In Memoriam: 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.
In Memoriam: Remembering Nancy Kennedy
In January, we received the sad news that Nancy Kennedy, a former AFT Washington Union Organizing Representative, passed away unexpectedly. Several members and former staff who worked with Nancy reached out to share memories of her.
Details of a memorial service have not been confirmed, but we will inform local leaders when we have that information.
Nina Benedetti, AFT Everett Higher Education, local 1873
Nancy was our representative in Everett for years and was an incredible source of wealth and education for us in understanding negotiations. It was through her that I learned what we can and can't do with administration. During our most difficult times, she would come to negotiations meetings and sit with us to help guide us. We had one particular negotiation that ended up at an impasse. With PERC at the table with us, Nancy joined us in person weekly for all-day sessions for nearly an entire year as we tirelessly got through one of the most difficult negotiations I have ever been a part of. Her dedication to justice and doing what is right was built into her nature. I feel privileged to have known her. She was a steady force who will be deeply missed.
Roger Carlstrom, Yakima Valley College, retiree
Nancy Kennedy was Al Brisbois’s first hire in 1975, after he succeeded Ross Rieder as president of the Washington Federation of Teachers. (He had previously retained the very talented Barbara Otterson, who had served as Ross’s office manager.) Shortly after she’d been hired, I had a summer glass of wine with her at some watering hole on Eastlake near where the WFT office was located. She was young, and as I recall, new to the labor movement. She was clearly very bright, eager to learn, and, importantly, laughed in the right places when I cracked wise. For years, she and Barbara did everything there was to do in the WFT. There, on that summer afternoon, neither Nancy nor I could have imagined that she’d become the union’s “Swiss army knife,” over a career that spanned 43 years. As she moved into representing locals in collective bargaining matters, she encountered adversaries but never foes. During Susan Levy’s presidency and then very active leadership in the retiree chapter, Nancy called her Susie. None of the rest of us ever came close to trying that.
Merrilee Miron, AFT Washington Retiree Chapter President
We met years ago when Nancy worked and mentored me when I was a Local President. From there it grew to us working together at WFT, the former name of AFT WASHINGTON, building a strong friendship and working relationship. Sometimes we did not agree with each other but always acted for the good of the members. Always. We shared, we laughed, we cried, we hugged.
Together we stand, together. Our motto. She is missed tremendously.
Karen Strickland, Past President, AFT Washington
Nancy Kennedy spent forty years working on behalf of the members of AFT Washington and had a depth of knowledge that made a real difference for our locals. When I first became president, she was a helpful source to me for institutional history and all things PERC! Not only did she serve as a union rep and other jobs within our union before becoming a union rep, she had many talents outside of work. I'll never forget when we came up with the idea of Nasty Woman sashes for the Women's March in 2017 how Nancy got busy and sewed and sewed and sewed so we could get them made in time for the march! It wasn't directly related to her job - nothing like bargaining, advising locals, staffing the CTC Council - but she saw the value and pitched in. That was just one of the ways she could be counted on.
Nancy will be missed by many, but the impact of her work at AFT Washington will carry on.