December 2025
Remembering Bernal Baca
By Karen Strickland, Past President, AFT Washington
Long-time union leader and AFT Washington Government Relations Specialist Bernal Baca passed away on November 29, 2025.
I first met Bernal at an AFT Washington convention way back in the late nineties. He was fun-loving, energetic, and fully engaged in the business of the union and he maintained all of that in his work on behalf of our membership. After working as a counselor at Yakima Valley College for decades and serving as president of his local, AFT Yakima 1485, Bernal decided to vie for the Government Relations role at AFT Washington and was hired in 2007. He held that job for over 10 years before “retiring” in 2018 and embarking on additional professional pursuits. In 2024, he was appointed to the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, bringing his deep experience as a faculty member, union leader, and union staff into that role.
Some of you had the opportunity to work with Bernal, but many did not get the opportunity to see how he made real connections with people. He had a way of conveying warmth in his interactions, inviting you into conversation and encouraging optimism and confidence. He made sure that our members felt heard and knew that their concerns would be raised with the people who could do something about them. He mentored many people, including our members as well as young people as they found their way into public policy advocacy or other careers; in fact, several people I’ve spoken with in the last couple of weeks expressed their gratitude for his mentoring.
Bernal worked on improving our members’ lives through the legislative process and he developed many important, strong relationships with elected officials. The big win that sticks out to me the most is winning the legislation that allows community and technical college faculty the right to bargain local funds. That win was several years in the making and he stuck with it from start to finish. It has made a big difference at the bargaining table and that will carry on for years to come!
Bernal also had a great sense of humor. We would butt heads over the best strategy or policy position and in the same conversations we were in hysterics over one thing or another. I’ll never forget the time a staff member shrieked when a cockroach scrambled out of a shipping box…Bernal, Rosalinda and I all walked out of our offices at the same time singing “La cucaracha.” We found it hilarious; the offended staff member perhaps not so much!
I learned a lot from Bernal, probably most noteworthy being the value of a gentler approach, especially with elected leaders. Where I tend towards a direct approach, Bernal showed me the value of going at things more indirectly. He consistently brought forth additional perspective on the issues we worked on, elevating voices that may otherwise have gone unheard. Bernal was also an expert at the art of ceremony. He recognized the opportunities and events that should be acknowledged and how, in doing so, we were able build community, honor the contributions of members, elected leaders and community allies, and celebrate our collective work.
Bernal Baca committed his work life to making our lives better. He did this with individuals, within the labor movement, on behalf of our members, and in allyship with community. He will be remembered and his impact felt for a very long time.
Highline Pro Staff Have Formed A Union!
By Erin Grimes, AFT External Organizer
On December 1, 71% of the 125 Professional-Exempt employees at Highline College submitted union authorization cards to PERC, joining the thousands of other unionized college employees affiliated with AFT Washington.
Highline Pro Staff serve students at the college every day by managing clubs and programs, maintaining accessibility resources, and helping students access financial aid and navigate their programs. This already strong community of care provided the foundation for their months-long organizing campaign.
"The work we are all doing is to help students make a better life for themselves and their communities, and that is something everyone in this room should be extremely proud of," said Jeffrey Kurnick on the night of their union victory. "However, for too long, this desire to help those around us has put our own peace of mind on the back burner."
Pro Staff play a vital role in running the college, but many of their needs have gone unaddressed. For years, staff have suffered inadequate compensation, high turnover, and lack of a grievance process to address workplace issues. Earlier this year, the college’s human resource department announced potential cuts, and hired an external consultant to conduct position and salary reviews behind closed doors.
In the face of uncertainty, Pro Staff refused to let fear win. On Nov. 18, staff made their organizing campaign public, and within 24 hours a majority of workers had signed union authorization cards.
This victory would not have been possible without the efforts of dozens of workers stepping into leadership roles: chairing committees, planning events, researching the institution, and having conversations with coworkers to ensure every Pro Staff employee was informed and had a say in forming their union.
"This is a first step toward having a democratic say in our working conditions, fair pay scales, healthy and safe workplaces, job security, and protections against arbitrary layoffs," says Cassie Geraghty, one of the founding members of the organizing committee. "This victory belongs to every person who had conversations with colleagues, showed up to meetings, asked questions, listened, stayed hopeful, and believed that we could build something better together. It took courage, time, and determination, and we should all be proud of what we’ve accomplished."
