May 2026
From the President
Recently I had the opportunity to participate in a cohort of labor leaders, organized by the Labor Education and Research Center, where we focused on what it means to manage with labor’s values. The transition from a rank-and-file union member, to an organizer, to being entrusted to lead AFT Washington and serve our 6000+ members, has been rewarding, challenging, and if I’m honest, a bit isolating. As leaders yourselves I’m sure you can empathize because this seems to be an almost universal experience. Being in community with others who have or are navigating this arc was inspirational and transformative, and I am more excited than ever to engage with the work we do in our labor movement.
That experience reminded me of one of the first union leadership programs I attended years ago: Powerful Locals. This was pre-COVID, when many of our events were in person, facilitating easy conversations and the flow of ideas. And like our upcoming event (more information on that below!) it was at The Evergreen State College. For those of you who were there, you remember staying in the dorms and being impressed by how good the food was; you are also still carrying lessons learned into how you engage with other union members at your local. I know all of this, because I still hear about it!
Back then, those of us on the organizing track concluded our experience by doing house visits to our colleagues who hadn’t yet had their first union conversation. I was nervous, but then I was invited in to talk about our experiences working at Pierce College, and how our union was a resource, and an opportunity to work collectively on our issues. I left with more confidence in my ability to listen to coworkers and communicate the value of organizing. As it turns out, that confidence has stood me in good stead over the years as I’ve made the transitions I detailed above!
This upcoming August will be my first chance to participate, in person, again at Powerful Locals since 2019, and I am so excited to meet a new group of emerging union leaders! We have a whole slate of new workshops based on requests from members, including introducing new tools that were developed because of the work from our Job Security Task Force and a workshop on writing bylaws that work for your local. I am also looking forward to maybe running into a deer on the walk to the cafeteria and then having coffee and conversation with members over breakfast.
The program is open to whoever you feel would benefit from training on contract management and bargaining or member engagement and membership drives. This is a great opportunity for emerging leaders as well as for seasoned leaders who want a brush-up on these topics. We have more information – and a registration link – in this issue, and I invite you to join us.
Programs like Powerful Locals strengthen not only individual leaders, but entire locals and communities. I know the experience will shape how I approach the coming year as President, and I hope we welcome a record number of first-time attendees this August.
In solidarity,
Jacqui Cain, President
Local News & Highlights
Powerful Locals Returns!
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
This summer, our biennial Powerful Locals leadership training returns! Join us at The Evergreen State College, August 13th - 15th. We will have main tracks on contract bargaining and management and membership engagement and growth, as well as workshops on topics including using our union contracts to support marginalized workers in our union, writing bylaws that work, and turning the job security task force into action. That doesn’t even scratch the surface of what we have planned!
Powerful Locals is a great opportunity for people who want to learn more about the nuts and bolts of union leadership. We do recommend that locals send teams to the conference to take full advantage of the tracks and workshops. We'll see you there!
Register here.
Job Security For Contingent Faculty, From Idea To Report To Action
By Kaitlin Gillespie, Union Organizing Representative
AFT Washington’s Job Security Task force has completed the first part of its work in the fight for pay equity and job protections for contingent faculty.
On May 12, the Task Force presented its initial draft report to the state federation’s executive board, which recommends the adoption of a United Faculty Model. This platform, also described as one-tier, seeks to reduce or eliminate the disparate working conditions that leave adjunct and associate faculty without basic job security.
The platform includes:
- Equitable opportunities for economic advancement, including placement on the same salary schedule, paid office hours, professional development opportunities and access to equipment;
- Additional pathways to tenure that would grant opportunities for permanent employment for all faculty;
- A consistent and reliable workload with transparency in scheduling;
- Evaluations and monitoring of work that are equal across the board, not based on employment status;
- Seniority benefits, including clear hiring practices that create pathways to promotions and protections from layoffs, and;
- Just cause protections that prevent employers from unilaterally terminating contingent faculty under the guise of coursework being unavailable.
At the 2025 convention, AFT Washington delegates renewed our commitment to the advancement of job security and pay equity for contingent faculty in the state’s Community and Technical Colleges as one of its leading priorities. This report represents the first step in our fight toward a more equitable and secure future.
The board is set to complete adoption of the final report at its June 9 meeting. The report will include a comprehensive list of bargaining priorities, legislative goals and tools for locals seeking tangible ways to improve protections for contingent faculty.
The report will also be featured in a work session at the Powerful Locals conference, which will focus on actionable ways to implement the report.
