AFT Washington president Jacqui Cain speaks at the WSNA rally at Seattle Children's in September. Photo credit: Ray Carrillo
Seattle Children's Hospital Nurses, organized with Washington State Nurses' Association (WSNA), are in a hard contract fight with hospital administration, who have hired notorious union-busting law firm Morgan Lewis to conduct negotiations. WSNA members held an informational picket on September 30th to highlight the unreasonable demands of the administration, which include eliminating union security, automatic dues deductions, and employer-paid healthcare. WSNA has highlighted the fact that Seattle Children's is the wealthiest and most profitable large hospital system in Washington state; their profit margin in the 2024 fiscal year was 14%. The Stand notes that 14% is quite the cushion against future fluctuations in the healthcare industry.
Members of a number of unions turned out to support the informational picket, which featured speeches by labor leaders including AFT Washington president Jacqui Cain and Washington State Labor Council President April Sims, as well as music and a whole lot of energy.
Table Of Contents
Welcome Erin Grimes, Our New External Organizer!
Erin Grimes is a solidarity-focused union organizer who enjoys meeting new people and bringing people together. Erin lives by her passion for empowering ordinary people with the skills and confidence to improve their daily lives through mass participation in their unions.
President's Letter: Facing The Challenges Ahead
It’s hard to believe that it was just about three months ago that I stepped into the role of AFT Washington’s President. People have been asking me how it’s going, and mostly I’m so busy doing the work that I haven’t had time to reflect. So, how is it going?
I started writing this the morning the federal government shut down, and the administration was saying that they are going to send the National Guard into Portland, and we know Seattle is a target too. Closer to home, all the projections coming out from Olympia are that the revenue forecast is grim, and we expect that yet again, higher education will be under attack. We may find ourselves on the defensive to protect our funding, when what we need is investment in our members and our students.
Leading By Example By Taxing Wealth, Not The Working Class
The events of the past year reminded me that being a taxpayer used to be a point of pride. Whenever I pay my little bit in taxes, I think of the scientists who keep our food from being recalled, the healthcare workers in rural clinics, and the park rangers that take care of our nature. I think of the teachers that taught me how to count, and the public TV shows that taught me my colors. If I have learned anything this year, it is that the people of Washington have funded the things I love most about our state.
Fighting Back With The Mobilization Committee
As the federal threats to workers’ rights and public education mount, AFT Washington members are taking action – and you can help. The state federation this summer launched a mobilization committee dedicated to organizing statewide resistance to the Trump administration’s assault on democracy. The committee seeks to answer the question members have been asking for a year: “What are we doing to fight back?”
AFT Washington Seeks Members To Join Our Contingent Faculty Job Security Task Force
Too many of our contingent and associate faculty work jobs that lack the basic benefits and certainty of their tenured peers. When higher education is built on the backs of undervalued workers, students and communities lose. We're looking for passionate members eager to find solutions to these problems. You do not need to be contingent faculty to serve on the task force.
AFT Washington Non-Violent Civil Disobedience Training Next Month
Members across the state have proudly sported their AFT blues at May Day and No Kings Day events this year, but how do we take the next steps in standing up to the authoritarian Trump administration and its cronies? By attending an in-person training on the art of non-violent civil disobedience. This will be led by long-time activist Wes Howard-Brook. He’s earned a law degree and has practiced as a lawyer, is theology faculty emeritus at Seattle University, a published scholar, and has been involved with dozens of these sorts of actions for decades.
The AFT Renton Coaches' Path To A Great Contract
One of our newest locals has hit big milestones in the last two months! AFT Renton Coaches ratified their first contract in August of this year after nearly two years of work building the supermajority that voted to unionize. This week, they passed their constitution and will be voting in their first set of officers in November.
Whatcom Community College Professional Staff Win First Contract
Professional exempt staff at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham organized with AFT last year in response to a lack of job security and having no real say in their wages or working conditions. Over fifty employees, including coordinators, advisors, analysts, and others, chose to join AFT, which already represented faculty at the college, along with professional staff at colleges including Seattle College, Clover Park Technical College, Walla Walla Community College, and more.
Our 2025 General Election Endorsements
These are the 2025 general election endorsements of AFT Washington, as approved by the AFT Washington Committee on Political Education (COPE) and the Executive Board. If you aren't sure of your legislative district, you can find it at the Washington State Legislature District Finder. Many of the endorsements we made are familiar faces that members know and have spoken with before. We believe all of these candidates have strong, clear visions in line with our values, and would serve well in their districts.
Our COPE contributors play an important role in our efforts to elect education and labor-friendly candidates! COPE stands for Committee on Political Education, and is our political arm. It is chaired by Vice President for COPE Mark Gorecki and made up of AFT Washington members.
This week, the AFT Washington Executive Board voted to approve the Legislative Agenda put together by our Legislative Affairs Committee. While parts of the agenda are not fully finalized, the session is coming up very quickly, and we are already talking to legislators! If you want to get involved, please contact Richard Burton at rburton@aftwa.org.
Decline To Sign: Don't Be Fooled!
He’s at it again. Multimillionaire Brian Heywood isn’t done yet messing with our rights and values. He's paying to circulate petitions for three new initiatives:
- 1L 26-001 Restoring the "Parents' Bill of Rights"
- 1L 26-638 Defending equity in interscholastic sports
- 1L 26-126 Requiring verification of citizenship for voter registration
Spotlight On: AFT Washington Retirees
I would like to welcome our two new Board members, Sandra Schroeder and Larry Silverman. We look forward to working with you both!
I have an ask for our Retiree Chapter members. At our first Board meeting on October 23rd we will be discussing and planning events for our members. I would really like to hear from you as to what would interest you or not be interested in to attend an event, either in person or by Zoom. Please let me or any of our board members know. We would appreciate it very much. You can reach out to me via email at Merrilee.miron@gmail.com, or you can contact Cortney Marabetta at 206-499-4826. Thank you all, I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Also in this issue:
"I don't do politics." - Jim Howe
Update on WISeR - Cortney Marabetta
The Biennial Meeting And The Board Election
In solidarity,
Jacqui Cain, President
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