March 2022

March 2022

From the President

Greetings Friends,

As is always the case, there is a lot going on. I’m happy to report that our two bills, ESSB 5847 (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) and SB 5539 (healthcare funding for Head Start members) are headed to the Governor’s desk and we have every reason to trust that they’ll be signed. These bills represent significant gains for our members; our Advocacy Team worked smart and hard to get them passed. I especially want to mention HyeEun Park and Anna-Marie Magdalena, brand new members of the team, who were unrelenting in our push for the win.

The strength of our relationships is core to a successful legislative session, and this year we made the most of those relationships. We tapped into our labor siblings, partnered with the employer of our Head Start members, co-conspired with the Student Borrower Protection Center and AFT staff, and engaged our membership to speak to legislators and in hearings. We turned over every stone we could find to win in Olympia.

As we move forward, we have the opportunity to build on these relationships and to influence the organizations we work with. Our work with our Labor community will continue throughout the election cycle. In December we have the opportunity to weigh in on the leadership of the Washington State Labor Council. President Larry Brown will retire at the end of the year and Secretary-Treasurer April Sims will run for President. Current Strategic and Political Campaigns Director Cherika Carter will run for Secretary-Treasurer on a slate with ST Sims. Shannon Walker (Southwest Washington Central Labor Council) will run for that position as well and there may be other candidates who announce their candidacy in the coming months.

Your local has the opportunity to vote your delegate strength in the election, as does AFT Washington. Our executive board will consider all candidates and make an endorsement based on the alignment of values and priorities, the candidates’ track record of successful work within the movement, and their commitment to working on behalf of education workers from early learning through higher ed. You can develop your own endorsement process, or you can adopt our endorsements.

The leaders of the Washington State Labor Council have a significant role to play in building the labor movement and in improving the lives of working people and our communities. It is critical that your members’ voice be part of deciding who that will be. I urge to engage your local in the process and make your votes count!

Our relationship with AFT obviously carries great value with it and now that relationship is expanding as a more robust partnership with the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is formalized – likely in June. AFT and AAUP have partnered on organizing in higher education for several years and have found other mutually beneficial joint efforts. Taking the relationship up a notch will provide added momentum to the work of both organizations. One example of that is the New Deal for Higher Education which seeks more robust federal investments in higher education.

Increasingly, working people and educators are raising their voices. We are part of a powerful labor community in Washington, as well as part of the 1.7 million member AFT, and our relationships with community go deep. We know that the strength of the union is found in workers raising their voices in unison and fighting for what we need, and this issue of the Pulse has several other examples, including that of AFT Renton and their fight for a fair contract for all their members. The more the locals engage in these relationships, the stronger the local and the union. The staff of AFT Washington is at the ready to support and assist you in making the most of our collective power!

In solidarity,

Karen Strickland, President

Local Highlights & News

AFT Renton Local 6367 Wins A Fair Contract For All Of Their Members

By Ray Carrillo, Union Organizing Representative

AFT Renton, which began bargaining in September 2021, was able to settle a Tentative Agreement in February. AFT Renton was able to reach that agreement because of the actions of its members, which included work-to-rule, wearing their AFT t-shirts, having a supermajority petition, being at every Renton school board meeting, getting support from other AFT locals in the form of the letter campaign we included last month, working with other unions at Renton School District, and taking a vote to strike (which was nearly unanimous!).

Some of the wins that AFT Renton achieved in this bargaining include:

• Wage increases this year totaling 11.5% with retroactive pay of 7% back to September 2021
• Better language on Training hours
• Paid Family and Medical Leave premium paid by the employer
• Adding an additional level to the SNA certification up to a Level 4 with pay for maintaining the certification

Bargaining went to the eleventh hour, with the District finally agreeing to an acceptable proposal the Friday before the strike was planned to start. It’s very clear that the actions the local took demonstrated its commitment to a fairer contract for all its members. Congratulations to AFT Renton!

