Remembering Verlene Jones Davis & Jacquie Jones-Walsh

Legendary labor leaders left a lasting impact on Washington’s labor movement 

SEATTLE, WA (March 31, 2025) — In tough times, we look for inspiration, and the labor movement holds no shortage of leaders who inspire for their dedicated activism. The last day of Women’s History Month is a worthy time to lift up the contributions of two such local labor leaders who are no longer with us, Verlene Jones Davis and Jacquie Jones-Wash. 

Davis served in various roles, as President of the Seattle chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, President of the Washington chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Director of the MLK Labor’s Union Cities program, and was always active in her union, Office and Professional Employees Local 8, where she served as President for 10 years. Davis passed in 2018.

Jones-Walsh was a longtime member of the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE), a State President of CLUW, and a Washington State Labor Council Vice President, when she passed in 2019. Incredibly active in her community, she was also one of the founding members of the Puget Sound Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU).

For both women, CLUW was an important part of their organizing. Formed in 1974, CLUW is the AFL-CIO constituency group dedicated to empowering women workers; both Davis and Jones-Walsh led Washington’s chapter, and their work has left a lasting impact in the organization and the broader labor movement. Their work is carried on in Washington chapter of CLUW by current president, Jo Blake, a Machinist.

The legacies of both Jacquie and Verlene live on in their unions, and in the memories of those who worked with them throughout the years. In a remembrance, Kevin Allen, WSLC Vice President representing CBTU and a longtime member of WFSE, remembered the women as history makers and powerful sisters in the movement.

From left to right: Jacquie Jones-Walsh, Kevin Allen, and Verlene Jones Davis. Photo: Kevin Allen