AFT Convention: Fighting for a better life for all

In July, 10 WSNA delegates, plus WSNA officers and staff, traveled to the other Washington to attend the biennial convention for our national union, AFT.

Thousands of AFT members and guests attended from across the country and abroad to debate critical issues, share expertise, and set AFT’s priorities for the coming years.

WSNA delegates included WSNA Labor Executive Council Chair Edna Cortez and WSNA Board Member Jacob Garcia, who shared their thoughts from the Convention on Instagram. WSNA President Justin Gill also talked on Instagram about the value of attending the Convention.

“The camaraderie at the AFT convention was so uplifting,” said Edna Cortez. “We learned from nurses and other AFT members from all over the country and met powerful leaders like Dolores Huerta, who is still in the fight at 96 years old. I came home motivated and inspired with new ideas to help us fight for our members.”  

Since WSNA affiliated with AFT in 2013, AFT has been a key partner in advancing our priorities at the national, state, and local levels. AFT has supported organizing drives, built solidarity for contract campaigns, and helped us pass state laws on critical issues, such as safe staffing.  

Along with Huerta, cofounder of the United Farm Workers, delegates were inspired by hearing locals share their victories and how they achieved them. Elected officials, such as Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, encouraged union leaders to run for office, saying, "When union members and union values are in political power, real change follows.” Speakers on protecting the vote and the importance of the 2028 mid-term elections included House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, former Attorney General Eric Holder, and Stacey Abrams, who shared her 10 Steps to Freedom & Power Campaign.   

The resolutions voted on at the Convention advance members’ priorities for AFT’s work. WSNA leaders and members spoke and voted in favor of the following successful resolutions: 

Escalating the “Code Red” Campaign: A Mandate for National Safe Staffing Ratios builds on successful safe staffing campaigns such as Washington’s. AFT will now commit additional resources to both contract and legislative campaigns to advance safe staffing ratios that include the entire care team. 

This resolution is an excellent example of the benefit of being part of the AFT and attending the convention. Hospital consolidation means that few of our employers operate in a single state. By working together through AFT, WSNA is able to build power with nurse unions from across the country, find new strategies, and share our own hard-won lessons. 

AFT delegates also approved the resolution Protecting Medical Research, Healthcare Access, and Health Equity for LGBTQIA+ Communities. Retired WSNA Executive Director David Keepnews spoke passionately from the floor about the need to ensure that our union fights to protect hard-won gains in LGBTQIA+ healthcare from politically motivated attacks. AFT delegates proudly approved this important resolution. 

Delegates also passed resolutions that will benefit health professionals, including to expand mental healthcare options for nurses; advocating for mandated, employer-paid time for ongoing education; affirming health as a global human right and opposing the financialization of healthcare; and increasing efforts to prevent workplace violence and support workers who are harmed on the job.  

WSNA and our members were also honored with awards. Former executive director and WSNA President Judy Huntington and Martha Goodall, who recently retired from Holy Family in Spokane, both received Living the Legacy awards — Judy for 50 years of service and Martha for 30 years.  

WSNA was honored with a Pride of the Union Award, recognizing our significant membership growth. Since the previous AFT convention in 2024, WSNA has organized 15 new units across Washington. This is the second consecutive convention at which WSNA has earned this recognition, as more nurses and health professionals in our state see WSNA membership as a path to dignity and respect at work. 

In her keynote speech, AFT President Randi Weingarten shared that, in just the last two years, AFT has added 60,000 members across 179 units for a total membership of 1,875,209, making it the fastest-growing union in the AFL-CIO. 

She reminded us that we have the power — together — to change our lives, saying, “Lately, I find myself drawn to another piece of [Martin Luther King, Jr.’s] wisdom — that the ‘arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ I still believe that, and I hope you do, too. 

“But the arc doesn’t bend on its own. It bends toward freedom and opportunity through the work you do every day, making a difference in people’s lives — in classrooms, at the bedside, in our communities. You bend the arc.” 

Our delegates returned from the AFT convention with new ideas and excitement to continue the fight — and having secured new commitments and resources from our national union to benefit nurses and health professionals in the Evergreen State.