarten regarding the Trump administration’s actions in Los Angeles.
WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after the Trump administration arrested activists and mobilized the National Guard to intimidate peaceful immigration protestors in Los Angeles.
“This illegal, heavy-handed, and unnecessary crackdown on peaceful protesters is a trumped-up excuse to manufacture a spectacle and stoke further tensions. Instead of de-escalating, the administration seems intent on provoking and scapegoating hardworking immigrants to distract from its political woes.
“This is Trump wanting to be king, putting the National Guard on the ground to target and intimidate. Our founders resisted kings after the U.S. revolution because we fought for due process, for constitutionally protected speech and for not disappearing people off the streets or arresting people for nonviolent protests. Today, that means not brutalizing immigrant workers advocating for themselves and their families.
Support the AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzin Lavitt Scholarship!
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Has your local contributed to the AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzen Lavitt Scholarship this year? If you haven’t, there’s still time!
Every year, AFT Washington provides scholarships to AFT Washington members and their families who are getting a post-high-school degree at any educational level. In recent years, thanks to the generosity of locals, individual donors, and fundraisers who participate in our March “Get On Your Bike And Ride!” fundraiser, we’ve been able to offer six $1500 scholarships – that’s six students who receive a scholarship, up from our pre-pandemic four!
This year we’ve received big donations from several locals, and our bike riders have ridden hundreds of miles, but there is still time to donate! If your local would like to donate through our GivingFuel account, you can do that here. If you’d prefer to send a check, please contact Somma Rath at srath@aftwa.org – you can send the check to AFT Washington’s office, at 604 Oakesdale Avenue, Suite 103, Renton, WA 98057.
We appreciate our donors, and our students do too!
Scholarship Applications Opening In June!
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
The AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzin Lavitt scholarship will be opening for applications on June 15th! We encourage locals to promote the scholarship at your membership meetings – we love giving out the scholarships, and for our students, they ease the cost of tuition and other school expenses, but we always get a few people who didn’t know about it!
The application will be on our website. You’ll be able to find it here.
No Kings Day - June 14th
On June 14—Flag Day—Donald Trump wants tanks in the street and a made-for-TV display of dominance for his birthday. A spectacle meant to look like strength. But real power isn’t staged in Washington. It rises up everywhere else.
No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance. From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism—and show the world what democracy really looks like.
We’re not gathering to feed his ego. We’re building a movement that leaves him behind.
The flag doesn’t belong to Donald Trump. It belongs to us. We’re not watching history happen. We’re making it.
On June 14th, we’re showing up everywhere he isn’t—to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings.
More information here. If you plan to attend the Cal Anderson Park rally in Seattle, meet up with your AFT siblings by the playground!
Upcoming Juneteenth Events!
Looking for ways to celebrate Juneteenth this year? Look no further! There are many events happening around the Puget Sound region, with so many ways to honor Black history and celebrate the end of chattel slavery in the United States.
If you know of an event we missed, let us know so we can highlight it!
With thanks to the South Seattle Emerald and PSARA for sharing information on these events.
REVIVAL Juneteenth Market Pop-Up
June 14th, 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Midtown Square Plaza, 2301 East Union St.
The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle is hosting its annual Juneteenth Market Pop-Up in the Central District's Midtown Square. There will be DJ sets from KEXP selectors as well as Black-owned retailers, food vendors, and community organizations.
Celebrate Juneteenth with PSARA
Saturday, June 14th, 1:00 - 3:00 PM
New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, 124 21st Ave, Seattle
Our theme this year is “With Hope We Unite, Resist, and Overcome.” Today, as waves of racial hostility and injustice sweep across our country, we gather on this day to stand together and lift each other’s spirits while we renew our commitment to resist and overcome racism and hatred.
Blacker Than Blue: A Juneteenth Celebration
June 14th, 8:00 – 10:00 PM
Black and Tan Hall, 5608 Rainier Ave. S.
Head to the Black and Tan Hall for Blacker Than Blue, a celebration of both Juneteenth and Black music and culture in the Puget Sound region. Seattle- and Tacoma-based artists like King Youngblood, Astral Trap, and Gladys Dead are the featured performers of the evening. The event is all ages until 10 p.m.
Atlantic Street Center Juneteenth
June 18th, 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave. S.
The Atlantic Street Center's Juneteenth celebration is back at the Rainier Beach Community Center on June 18. Come through for "local artisans, food trucks, and organizations, ASC showcases educational and dynamic performances that pay homage to African American and Black history in the United States." Tickets are free, but be sure to reserve them ahead of time.
Juneteenth in Seward Park
June 19, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Seward Park, Shelter #3, 5900 Lake Washington Blvd. S.
At Seward Park, there will be a big Juneteenth celebration featuring a lot of different activities: live painting by artist M. Curry, a video game truck, line dancing, the Detective Cookie Chess Club, music performances by singers and a cellist, and a DJ set from DJ Mr. Cliff. Food vendors like Big Dawgs, Chubby Plant, Little D's Gratitude Lemonade, and Creamy Cone Café will be serving up treats as you peruse unique, Black-owned vendor stalls. Organizers suggest that you should bring "a chair or blanket, sunblock, and everything your family needs for a relaxing day in the park."
NAAM Skate to Freedom Party
June 19th, 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Judkins Park, 2150 S. Norman St.
The Northwest African American Museum is hosting its annual Juneteenth Skate to Freedom Party this year. Strap on your skates, glide along to Black music, and bask in the energy and joy of Juneteenth. The event is free and open to all levels of skaters — don't be shy! This is part of NAAM's greater Juneteenth celebrations — they will also host performances by Living Voices, a sports skills and drills clinic, as well as two movement classes led by Adaeze Medani. Find the full schedule here.
Summer of Soul: Africatown Juneteenth
June 19th, 12:00 – 8:00 PM
Jimi Hendrix Park, 2400 S. Massachusetts St.
As always, Jimi Hendrix Park is going to be bumpin' this Juneteenth thanks to Africatown Community Land Trust's annual Summer of Soul celebration. While specifics are yet to be announced, there will be lots of Black vendors, performers, musicians, and community orgs out at the park to celebrate the Black high holiday.
Juneteenth Kickback With DJ Sassy Black
June 19th, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Wa Na Wari, 911 24th Ave.
If you're looking for something a little more low-key for Juneteenth, head over to Wa Na Wari for a kickback DJ set from Seattle musician SassyBlack.
Juneteenth Freedom Day With Creative Justice
June 19th, 5:00 – 9:00 PM
Washington Hall, 153 14th Ave.
Creative Justice is taking over Washington Hall with its annual celebration of Juneteenth. "In a time when so much around us feels uncertain, we hold tight to what we know is true: we got us," organizers wrote in an event post. There will be double dutch with Seattle's 206 Double Dutch Divas, free food from Food of Essence, music from DJ Love Jones, as well as a free mutual-aid store, a live mural, a bouncy house, a Free the Youth documentary screening, and so much more.
Divas of Soul
June 19th, 7:30 PM
Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave. S.
For Juneteenth this year, the South Hudson Music Project has invited vocalist Ayesha Brooks to sing the music of Mavis Staples, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Fontella Bass. Backing her up on stage is Wayne Horvitz on piano, Darren Loucas on guitar, Jeremy Lightfoot on bass, Eric Eagle on drums, Hans Teuber on sax, Ray Larsen on trumpet, and Beserat Tafesse on trombone.