The Big Wins For Student Debt Relief Keep On Coming!

By Anna-Marie Magdalena, State Affiliate Political Organizer

Lots of great things are happening on student debt relief! Our legislation on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), bill number SB 5847, sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias (D-21) passed and will be the most sweeping and comprehensive law on public service loan forgiveness in the country once signed into law. The Senate concurred on the House amendments, and it is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

This legislation passed because we pushed it forward with public testimony, letter writing, and making calls to legislators who promised their support at our Lobby Day. For Washingtonians who work in the public sector, the employer will be required under the law to provide information to the workers on the federal PSLF. That includes all school districts, public universities, and community and technical colleges in Washington State. In addition, the law sets a multiplier of hours for adjunct faculty to reach the full-time threshold for the federal program to 3.35. This multiplier can be made retroactive by the higher education institution.

Going beyond that, to folks who are dealing with debt, you can join AFT Washington’s Student Debt Clinic on Thursday, April 7^th at 5:30 PM by registering here. New changes at the state and federal level to PSLF dramatically expanded access for our members, but there is a limited time for people to take advantage of these changes. If you do not yet qualify for PSLF, the Debt Clinic is still for you, with plenty more information to help out.

Another excellent resource afforded to AFT union member is Summer, an online resource, started by student loan borrowers who wanted to help others avoid bad information and bad actors in the student loan market. The program can help members enroll in income-driven repayment plans and manage annual income recertifications for these plans to complete the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Employment Certification Form and manage the PSLF certification and application process. You can sign up for Summer here.

Going Beyond Land Acknowledgements

By Christine Landon, Data Manager

At the March 2022 meeting of the AFT Washington Executive Board, previous discussion about developing meaningful Native lands acknowledgments took a step forward. Based on a staff working group recommendation, we’ve decided to discontinue offering land acknowledgements until we have a chance to examine and consider what AFT Washington is doing and can do to make meaningful, lasting relationships with tribes with a goal of supporting their efforts to defend their treaty rights, lands, and waters, their elders and children, and the web of relationships that sustain community and individual Native lives.

What we have in view is developing lasting relations as allies to the Native communities. By that, we mean taking action and cooperating with tribes and urban Native peoples to support their rights, meet their needs, and to offer what we as educators can do to help others understand, engage, and respect indigenous issues, perspectives, relationships, and lives, as well as Native lands.

We will revisit the issue of land acknowledgements once we have built better connections with Native communities. It is not meaningful to make an acknowledgement that is not backed up by action, and this is an area where AFT Washington can and must do more to engage with what Native communities need. For now, you won’t hear land acknowledgements at our events, but we look forward to sharing this work with members, and building meaningful community from it.

Solidarity Month Events

By AFT Washington Staff

In the January issue of the Pulse, we noted that in even-numbered years, we celebrate solidarity with local, cohort, and statewide events in May. We have a few events confirmed and are planning to distribute more information soon about them.

We do have some funding available to support local activities. Locals must apply by contacting their Union Organizing Representative; committees can apply by contracing their AFT Washington staffer. The deadline for fund application is March 31^st; funding will be determined based on the project.

Confirmed events:

• Non-Violence and Organizing Solidarity Event, May 20^th. The AFT Washington Retiree Chapter is cosponsoring this seminar for students, labor, and community members alike.
• Community and Labor Summit: Strategizing Our Rights, May 21^st. A project of the Human Rights Committee, this summit will be focused on working with community groups, constituency groups, and other unions to advance equity, inclusion and belonging goals.
• Solidarity: Race and Labor, multiple campuses, May. Local unions affiliated with AFT Washington from across the state’s Community and Technical Colleges will display images and narratives depicting the history of labor and race to educate students and coworkers about unionism and racial justice. The display will highlight the history of racism and white supremacy as it relates to labor and workers.

Show Your Solidarity With Minneapolis AFT Members!