Congratulations Highline Pro Staff, and best wishes in your continued fight for a fair contract!
Building A Closer Relationship With WSNA
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
This fall, AFT Washington and the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) applied for a MOVE grant from AFT, and we learned this month that it has been awarded!
AFT Washington and WSNA proposed a joint campaign to educate and mobilize our respective memberships to build capacity for public protest, voter registration, and get-out-the-vote efforts. The midterms next year make this effort both timely and essential. Beyond that, it is an opportunity for AFT’s two state federations to strengthen our collaboration efforts and build power on common issues. With that in mind, the campaign will include regional workshops focusing on shared interest areas relevant to defending health and healthcare.
The attacks on healthcare coming from the federal government right now are severe and include the cuts to Medicaid, decreasing access to healthcare services; ending the ACA subsidies, making health insurance unaffordable for many Washingtonians; and the overall attack on science-based public health measures, which puts every Washingtonian at increased risk. Many WSNA members work in public health, work with children, or both, and their patients’ health is put at greater risk by these attacks. AFT Washington’s members in preK-12 are working in more dangerous environments due to increased exposure to preventable illnesses, and higher ed members’ students often have children at home, which will increase the rate of preventable illness on college campuses too.
The campaign will highlight that these public health attacks are part of the broader assault on the rights of working people and vulnerable populations the Trump administration is carrying out.
More information on the campaign events will be made available as they are developed, so keep an eye out for that!
Lobby Day Registration Is Open!
By AFT Washington Staff
Washington State faces ongoing revenue challenges that, last year, led to painful cuts. This year, we need to get down to Olympia and advocate with the Legislature to oppose balancing the state’s budget on the backs of working Washingtonians. Our priorities for this session include strengthening and increasing progressive revenue, preventing further cuts to education, and keeping the conversations around school-related personnel, professional exempt staff, and contingent faculty wages alive for 2027. We know that it is crucial to not merely survive but to make the investments that allow us to thrive.
Central issues on our 2026 agenda are:
- Protecting education at all levels from damaging cuts.
- Reestablishing the provisos for education funding that were removed in the last session.
- Preparing legislators for pay increases in the 2027 budget session.
- Working with Communities for Our Colleges to push for cost-free college for our students.
- Working with the Balance Our Tax Code coalition to advocate for increased progressive revenue.
The 2026 session is a short session, but we still have the opportunity to make improvements even in a non-budget year.
Please plan to join with colleagues, meet with legislators, and push for progressive change. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided, and transportation will be coordinated. Contact Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer, at rburton@aftwa.org or (206) 225-0621 with any questions.
Register here. You can download a flyer here.
Do You Know Of Resources For Flood Victims?
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
The recent flooding undoubtedly has affected AFT members and our students and communities. Worse, the National Weather Service is projecting several more atmospheric rivers will occur this month, increasing the risk of further flooding, flooding in areas so far unaffected, and landslides as the ground tries to absorb the water. We hope you are safe and stay safe.
As a reminder, AFT provides a trauma counseling benefit for members, and disaster is one of several qualifying conditions. Please feel free to reach out; you can learn more about the benefit here. If you need your member number in order to access the benefits page and your local Connect administrator is unavailable, please feel free to contact Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org or Briseida Sanchez at bsanchez@aftwa.org.
Governor Ferguson has announced funds will be made available for affected Washingtonians, and the FEMA declaration of emergency has been signed, so we expect that federal dollars will be available soon; the state money is intended to cover the gap. If your local or community is gathering resources to assist people who have been affected by the flooding, please let us know so we can share those resources.
Washington State AI Task Force Releases Guidelines For Potential Legislation
By AFT Washington Staff
Last year the legislature empowered the Attorney General, Nick Brown, to create guidelines for AI legislation. Included in the guidelines are findings and recommendations for AI in K12 and higher education and how to ethically use AI. These recommendations will be considered when the Legislature is asked to create or support bills relating to AI and education. Our members should be aware of this resource when thinking about bargaining AI or understanding the choices being made concerning AI in Olympia, so we are providing a link to the interim report. You can read it here.
A final report is expected in 2026.