January 2026
From the President
Last week marked my six-month anniversary as President for AFT Washington, and what I’ve been looking forward to the most has finally arrived. January has turned out to be a month of action!
I was able to cross ‘taking the train to Portland’ off my bucket list (highly recommend) and was inspired by working with other union leaders at our regional meeting. Members noted the workshops on fighting authoritarianism and the evening discussion with Randi Weingarten as highlights and standout learning opportunities.
For myself, I would like to elevate the vigil and rally at that regional leader meeting to honor and remember Renee Good, and to stand in solidarity with all the communities impacted by these events and the ongoing state-sanctioned violence. It was powerful to stand with AFT members and listen to Randi Weingarten, as well as elected representatives and labor leaders, remember Renee and share our commitment to our progressive values and the social justice movement.
Just this week, Martin Luther King Jr.’s day was another opportunity for action. I had the privilege to be at the state capital and introduce our AFT members who were invited to a Senate Higher Education & Workforce Committee work session. Members turned out to share with legislators their experiences, as well as the experiences of others, when there are no guardrails on how student complaints are processed on our campuses. This builds on the work of AFT Washington’s Human Rights Committee and the Anti-Racism in Collective Bargaining project spearheaded by that committee, which developed bargaining language to strengthen transparency and faculty protections during the complaint investigation and evaluations processes. We know and have documented that faculty from traditionally marginalized communities, women, and contingent faculty, are disproportionately impacted in the face of retaliatory complaints. (If you aren’t familiar with the ARC-B’s work, you can find the reports on our website, under Resources > Anti-Racism Resources.)
Listening to our faculty’s experiences, including their real fear of retaliation for speaking out on this issue considering the current political climate, shows what is possible when we remain steadfast and support each other. This work is ongoing, and we were encouraged by the positive response from Senator Nobles and others on the committee.
Having the opportunity to be in Olympia with the other organizations and our community partners such as WEA and Communities for our Colleges, keeps me optimistic in the face of what is gearing up to be a challenging legislative session. We are just getting started with this new year, but we know that when we fight, we win, and showing up is the first step!
We have plenty of opportunities to come together over the year, for testimony on bills, events in person at the Capitol, this summer’s Powerful Locals, May Day, the next No Kings protest, and the midterms. The calendar is already full, so maybe it’s better to say that this is shaping up to be a year of action!
But first up is Lobby Day. Come join us and let’s stand together as a strong AFT community. See you there on February 16th!
Local Highlights & News
Remembering Nancy Kennedy
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Some of you have undoubtedly heard that Nancy Kennedy, a former AFT Washington UOR, passed away unexpectedly this month. We are collecting memories of her time at AFT Washington for an article in the March issue of the Union Spotlight, and already have a lovely piece shared by Nina Benedetti. If you knew Nancy and would like to share a memory, please reach out to Cortney Marabetta at cmarabetta@aftwa.org.
Details of a memorial service have not been made available. We will share them if a public memorial is planned.
We Have A Part-Time Pay Equity Bill!
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
Last week, Representative Gerry Pollet sponsored HB 2538, Increasing pay equity for part-time faculty – a bill that is such a good idea, it got 14 cosponsors in a matter of hours, and regrets from several legislators who missed the deadline to cosponsor but wanted to. The bill requires the CTCs to move contingent faculty to 75% of comparably qualified full-time faculty salaries by academic year 2028-29, then to 80% by 29-30, and 85% by 30-31. The bill also notes that these amounts are floors; the CTCs can go higher than the minimums specified.
You can read the bill here.
HB 2538 also puts the entire rationale we have used for faculty compensation improvements into law, which is a nice bonus; by passing the bill, the state will be acknowledging the importance of a diverse, talented, and financially stable education workforce to Washington State.
We will be sharing action updates via our political newsletter, the Legisletter. If you are not receiving those emails, you can sign up for it here. You are welcome to share the sign-up link with your members who are interested in political advocacy on this and other issues, and, of course, signing up for Lobby Day will be a big opportunity for advocacy on this issue!
Fund Our Futures
By Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer
At our May convention, the delegates of AFT Washington’s locals all voted unanimously to approve resolution 2025 – 05: Ensure Washington State Workers’ Pension Funds Align with International Law. This resolution calls upon our state federation to urge the Washington State Investment Board (WSIB) to divest completely from companies contributing to Israel’s genocide, ethnic cleansing, occupation, and apartheid. As we’ve initiated the work to act upon this resolution, we’ve happily come to be in coalition with a large array of other groups also working on reforming the WSIB, known as the Fund our Futures Coalition. What is at stake?
The WSIB oversees the investment of some $200 billion in public pensions, college tuition savings accounts, and taxpayer money. Currently, the WSIB invests our public funds in companies such as:
- Palantir: an AI company fueling immigrant surveillance at home and bombing campaigns abroad in places like Gaza.
- Realpage: WSIB is invested in private equity fund Thomo Bravo, which is invested in Realpage. Realpage is a company that price fixes rent for thousands of renters in Washington and across the country, making rent more and more unaffordable. WA State has sued Realpage alongside other states across the country.
