Updates on Union Recognition and Collective Bargaining Training!

Hi everyone,

For those of you who missed the last email update. I am thrilled to share some incredible news—our union authorization vote has been counted, and

71%

Voted YES to form a union!!

The vast majority (71%) of Exempt Staff have signed authorization cards in favor of forming a union and affiliating with AFT Washington!

What’s next?

 Updates on our union authorization petition with the State Labor Board

1. In November, we filed our petition to the Public Employees Relations Commission (PERC), to be formally recognized as a union and to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). PERC is now in the process of counting the authorization cards and verifying their authenticity.
2. Highline’s HR missed the legal deadline in December to send PERC their lists and job descriptions of exempt professional staff.. However, they were granted an extension and sent job lists as of last week. PERC is currently in the process of reviewing these lists and determining any discrepancies with our own lists we provided to PERC.  
3. If Highline contests our unit composition, there may be a clarification process where we need to bring disputes to resolution by an arbitrator, so keep an eye out for any updates. This process might extend into bargaining.
4. After this initial review period, PERC will send all employees notice of an official card check. If you signed an authorization card, you will be notified that your card counts as a vote in a union election, and that you are allowed to revoke your authorization prior to the card check. Make sure to not revoke your authorization card during a card check to make sure your vote is counted YES in the final vote!

Bargaining

After the initial review period, we will formally demand to bargain with our employer. Once Highline’s management either agrees to bargain, or is legally compelled to bargain, we can begin the important work of negotiating our first contract and turning this victory into meaningful improvements for everyone.

Our organizing committee has decided to make use of an open and transparent bargaining process, meaning we will request open bargaining as a ground rule for negotiations. This means anybody who is part of our union can come to the negotiations sessions. 

Bargaining Training

We will be hosting our next Hi-Pro community meeting this week on Zoom! There, we will begin setting our group intentions and developing initial bargaining demands together. We are also inviting experienced negotiators to share their knowledge of collective bargaining for great union contracts! If you’re curious about what comes next, or want to learn more about how to bargain and win a new contract, this is the perfect time to connect.

This bargaining social and training meeting will take place on Zoom. Here are the details:

Hi-Pro Bargaining and Mobilization Training

👉Thursday, January 22nd 2026

🗓️ 5:30pm-7:00pm 

See email for Zoom link

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Bargaining committee elections

What’s more, nominations for bargaining committee elections open soon, and there are many roles to fill! If you…

• are an excellent communicator
• know how to cut through legalese
• can develop winning strategies
• bring institutional knowledge and diverse experiences to the table
• OR if you’re a keen observer and detail-oriented notetaker,

Consider accepting your nomination! 

Our future elected bargaining committee will be tasked with the important work of writing our contract proposals, voting on tentative agreements, and negotiating with management at the table. It’s important that our bargaining committee is  a large, diverse, and representative group of Exempt Staff employees all across Highline. 

Even if you’re not on the bargaining committee, there will be many ways to be involved and have a say in our future contract:

• Bargaining committee strategy meetings will be open to all union members, so you can observe discussions and weigh in on contract language
• you can attend open bargaining sessions and participate in group discussions
• you can be part of another committee such as Comms, Research, or Events
• or help by talking with your coworkers about bargaining.

Your voice and vote matter, and these upcoming negotiations are an opportunity for all of us to have a seat at the bargaining table! It’s going to take everyone, so let’s start off 2026 by getting together, organizing, and winning a great first contract!