From the President
It’s still winter (at the moment, anyway), but I’m ready for spring! Baseball season is fast approaching, and just as exciting, so is our second annual bicycling fundraiser! I’m not making any bets on the Mariners’ season, but I’m willing to wager that this year’s fundraiser will surpass last year’s remarkable success. Key point: we did great last year with just a few people – we can knock it out of the park (pun intended) this year with a few more riders and more locals contributing to the fund. There are three elements to a successful bicycling fundraiser:
- Get on your bike or inspire other members to do so and ride for dollars during the month of April!
- Ask your board to pledge an amount per mile or per ride for members who ride.
- Spread the word to your members that they and their family members can apply for a $1500 scholarship.
Last year we had six riders and we raised around $6000 by asking friends, families and our locals to pledge. With the $3000 our law firm contributes, we were able to offer six scholarships. Prior to the pandemic, we held a fundraiser at convention, which involved locals donating baskets, which were then raffled off. We had a vendor who donated a flat screen tv and it got interesting when the winner turned their win into an auction - interested parties began frantically checking their phones to see how much the tv would cost at the store! One year I ended up with a beautiful hand-made quilt when the winner of it decided to auction it off…it hangs on my wall to this day! Between moving our convention to every other year, and then a couple of virtual conventions, we haven’t been able to raise enough to consistently award four scholarships. Thus, Get On Your Bike And Ride was born.
How it works is members volunteer to ride during the month of April, setting a goal for miles or rides. Then they collect pledges from their union local and siblings, and friends and family if they like. Riders can ride solo, organize a team ride, or join a group ride that I’ll organize – the point is to raise money while having fun and building community within our union. Please help us make this a successful fundraising event – we all know that post-high school education is financially challenging for most people, and that includes our members.
“I received a scholarship from AFT in 2016 when I was studying Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University. ... I know the educators behind these scholarships have nothing but a passion to see students succeed, the same passion I see in my mom for her students.” – 2016 scholarship recipient Emma Finnsson
Our efforts can help alleviate a bit of the cost that far too often keeps a student from getting started or continuing once they embark on their higher ed adventure.
Upcoming events include Lobby Day on February 19th – it’s not too late to sign up. That same day we are co-hosting a reception for Senator Nobles, the Chair of the Higher Ed and Workforce Development Committee – I would love to see you there! Then on March 23rd we’ll hold our virtual ClassCon 2024, Respect Is Essential: When It Reigns, Success Follows, for our School-Related Personnel (SRP) – registration opens next week and we’ll send out the link at that time. This conference offers both professional development and action moving our Respect campaign. If yours is an SRP local, please be sure to share the registration link with your members so they don’t miss out! We will make a bigger impact on school boards and legislators when our members come together to make their demands known.
In solidarity,
Karen Strickland, President
Local News & Highlights
Have You Registered For Lobby Day?
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
AFT Washington plans to continue building power and relationships with lawmakers in Olympia on February 19 (President's Day). Please plan to join with colleagues, meet with legislators, and push for progressive change.
Legislative priorities on the agenda for this lobby day, and more generally for the 2024 session include:
- Addressing staffing, safety, and inadequate salaries for School-Related Personnel
- Continuing the campaign for Equity Pay for Contingent Faculty.
- Expanding eligibility for benefits to include non-instructional work done by contingent faculty.
- Supporting priorities identified by Communities For Our Colleges and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility.
Register here.
WEA and AFT Washington Higher Education Reception
Monday, February 19, 4:30-6:30 PM
Join the lineup of higher education unions and SBCTC leaders in welcoming our new Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Chair T’wina Nobles. We'll also acknowledge the contributions of outgoing Chair Senator Emily Randall.
Come and celebrate the collaborations among our unions, the SBCTC and the legislature in our shared mission to educate and empower our state's higher education students.
Register here.
Updated Endorsement Process Coming Next Month!
By Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer
The 2024 election – at all levels – will be of enormous consequence for Washingtonians. With highly consequential elections at both the federal and state level, local endorsements will mean a great deal to members. The AFT Washington COPE committee is revamping our various endorsement questionnaires for relevant positions, and we are hoping for input from locals over the next few weeks. We also would welcome any new members who’d like to be part of this decision-making process.
Looking a little further ahead, toward 2025, if your local has an endorsement process for local office, e.g., school board, city council, great! We look forward to amplifying your endorsements. If your local doesn’t, or hasn’t used it in a while, please contact Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer, at rburton@aftwa.org for assistance in developing one.
The Washington State Labor Council's 2024 Labor and Immigration Summit Is Open For Registration
The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO Labor and Immigration Committee is proud to announce the 2024 Labor and Immigration Summit. This summit will focus on the intersections of labor rights and immigrant rights in its work to build an inclusive labor movement for all working people.
Registration and more information here.
Union Tips & Reminders
New! Calendar of AFT Washington Events Available to Leaders
You asked for it, and it’s happened! We’ve added a calendar of events to the AFT Washington Google drive that we recently implemented. You should see it in the folders you already have access to – if you are on the Executive Board and a constituency council, the calendar is in both folders, for example.
We have also set it up so that local leaders can access the calendar – just contact us to get added.
If you do not have access to the Google Drive and want to get set up:
- For Executive Board members and local leaders who are not currently serving on an AFT Washington council or committee, contact Briseida Sanchez at bsanchez@aftwa.org.
- For council and committee members, contact Tammy Fouts at tfouts@aftwa.org.
Contract Enforcement & Grievance Training
February 28, 2024, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Our Collective Bargaining Agreements are one of the cornerstones of having a powerful local. A contract that is enforced makes a big difference in how our union and our members are treated in the workplace. This training will cover the ins and outs of filing grievances, unfair labor practices, duties of union leaders, and how we make sure that management does what the contract says they will do. Please plan on attending the entirety of the training and have your local’s contract available for reference.
Register here.
Organizing Campaign Basics
Tuesday, March 12th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
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.
Effective Communications
Tuesday, March 19th, 5:00 – 7:00 PM
A strong understanding of communications tools and best practices are one of the keys to a powerful local. Knowing what tools you have available to you – and the tools that get the best results for your local! – makes a big difference. This training covers the general approach to selecting communications tools that fit your message, how to set up communications methods (and keep them going), and the changing face of social media and other digital tools that can help your local communicate with members. Please note that this is not an in-depth training on StateWeb, Action Network, or Hustle, but such trainings can be set up if your local is interested. Contact Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org with any questions.
Save the Date! Classified Conference 2024
Saturday, March 23rd
Make sure that your calendar is marked for this year’s Classified Conference! Likely workshops include behavioral issues and conflict resolution, nutrition and teaching kids to make healthy choices, Child Find and FAPE, identifying your communication style, planning for retirement, understanding state-provided benefits, know your rights, and more.
Registration will open in mid-February.
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.
- For Executive Board members and local leaders who are not currently serving on an AFT Washington council or committee, contact Briseida Sanchez at bsanchez@aftwa.org.
- For council and committee members, contact Tammy Fouts at tfouts@aftwa.org.
- Capture detailed employment and employer information about members, prospective members, and retired members of your local.
- Make sure your members can access their union-provided benefits (discounted insurance, home mortgages, travel, goods and personal services).
- Keep track of changes in member earnings to ensure proper payment of your local’s per capita obligations.
- Manage your local executive board as well as COPE and other local committees.
- Plan outreach to your members and prospects. Have the information you need to conduct mailings, email, phone and text message outreach via local efforts or using AFT’s communications tools. Record member event attendance and outreach responses.
- Create forms and surveys.
- Track your local’s engagement with and support from Community Allies.