May 2024
From the President
No letter from Karen this month!
Local Highlights & News
Getting Ready for 2025
By AFT Washington Staff
Planning for the 2025 legislative session is underway. It will be a budget year and we have many economic goals, particularly around compensation for all of our constituencies. In both PreK-12 and the community and technical college system, compensation has been identified as a significant area of need; support from the two systems is helpful but not sufficient to ensure we win the type of investments our members need. Our Legislative Affairs Committee (LAC) will be meeting later this month to generate and review potential agenda items. The committee does not have School-Related Personnel or Higher Ed Classified Staff representation and we are continuing outreach to remedy that.
Potential topics identified thus far include (the first three are carry-over from 2024):
- PreK-12 School-Related Personnel compensation
- Contingent faculty pay equity
- Expanded benefits eligibility for contingent faculty
- CTC Professional staff compensation, either through inclusion in the I-732 COLA or a special allocation from the legislature
- Permanent COLA for TRS 1 and PERS 1 retirees
- Gun responsibility - Permit to Purchase
- Unemployment issues
- Job security for contingent faculty
- Progressive revenue
- Lab/Lecture hours
Activity to prepare for next year’s session is well underway and includes meetings with our Advocacy team – Rebecca Johnson, Lily Codega-Wilson and Dylan O’Connor – and with the PreK-12 Labor Coalition (WEA, PSE, SEIU 925, Teamsters), WEA advocacy team, and higher education union advocacy team including WEA and SBCTC, with ongoing attempts to engage WFSE and WPEA.
Our timeline for identifying priorities has sped up and we hope to influence both the SBCTC and OSPI to include our priorities in their budget requests. The SBCTC aims to have their legislative agenda approved at the June board meeting; we expect that OSPI will have their agency request prepared by August. We’ll have a bit more time on policy bills, with a goal of having them sponsored and pre-filed in the first week of December. We’ve got a lot to do in these next few months to be in the strongest position possible come January 2025, while we also run our endorsement process and help candidates who support our agenda win their elections!
2025 is going to be a big year, and we have ambitious goals for it. If you’re interested in getting involved, either in the Legislative Affairs Committee or in another capacity, please reach out to Richard Burton at rburton@aftwa.org.
Get Ready to Power Up
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Powerful Locals is coming, and this year it is coming in person! Save the date for July 31st – August 2nd at the Pacific Lutheran University campus in Tacoma. We will have tracks on contract management and member engagement, and we are finalizing the details of the additional workshops we’ll offer – let your UOR know if there’s something you think would be great to highlight in the trainings.
More information coming soon!
Get On Your Bike and Ride Update
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
April is when AFT Washington members ride bikes to raise money for the AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzin and Lavitt Scholarship, and we have an update!
So far, halfway through April, our reporting riders have done almost 250 miles in 15 rides, and given the beautiful weather, we know those numbers will be much higher by next week.
There is still time to support the fund! Your local can pledge an amount per mile or per ride for members who ride – contact Tammy Fouts at tfouts@aftwa.org to get set up with that.
And – very important – if you are an AFT Washington member you and your family members are eligible for the scholarship. The application will open in June – get ready to apply. But first, let’s get on our bikes and ride!
Welcome Chris Chapek, Our New Operations Manager!
With a decade-long dedication to advancing education and labor rights, Chris is excited to step into the role of Operations Manager at AFT Washington. His journey, rooted in community organizing, campaign management, and data-driven strategies, has prepared him to contribute to the organization's vision of a just society. With a heart for service and a passion for empowering others, Chris is grateful for the opportunity to lead the Administrative Support Team (AST) in supporting AFT Washington's vital work. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris enjoys hiking, traveling, and cooking. With enthusiasm and dedication, Chris looks forward to embracing AFT Washington's values and contributing to meaningful change.
Union Tips & Reminders
Registration for Powerful Locals is Open!
Wednesday, July 31st - Friday, August 2nd
If you haven't attended Powerful Locals before, it's a great opportunity for people who want to learn more about the nuts and bolts of union leadership. We'll have tracks on contract bargaining and member engagement, as well as workshops on topics like fiscal analysis and new employee orientation.
We do recommend that locals send teams to the conference. And save those dates - July 31st through August 2nd, in person. We'll see you there!
Register here.
Contract Enforcement Training
Wednesday, May 15th, 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.
AFT Washington & WEA Adjunct Unemployment Workshop
Thursday, June 6th, 12:30 to 1:30 PM OR
Wednesday, June 12th, 12:30 to 1:30 PM
AFT Washington and WEA have helped hundreds of adjuncts successfully apply for unemployment benefits over more than a decade.
This workshop is intended for seasoned and new applicants alike. The aim is to increase your chances of getting your unemployment claim as adjuncts resolved quickly, decreasing the potential of accidently triggering delays that could delay payments by months.
Attending a live workshop is important, so we can answer questions live! We do not record sessions, but we can provide additional accommodations as needed.
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.