Join Us To Defend Democracy
By Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer
Are you concerned about the latest attacks on voting and elections in this country? Do you want to find ways to come together to take action and fight back? Do you want to learn how to support local candidates working to defend and enhance democratic processes?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these, then please plan to attend the AFT Washington zoom presentation on Defending Democracy, Tuesday, June 9 from 4:00 till 5:30 PM. Featured speakers will include
Senator Yasmin Trudeau, Democrat, 27th legislative district, is the youngest Washington State Senator, and the Vice Chair of the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee. She is also a first-generation American Muslim immigrant and a mother who is deeply invested in the future of our kids and our economy, and she sees pathways to living wage jobs, housing, and healthcare that are accessible to everyone. Her vision for a stronger, more accessible democracy includes radical transparency and making it easier to get involved and ensure that we keep our democracy.
Labor Activist Bill Fletcher has been an activist since his teen years. Upon graduating from college he went to work as a welder in a shipyard, thereby entering the labor movement. Over the years he has been active in workplace and community struggles as well as electoral campaigns. He has worked for several labor unions in addition to serving as a senior staff person in the national AFL-CIO. Fletcher is a syndicated columnist and a regular media commentator on television, radio and the Web.
And more to be announced! Register here.
Multicare Changes in Yakima, Thurston, and Grays Harbor Counties Affecting SEBB and PEBB Members
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
With thanks to AFT Yakima.
Washington State’s Healthcare Authority (HCA) provides coverage for state employees on the SEBB and PEBB plans through Regence BlueShield, which functions as the Universal Medical Plan (UMP) administrator but not necessarily the provider. In Yakima, Thurston, and Grays Harbor Counties, Multicare has been an in-network UMP provider for PEBB enrollees.
This month, the contract between Regence BlueShield and Multicare ended. This is a normal process that typically just involves renegotiating a contract between all parties. However, Regence BlueShield and Multicare have been unable to reach an agreement, which means Multicare is now out of network under certain circumstances if you get medical care in Multicare facilities in Yakima, Thurston, or Grays Harbor counties. Multicare providers in other counties are not affected.
HCA has a statement up on their website that includes contact information for people who need help navigating this. You can read it here.
There are a number of exemptions to the out of network shift. As an example, emergency care at any hospital emergency room is still covered at the network rate, and many urgent care clinics remain in-network. Additionally, people receiving ongoing care for certain conditions can continue to receive care at Multicare facilities – more details at that page on the HCA website.
HCA and all parties are actively working to negotiate the new contract; if an agreement is not reached within a month, HCA may allow some subscribers to change medical plans. Impacted subscribers will be notified by mail that they are eligible.
If your members run into issues with this, please contact your UOR for further guidance.
Celebration of Life For Nancy Kennedy
June 6th from 1:00 – 6:00 PM
Former AFT Washington staff member Nancy Kennedy’s memorial will be held June 6th at The Barn at Wilson Farms, located at 1425 210th Ave E, Lake Tapps, WA 98391.
If you are able to attend, please use this RSVP link. Folks are invited to attend when they are able and stay as long as they would like.
Support the AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzin Lavitt Scholarship
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Has your local donated to support the AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzen Lavitt Scholarship this year? Now is a great time to do so!
Every year, AFT Washington provides scholarships to AFT Washington members and their families who are getting a post-high-school degree at any educational level. In recent years, thanks to the generosity of locals and individual donors who have participated in our previous fundraisers, we’ve been able to offer six $1500 scholarships – that’s six students who receive a scholarship, up from our pre-pandemic four!
If your local would like to donate through our GivingFuel account, you can do that here. If you’d prefer to send a check, please contact Tammy Fouts at tfouts@aftwa.org – you can send the check to AFT Washington’s office, at 604 Oakesdale Avenue, Suite 103, Renton, WA 98057.
We appreciate our donors, and our students do too!
The AFT Washington/BIL Scholarship Opens For Applications June 1st
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
The AFT Washington/Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt Scholarship was initiated in partnership with Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt LLP, a Seattle-based labor law firm, in recognition of our close alliance in working toward improved education and labor rights for the working people of Washington State and the members of AFT Washington.
For the 2026-2027 school year, at least four (4) scholarships of $1500 each will be made to AFT Washington members or their family members. More information and the application will be available on Monday, June 1st. These scholarships are usable for any level of higher education at any accredited institution of higher education.
Applications are due to the AFT Washington office on Monday, August 3, 2026. The application will be available on our website on June 1st, and we will send out a mailing to this and other lists.
Union Tips & Reminders
AFT Washington & WEA Adjunct Unemployment Workshop
Thursday, June 18th, 12:00 - 1:30 PM OR Monday, June 22nd, 3:00 - 4:30 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 accidentally 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.
AFT Convention
July 16 - 19, 2026
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 Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C, on Thursday, July 16, 2026, 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.
Click here to read the full convention call, or download it directly.
Washington State Labor Council Convention
July 21 - 23, 2026
Your local should have received information from the Washington State Labor Council regarding their convention in July. The more our membership is represented, the better we are able to advocate for our members’ interests and needs.
The convention will be held in Wenatchee. For more information, please visit the WSLC’s Convention page.
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!
- 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.
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.