April 2024
It's Time For APALA's Annual Gala!
Friday, April 19th, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) Seattle Chapter is hosting their 25th Annual Fundraising Banquet & Silent Auction on Friday, April 19th, 2024, 6:00 pm -8:00 pm, at the Jerry Brockey Center, South Seattle College. This year's theme is “Uniting for A Multi-Racial Democracy: Asian American Pacific Islander Workers Rising.” AFT Washington purchased a table and there are a few seats available. If you are interested in attending, please contact Somma Rath at srath@aftwa.org for more information.
Afternoon Meeting with Congresswoman Jayapal
Tuesday, April 23rd, 1:30 – 4:00 PM
Join AFT Washington’s Retiree Chapter, Communities for Our Colleges, and AFT Seattle locals 1789 and 6550 as well as other labor allies for an afternoon of conversation with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal! Members are encouraged to bring questions – this is an opportunity to learn more about what’s going on in this Washington, as well as in Washington DC.
Register here.
Evening Forum for 6th Congressional District Candidates
Tuesday, April 23rd, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
The AFT Washington Retiree Chapter, AFT TCC local 2196, AFSCME Council 28, and Tacoma Community College invite you to join us on April 23rd for a 6th Congressional District candidate forum! This event features Commissioner Hilary Franz, Senator Drew MacEwan, and Senator Emily Randall, running for the seat being vacated by Congressman Derek Kilmer. Bring your questions for the candidates!
Register here.
Worksite Representative Training
Wednesday, April 24th, 5:00 - 7:00
Whether you are called a union steward, building rep, officer, executive board member, we all want to do our best to represent our members. During this training you will learn the importance of engaging our membership, building our power inside and outside of the worksite, and enforcing our contract.
Register here.
Washington State Labor Council Convention
Tuesday, July 16th – Thursday, July 18th, 2024
The 2024 Constitutional Convention of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, will be held July 16-18 at the Coast Wenatchee Hotel and Convention Center. This year’s theme is “Reclaiming Worker Power, Energizing Our Movement”. Visit the 2024 Convention page for more information.
AFT National Convention
Monday, July 22nd – Wednesday, July 24th, 2024
From the AFT: We are honored to call the 88th convention of the AFT. The AFT convention is the highest authority of our union and demonstrates union democracy at work. The convention is hereby called to convene at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, on Monday, July 22, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. and will remain in session until such time as it has given full consideration to such matters as legally may be brought before it.
Human Rights Committee Seeks Members
The AFT Washington Human Rights Committee is sincerely committed to our mission statement of advocating for human rights in our workplaces and our community. We are continuing to work with our locals and allies to combat racism, foster community, and educate our members and communities on the importance of Human Rights. The AFT Washington Human Rights Committee needs your expertise, experience, and investment in upholding Human Rights to do this! We want to have a representative committee that includes all the constituencies within AFT Washington, but to do that we need your participation. You are invited to join the Human Rights Committee as an advocate for the Human Rights issues that are important to our members. To join the Human Rights Committee, contact Ray Carrillo, 206-369-4001, rcarrillo@aftwa.org.
AFT Connect: Better Data For A Stronger Union
Connect is AFT’s web-based, secure local data management system. It provides a great way to record individual member data, and so much more!
Readily use these features and more through AFT Connect’s dashboard, upload bulk spreadsheet updates of your membership, or let Connect help your local turn data into a powerful outreach and management tool through easy, customizable reports.
Maintaining your local’s membership and leadership information in Connect meets AFT and AFT Washington requirements for your local to remain in good standing.
To get started with AFT Connect, or to request training and other member data support, contact Briseida Sanchez at bsanchez@aftwa.org.
Communications Help Is Available
Is your local not sure how to best use your website? Did you know you can have a free website? Would you like help with figuring out strategies for better communications outreach? Got something for the whole union to hear about? We can help with all of these, and more!
On top of helping your local, we can provide outreach to the union as a whole, through the Pulse and the Union Spotlight. We are actively interested in anything your members are doing, such as workshops or innovative problem solving.
If you have questions about them, want guidance, or are interested in learning more, please contact Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org.