Photo Albums
Tacoma Federation of ParaEducators Give Away New Books to Community
Thanks to a partnership with AFT and First Book, Tacoma Federation of ParaEducators Local 461 gave away over 300 new books on Saturday, August 23, at the first-ever Hilltop Street Fair located in Tacoma's inner city. Participating in the book fair were local president Barb Randall-Saleh Pierce and TFP members Maria Haynes, Diane Hollstrom, Debbie Scott, and Donna Mairs. Pierce College instructor and AFT member Tom McCarthy was one of the organizers of the street fair.
Labor's Got Talent Solidarity Event
What a fun night of solidarity with our union brothers and sisters! We enjoyed the many talents -- from comedy to singing performances -- of everyone. We want to express our deep appreciation for their participation in the first-ever Labor's Got Talent! Let's do this again!
Photos by Christine Landon.
Celebrate Books and Reading with First Book Partnership
AFT Washington held "Celebrate Books and Reading," a book giveaway in partnership with First Book, a national non-profit organization who provides books at little or no cost to increase literacy and the love of books for children in need. The event took place on Saturday, May 17, at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall.
We want to thank all of the donors, the organizations that participated in our resource fair, the Mayor of Seattle, Charles Johnson and Elisheba Johnson, and the many volunteers. We couldn't have done it without you!
Photos by Christine Landon, AFT Washington
Step Up for Faculty Equity: The 2014 Contingent Faculty Issues Conference
Part-time faculty attended a free conference designed specifically for their issues where they heard about practical tips for applying for unemployment benefits and the main reasons claims are denied, as well as a presentation on how part-time faculty across the country are working together to make their union stronger from AFT Higher Education Asst. Director Alyssa Picard.
Campus Equity Week 2013
Some locals recognized Campus Equity Week by holding campus events to call attention to working conditions of adjunct and part-time faculty. Washington State Governor Jay Inslee issued a proclamation to recognize adjunct and part-time faculty members in our state.
For more information, including links, go to http://wa.aft.org/contingent-faculty/join-campus-equity-week.
Partners, Allies and Bridges Event - Sept. 19, 2013
On Sept. 19, 2013, we hosted a gathering to connect with community and labor allies and to meet the new AFT Washington President Karen Strickland. Attendees included the SW Washington County Labor Council, AFT Washington Retiree Chapter 8045R, Washington Assn. of Colleges for Teacher Education, WEA, EOI, OneAmerica, Fuse Washington, Pride At Work, United States Student Assn., Washington Student Assn., Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Washington Labor Education Research Center, Sen. Patty Murray's office, Rep. Suzan Delbene's office, Washington State Nurses Assn., Washington State Labor Council, and Legislators from the 11th, 33rd, and 34th LDs
Check out all of the photos from our event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157635815428024
Meeting With Marcie
Former legislator Marcie Maxwell was appointed in July to Governor Inslee's Legislative and Policy Affairs Office as the senior education policy advisor. AFT Washington President Karen Strickland and Lobbyist Bernal Baca met with her recently to discuss some of our policy issues. We look forward to working with her in the future.
AFT NW Leadership Forum
Over 105 AFT members from Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Idaho attended the 3rd annual AFT Northwest Leadership Forum from July 11-14. The theme of the conference was "The Union Beyond Today's Struggles: Staying Strong and Leading Smart. The conference was a great opportunity for AFT members from all around this region, in all kinds of work situations, to meet each other and learn from each other’s successes and struggles. Not only were there people from various states and locals in each training track, but we also talked together at a constituency breakfast and partied together at the opening night night reception.
To see more photos from the forum, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7177671@N03/sets/72157634687633272/with/9308891871/
and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95521377@N03/sets/72157634665575357/
2013 Contingent Faculty Issues Conference
About 50 members attended a conference on contingent faculty issues Saturday, May 18, at the Georgetown campus of Seattle Community Colleges, which was sponsored by the AFT Washington Contingent Faculty Issues Committee.
Workshops on best practices for bargaining contingent faculty interests, filing for unemployment insurance, and identifying adjunct issues were held. Several folks signed up to be members of the contingent faculty issues committee which meets monthly.
During lunch, AFT Washington President Sandra Schroeder and Lobbyist Bernal Baca talked about the legislative session and SB 5905, which would take health care coverage away from part-time public employees and move them to a state insurance exchange program fundeded through the federal Affordable Care Act. Several members signed and took petitions that will be given to key budget negotiators. You can read more about this attack on health care on our website at http://wa.aft.org/take-action/state-senate-wants-cut-health-care-benefits-part-time-employees.
Photos taken by Dorothy Gibson