“It Feels Like A No-Brainer”: Wenatchee Professional Exempt Staff Organize With AFT
By Erin Grimes, External Organizer
As the newest members of AFT, the 52 professional exempt staff at Wenatchee Valley College have dropped authorization cards to form WVESA, the Wenatchee Valley Exempt Staff Alliance.
Situated along the beautiful Columbia River in central Washington, Wenatchee Valley College serves a community of about 5,800 students across two campuses: one in Wenatchee, and one in Omak. Exempt staff play critical roles serving students in non-academic roles at the college, coordinating student programs, recruitment and retention services, accessibility and advising, and training athletes.
Despite the importance of their work, many exempt staff are feeling left behind by their administration and a state legislature budget scheme that pits colleges against one another for funding. Numerous articles in the press, and one 2024 documentary unfortunately titled Campus Crisis, catalogue a disturbing recent history of deeply impactful budget cuts, rapid turnover, and two-million-dollar Title IX settlements involving top leadership. Over 100 faculty and staff have left the college, voluntarily or involuntarily, within the past two years.
“So many people have left because of the actions of the people upstairs, and it’s really heartbreaking,” said Karina Mendoza-Flores, a recruitment coordinator and leader in the WVESA organizing committee. “When so many people leave, we lose so much institutional knowledge we can’t get back.”
In some cases, whole departments have been reduced to one person. Those who remain are usually exempt pro staff--overworked, underpaid, and trying everything they can to support the students they care so much about.
It's no wonder that a union was popular at Wenatchee. Within a mere 5 months, WVESA’s organizing committee ran a new campaign from start to finish. According to their assessments, at least 75% of exempt staff support unionization. Within the first day of collecting authorization cards, nearly 60% of the unit signed on.
“To most exempt staff we talk to, it feels like a no brainer,” said Dalia Hernandez Farias, a director of transitional studies and leader in WVESA’s organizing committee. “For so long, we’ve been asked to do more with less. People want change.”
For student recruitment specialist Mary Adamski, having an equitable voice in the college’s decision-making was a top priority. “Every other group on campus has a union, it’s time we have one too. We need equity and a voice at the table while these decisions are being made.”
Before their card drop, the organizing committee designed a new logo for WVESA. When it came time to choose a symbol representing pro staff at WVC, the arrowleaf balsamroot flower stood out as the obvious choice: “Native to the Wenatchee valley, balsamroot has pain relief properties and deep taproots that hold the soil together. The plant symbolizes resilience and announces the coming of spring. That’s our union,” said Mendoza-Flores. “Those of us who are still here, we’re tough as nails.”
Congratulations and good luck to Wenatchee Exempt Staff as they file with PERC and head to bargaining!
Whitman College Is Fired Up!
By Erin Grimes, External Organizer
On February 19th, 2026, the sound of Solidarity Forever rang out across the Whitman College campus. Over 350 staff, faculty, students, and community supporters gathered for the first Rally for Whitman Workers. Together, they marched on the office of Whitman College President, Sarah Bolton, and delivered notice that the workers of Whitman had voted to form a union, Whitman College Workers United (WCWU).
In the days surrounding the rally, over 70% of the roughly 300 staff and contingent faculty at Whitman signed authorization cards to form their union and affiliate with AFT Washington. The rally marked the success and determination of a deeply committed organizing committee to forming a strong union under unprecedented and challenging circumstances.
Located in the southeastern town of Walla Walla, Whitman College serves about 1,600 students across a range of 4-year liberal arts programs. As a private institution, Whitman has been shielded from many of the same financial pressures affecting so much of higher education. Nevertheless, even while the college has invested millions in real estate—including purchasing a local brewpub last year—staff and faculty at Whitman have been experiencing significant cuts to benefits and healthcare, and reductions in force. This juxtaposition has been the catalyst for so many faculty and staff coming together to organize their union.
Whitman is a private institution, so workers of the new union called on the college to voluntarily recognize them rather than working through the federal NLRB under a Trump administration. Since the rally, the college administration has stated that they are not interested in voluntary recognition and have taken efforts to challenge many of the workers’ union eligibility. But the workers aren’t giving up.
In the small town of Walla Walla, solidarity is felt deeply among a tight-knit community. As workers rally, ripple effects are being felt across the state. Solidarity to Whitman Workers in their ongoing efforts for union recognition and a fair contract!