UW Bargaining Update 9/10/18
UW BARGAINING TEAM AGREES TO MANY NON-ECONOMIC ITEMS, STILL WAITING FOR MANAGEMENT’S OFFER ON RAISES!Tentative agreement was reached on many non-economic items. Management has played a delaying game since day one, often proposing things that they knew would cause long d...
Students protest laundry closure
Students protest possible closure of UW Medical laundry; 100 jobs at riskOriginally published April 9, 2018 at 7:53 pm Updated April 10, 2018 at 8:00 amBy Katherine Long Seattle Times higher-education reporter
UW Bargaining Update 9/13/18
The Employer dropped a huge load of DISRESPECT on all of the members of all the unions!Their initial proposal was:
House Bill Simplifies and Fixes PSLF, Overhauls Higher Education
A bill that has been introduced in the House of Representatives would simplify the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for current and would-be participants.
Endorsements 2018
AFSCME Council 28 Political Endorsements 2018Belwo is the list of endorsements made at the April 28 AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) Endorsements Conference. FEDERAL RACESU.S. SenateMaria Cantwell, D*U.S. CongressCD 1: Suzan DelBene, D*CD 3: Carolyn Long, DCD 5: Lisa Brown, DCD...
Caught in Limbo: AFSCME Member Struggles with Student Loan Forgiveness
As a public librarian for the Philadelphia Free Library, Sheila O’Steen embodies what we think of when we imagine a public service worker. Every day, she interacts with members of her community. Whether her patrons are young or old, affluent or impoverished, O’Steen sha...
UW Day of Action
It's time for UW to make the right choices!UW needs to:provide a free UPass to employeesprovide wages that people can actually live off oftake action to end institutional racism (words are not enough)JOIN US Wednesday, Sep. 127-8am UWMC, Montlake and Pacific11am-1pm UWM...
Members at the University of Washington Ratify Agreement
Members at the University of Washington ratified a new 2019-2021 collective bargaining agreement. Click here to learn more about the agreement.
Brett Kavanaugh: No R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Women’s and Workers’ Rights
Like others around the world, I mourned the death last week of Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul set a new standard for enduring classic songs with both artistic and political impact, like her mega-hit “Respect,” which became an anthem for both the civil rights and wom...
2020 Minimum Wage Hikes to Benefit 7 Million Working People
The new year brings good news for millions of working Americans. Nearly 7 million of them are in line to get pay raises this year thanks to state and local minimum-wage hikes.
Injured on the Job, Corrections Officer Links Safety with Collective Bargaining Rights
The day after he was released from a hospital, a bruised and swollen Kelvin Chung told a state Senate committee that state employees like him need collective bargaining rights to advocate for safety on the job.
“I want you to see my face. We need a voice on the job, so...
Speaking truth to power
Speaking truth to power at King County CouncilLocal 1488’s Marcie Serafica, swing shift custodian at Haborview Medical Center in Seattle, on Wednesday (Oct. 4) urged the King County Council to continue to hold the University of Washington’s feet to the fire on how the r...
UW Bargaining Update 8/2/18
Another tough slog with the employerWhile a couple of good things are close being settled they still push back and try to control our stewards — "well if we pay them we think we should have some control came across the table."Our team is getting very frustrated about so...
Cool Under Pressure
The work Joe Martinez does for the Los Angeles County Fire Department is emblematic of countless AFSCME members: he’s never in the spotlight and he’s always under pressure while lives are on the line.
Across the Nation, Workers Are Striking Like It’s 1986
Last year, nearly half a million workers went on strike across the nation, the largest number since 1986, when the country’s union membership rate was considerably higher (17.5%) than it was in 2018 (10.5%).
Big victory for UW painters
Big victory for six UW painters who defended there work and split a $25,000 settlementRemember the six painters at the University of Washington who defended their work after discovering their work had been assigned to others?Not only did they use their 100% Union power...
UW Bargaining Update 6/28/18
OUR 3488 AND 1488 TEAMS PUT IN ANOTHER CHALLENGING DAY.Management completed their non-economic proposals.Our strength in numbers resulted in some good news regarding some of the MOU's they wanted to roll over and continue for the next agreement. Those MOU's involved som...
VIDEO Town Hall on Inequality at UW
KODX, Seattle, Dec. 8, 2018Watch the full town hall meeting held at the UW addressing inequality for workers.AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) represents over 3000 workers at the University of Washington who laundry at Haborview Medical Center, at UW Medical Center and all acros...
UW Members Vote No!
97% of WFSE Members at the UW Vote No!WFSE members at the University of Washington, UW Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, and the Consolidated Laundry voted "No" to reject management’s Last Offer for the 2019-2021 union contract. Voting closed yesterday, with 97...
Court Case Threatens Health Care for Millions
Today, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to repeal the Affordable Care Act will unfold at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans, where oral arguments in Texas v. Azar will be heard. The case threatens the future of the ACA, which prov...
Public Service Loan Forgiveness: A Broken Promise
Megha Desai is a public defender in Multnomah County, Oregon. In a given week, she might work upwards of 60 hours. Right now, she has about 145 open cases.“It's like a conveyor belt. Every day you work on your assigned cases, new ones roll in,” said Desai, a member of L...
Take Action: 2020 Legislative Priorities
Welcome to the 2020 Legislative Session! You are the best advocate for the issues that affect your workplace. Join us for a lobby day or call 855-982-1762 to reach your legislators immediately. Read below for the key legislative issues we're standing up for in 2020.
The Numbers Are In: AFSCME Members Are Sticking with Their Union
Our union gained more than 9,000 dues-paying members and nearly 19,000 dues-paying retirees in the last year, suggesting that billionaires and corporations are failing in their effort to “defund and defang” public service unions.
Protecting Nurses During National Nurses Week
During National Nurses Week, we celebrate the heroes who, with skill and compassion, care for the sick. This year, we’re honoring their hard work and dedication by supporting the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, a bill that s...