- GEO Group: a private prison company and owner of the Northwest Detention Center. WA state has sued GEO group repeatedly.
- Chevron: a major oil company that is responsible for immense fossil fuel emissions, oil spills, toxic waste pollution (especially in Ecuador's Amazon), air/water contamination from refineries (like Richmond, CA), and disproportionate impacts on disadvantaged communities. Chevron is the largest producer of fossil gas for Israel and the largest multinational corporation with a significant stake in Israel’s energy sector.
- Signature Aviation: WSIB is one of the leading partners in Signature Aviation, which is responsible for flights deporting thousands of Washington noncitizens.
As you can imagine, an investment portfolio such as this has resulted in a lot of different groups all raising important concerns.
Of course, the leaders and members of AFT Washington care about our pensions, our children’s future college tuition, and all of our public funds. We want those pensions to be strong and continue to grow to strengthen our lives and our communities. But the best way to ensure that is to make sure that our investments account for inherent risks that traditional financial analysis does not account for. We believe WSIB’s fiduciary duty to “maximize profits at a prudent level of risk” can, and should, go hand in hand with applying a framework for responsible investing. Companies that are engaging in major environmental harm, human rights abuses or actions that contradict our state’s policy priorities have an inherent risk. Our money is invested toward a thirty-year horizon: we know that it is not sustainable to continue these practices and turn consistent profit. So, we urge the legislature to enact reforms in the policies of the WSIB.
If you are interested in learning more about this issue or getting involved with this important reform campaign, please contact Richard Burton, Rburton@aftwa.org;
Save The Date For Powerful Locals!
Powerful Locals is back! Save the date for August 13th – 15th. This year, we’re back at Evergreen in Olympia. 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!
Register For Lobby Day
Monday, February 16th, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Washington State faces ongoing revenue challenges that, last year, led to painful cuts. This year, we need to get down to Olympia and advocate with the Legislature to oppose balancing the state’s budget on the backs of working Washingtonians. Our priorities for this session include strengthening and increasing progressive revenue, preventing further cuts to education, and keeping the conversations around school-related personnel, professional exempt staff, and contingent faculty wages alive for 2027. We know that it is crucial to not merely survive but to make the investments that allow us to thrive.
Central issues on our 2026 agenda are:
- Protecting education at all levels from damaging cuts.
- Reestablishing the provisos for education funding that were removed in the last session.
- Preparing legislators for pay increases in the 2027 budget session.
- Working with Communities for Our Colleges to push for cost-free college for our students.
- Working with the Balance Our Tax Code coalition to advocate for increased progressive revenue.
The 2026 session is a short session, but we still have the opportunity to make improvements even in a non-budget year.
Please plan to join with colleagues, meet with legislators, and push for progressive change. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided, and transportation will be coordinated. Contact Richard Burton, State Affiliate Political Organizer, at rburton@aftwa.org or (206) 225-0621 with any questions. You can download the flyer here[CM3] .
How To Meet With Your Legislator Training
Having an in-person meeting with a legislator is a very important activity in getting progressive change to happen. The mere fact that you are engaging in a meeting is great! But there are steps you can take to make the meeting as effective as possible.
In this training, we will go over:
- How to meet with a legislator
- Getting legislators off the floor
- Legislative talking points
Join us and get your questions answered!
Available dates:
Monday, February 9th, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Wednesday, February 11th, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Friday, February 13th, 3:30 – 4:30 PM
Union Tips and Reminders
South Sound Labor School 2026
Saturdays, January 31st, April 25th, July 25th, and October 31st, 2026
The Thurston Lewis Mason Labor Central Labor Council and the WA Labor Education and Research Center are proud to partner on the 2026 South Sound Labor School!
Join workers and union members from around Thurston-Lewis-Mason Counties to learn how to make our unions, communities, and organizations stronger and more effective. Featured topics include:
• Better Approaches to 1:1 Conversations
• Planning campaigns around grievances
• Participatory and engaging bargaining
• Building workplace organizing networks
• Member Powered Bargaining
• Inter-union community and coalition building strategies
• Beating Apathy in the workplace
• Running Effective New Employee Orientations
• Building bridges across political and culture war divides
• Strategy and Power: Campaign Planning
• Defending Against Attacks on Civil Liberties and Immigrant Workers
• and much more!
The series will also feature panel discussions with movement leaders, community strategy sessions, and chances to socialize with workers from diverse sectors.
Register here.
Worksite Representative Training
Tuesday, January 27th, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Whether you are called a union steward, building rep, officer, executive board member, we all want to do our best to represent our members. During this training you will learn the importance of engaging our membership, building our power inside and outside of the worksite, and enforcing our contract.
Register here.
Contract Enforcement & Grievance Training
Tuesday, February 3rd, 5:30 - 7:30 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.
Member Engagement & Membership Drives
Tuesday, February 24th, 5:30 - 7:30 PM
Building our union means increasing membership. This workshop will help local leaders conduct member drives and practice organizing conversations. We’ll discuss the importance of maintaining an accurate bargaining unit list and help you plan a member drive from start to finish at your local. You’ll leave with a packet of material you can use on an ongoing basis to run member drives in the future.
Register here.
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.