By now you’ve likely heard that Minneapolis Public School teachers in the Minnesota Federation of Teachers have gone on strike for the first time in over 50 years. They’re striking for the safe and stable schools their students deserve, because teacher working conditions are student learning conditions.

Show your solidarity with the 4,000 educators in Minneapolis Public Schools on strike!

Ways to support:

• Wear Blue for Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and Educational Support Professionals Local 59.
• Make a sign that says "Solidarity with the Minneapolis Educators Strike!" and take a selfie or better yet— take a picture with your fellow educators and post it on social media. On Twitter, tag @MFT59. (Tag @aftwa and we’ll amplify it!)
• Donate to the strike fund.
• Sign these petitions in solidarity with the Twin Cities educators:
  • MFT Local 59
  • SPFE Local 28
• Watch the recording from last week's Solidarity Forum for the Twin Cities Educators Strike to learn more about the issues.
• For more ideas, check out this document: "Stand in Solidarity with Twin Cities Educators! How You Can Help!"

Union Tips & Reminders

Breaking Barriers: Challenge Course & Community Kickback

Saturday, March 12, 12:00 - 3:00 PM

The Washington State Labor Council is gearing up to gather with our Labor family and celebrate the power of working women! Come out on Saturday, March 12 for Breaking Barriers: Challenge Course & Community Kickback sponsored by the WSLC Women’s Committee. Join us for a 10-challenge obstacle course representing the barriers that working women face and overcome every day, designed for all abilities. This event celebrates womanhood in its many, complex forms. All are invited, regardless of gender, to join in this celebration!

Register here.

Unemployment Insurance Workshop

Monday, March 14,11:00 AM -12:00 PM

This workshop is for staff who have been laid off or terminated. It is not for adjunct faculty (that’s a separate workshop). This workshop will cover the following items: who is eligible, how to open a claim, how to file weekly claims, and what to do if your claim is denied.

Register here.

Adjunct Unemployment Workshop

Friday, March 18, 3:00 - 4:30 PM

AFT Washington has helped hundreds of adjuncts successfully apply for unemployment benefits over more than a decade. With the new, more complicated unemployment process due to COVID-19, this workshop is intended for seasoned and new applicants alike. The aim is to increase your chances of getting your unemployment claims as adjuncts resolved quickly, decreasing the potential of accidentally triggering delays that could delay payments by months.

Attending a workshop in person is important, so we can answer questions live! We do not record sessions, but we can provide additional accommodations as needed.

Register here

Contract Enforcement Training

Wednesday, April 6, 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, the discipline section of contracts, 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.

Student Loan Debt Clinic

Thursday, April 7, 5:30 - 7:30 PM

New changes to Public Service Loan Forgiveness dramatically expanded access for our members. In addition, pending Washington state legislation would require public employers to provide information to members regarding eligibility for loan forgiveness and increase the multiplier of hours for adjunct faculty to reach the full-time threshold for the federal program.

But there’s a limited time for many people to take advantage of these changes. Come learn how two federal programs can potentially reduce your monthly payments and forgive your remaining debt after 10 years of payments, as well as how to take advantage of the Limited Time PSLF Expansion Waiver. The waiver has a deadline of October 31, 2022, so the time to get enrolled is right now! Join us to find out how!

Register here.

Save The Date! Non-Violence and Organizing Solidarity Event

Friday, May 20th, 10 AM - 2 PM

Focusing on the newly-published book Revolutionary Nonviolence: Organizing For Freedom, by James Lawson, this event is a seminar for students, labor, and community members alike. Co-authors Kent Wong, Director of the UCLA Labor Center, and Michael Honey, Labor and Civil Rights Historian at UW, will lead discussion and workshops on the Four Steps of organizing, with the goal of providing an opportunity to think practically about how to effectively build the next mass movement for social and economic justice. Viewing parties will be available, as well as a virtual option. Registration info to come!

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.

AFT Connect: Better Data For A Stronger Union