Convention Day 2: Choosing solidarity

Stacy Davis Gates, Governor Bob Ferguson, worker panels and more — here’s the run down of Wednesday’s activities

VANCOUVER, WA (July 24, 2025) — The second day of the 2025 WSLC Convention delved deep into the core of the labor movement: solidarity, a legacy of change, and bone-deep optimism for a better future.

Imam Mohamud Adan of Teamsters Local 117-affiliated Driver’s Union grounded the day’s programming in the radical tradition of compassion for workers and all oppressed peoples that is foundational to Islam.

WSLC Secretary Treasurer Cherika Carter then set the tone for the day, speaking to the perseverance needed to combat injustice and bring about change.

WSLC Secretary Treasurer Cherika Carter and President April Sims.

“What we think of as ‘the moment’ — the moment that changed everything — was often one of many attempts,” said Carter. “The March on Washington in 1963 wasn’t the first; A. Philip Randolph had planned a march decades earlier, in 1941, but called it off after negotiating the desegregation of the military with FDR. The students who became Freedom Riders didn’t just wake up and decide—they trained.”

Carter identified in her own history a mundane action — picking up free movie tickets from her union hall — that was one  ‘moment’ that brought her deeper into the labor movement. A meticulous planner, Carter didn’t just stumble into the work; she actively chose solidarity with her fellow working people, going out on loss-time as a UFCW-represented pharmacy worker to defeat an attempt to strip working people of collective bargaining rights in Ohio, where Carter grew up. 

“That year, Ohio’s Governor introduced Senate Bill 5—a bill designed to strip collective bargaining rights from public employees. My parents were public employees. My friends parents were public employees. So many of my family members. And so Ohio’s labor movement said not on our watch. And my union pulled me out of the pharmacy on loss time and said, “You ready – you ready to join this fight?” I didn’t hesitate.”

The notion of solidarity as an active practice was echoed by Stacy Davis Gates, President of the Chicago Teachers Union, who walked delegates through a reflection on this country’s history, and uplifted the WSLC’s historic leadership team; the Council is the only AFL-CIO state federation to ever be led by two Black labor leaders. A history teacher at her core, Davis Gates drew a parallel between the fight for emancipation and a more just country — lead by Black workers, backed by the solidarity of white abolitionists and women’s leadership — and the fight working people now face to preserve and grow our gains. She recognized how those lessons from history are alive in Washington’s labor movement.

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacey Davis Gates.

“Thank you Washington AFL-CIO for already demonstrating that a multiracial coalition, led by the great-great-great granddaughters of enslaved people, can lead workers in a very bold way to rescue our nation’s republic once again.”

With Davis Gates call to defend working people top of mind, David Bonauto of WA’s Department of Labor & Industries, Ric Calhoun of the Washington Education Association, Scott Edwards of the WA State Association of Justice, and Sterling Harders, President of SEIU 775 formed a panel educating attendees on the impact of federal attacks of public institutions and essential services. Harders spoke on the consequences of slashing healthcare dollars from the federal budget, both the direct impacts on folks losing healthcare access and the ripple effects felt by home healthcare workers facing job loss. Bonauto talked about the dire impacts of attacks on NIOSH, and the need for states to step up to keep workers safe on the job. Edwards explored the limits and opportunities within the state court system, and Calhoun laid out the impact of attacks on education on children and teachers.  

Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor crossed the bridge to join delegates in Vancouver, firing the crowd up with a speech celebrating the power of PNW labor solidarity across state lines.

That solidarity flowed through Wednesday’s programming, exemplified in the day’s final panel focused on protecting immigrant workers. Eunice How of UNITE HERE Local 8, Richard Howard of IAM LL695, Sam Hem of SMART Local 66, and Zenia Javalera, President of SEIU6 shared lessons learned from their advocacy defending immigrant workers. Each panelist spoke to an undeniable truth that motivated their unions to action; immigrants are workers, and defending immigrant siblings from militarized immigration enforcement is inherently the role of organized labor.

From left: Moderator Dulce Gutiérrez (WSLC), Zenia Javalera, Sam, Hem Eunice How, Richard Howard.

Closing out the morning’s plenary, Governor Bob Ferguson addressed the body, lifting up major worker wins from the 2025 Legislative session and reaffirming his commitment to fight for fair pay and safe job sites for all working people.

Delegates split off to join an action supporting the UFW-led boycott of Windmill Farms mushrooms, and to their choice of a half dozen afternoon workshops before coming together in the evening for the annual awards banquet, honoring individuals and organizations for their work.

Photo: Owain Waszak

This year’s award winners include Rep. Marcus Riccelli (D-Spokane), who won the individual Power to the People award for his sponsorship of the bill granting unemployment insurance for striking workers; Janie White (WEA), who won the Elsie Schrader award for breaking barriers for women workers; Richard Howard (IAM District 160 Local 695), who won the Mother Jones award for his leadership fighting to free union brother Maximo Londonio from ICE detention; and IAM Local 751, whose members won the organization Mother Jones award for their successful strike of Boeing in fall of 2024. 

Delegates will reconvene Thursday morning to hear from UNITE HERE Secretary-Treasurer Nia Winston, and to consider action on a range of resolutions submitted by WSLC-affiliated unions.

The full morning plenary can be watched on TVW.