Welcome To The WFSE 43rd Biennial Convention

Welcome Delegates, Alternates and Guests to the 43rd Biennial Convention of the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28!


If you are reading this, you are a member who enjoys being in the know and you are very likely actively engaged in the life of your union, your community, your country and your world. We all owe you a debt of gratitude because you are the people that make each generation better than the last and the world a better place.

Unions and their members are the reason working conditions for all people improve over time – in this country and others. They are the warriors for the working class everywhere. These improvements came at a high price. Some people paid with their lives and still do. That’s why it’s important to organize new groups of workers and to activate as many people within our bargaining units as possible. Our power is in the rank and file membership.

Due to activism and direct action, we are able to prevent a lot of bad things from happening to good people. We are also, in significant part, the reason good things happen for our members and the community at large. We partner at times with various groups in the community on issues of shared concern. We need these allies and they need us. For example, the Developmental Disability Parents groups have worked hard with us to prevent the closure of Yakima Valley School, Rainier School and others. In Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, Naselle Youth Camp activated their entire community to stop the closure of their program. We saw the same activism in the fight to save Green Hill and Maple Lane. The loss of these facilities would have severely damaged the communities and the quality of life for the families who need these services. The battle to save the Fish Hatcheries goes on. If not for the activism in Parks and the community interest, we may have seen parks in our state turn into havens for drug activity and worse. In other battles, we have saved entire job classes in state service from being eliminated. The increase in the minimum wage for all workers, assault benefits for injured workers, and a whole host of other legislation is due in large part to efforts by the labor community.

Direct action can take many forms and the talents of our members continually move the union forward in new ways. From those who create stories in song, to cartoon drawings depicting work conditions, to those who simply show up for actions in support of issues. Each member has something important to offer. Often they are willing to share their talent if we only take the time to ask them.

On this blog, I try to take you with me to experience some of the events I attend and share some of the things that I see and hear. Thank you to those who are here at convention and thank you to those reading this from home.

In solidarity,

Carol