Support Our Union: The Leave Bank is Open for October!

Jason Allen

All the hours that our union puts into negotiating our contract, bringing concerns to management, and speaking up on our behalf are made possible by the Union Leave Bank — and October is one of only two months when it’s open for donations.

The leave bank is officially open today, and we can accept donations through October 31st using the form below:

Union Leave Bank Form [PDF]

You can either email the completed form or mail it to our Post Office box. Regardless of how you submit it, it must be postmarked or emailed before November 1st.

Via Email: local1857president@gmail.com

Via Post Office:
President, Local 1857
PO Box 3056
Issaquah, WA 98027

Why the Leave Bank is Important

The leave bank is a shared pool of hours that members contribute so union leadership can tap into it for negotiations, handling grievances, training, or other official union business. It keeps things fair, predictable, and transparent while preventing union leaders from having to use their own personal time to advocate for all of us.

This support is especially critical right now. With ongoing health insurance bargaining and preparations for our 2027 contract negotiations, the union needs the capacity to do work that can’t be done on KCLS time. Your donated hours directly strengthen that effort!

Local 1857 Executive Board Meeting: Tomorrow!

Jason Allen

First a quick reminder the registration deadline for the previously mentioned Council 2 Presidents Conference is TOMORROW Friday, September 18, 2026!

Second, the executive board of Local 1857 is also meeting tomorrow. Meeting starts at 7:15pm.

While attendance is only mandatory for members of the eBoard, the proceedings can be joined by any member in good standing. If you would like to attend, just send an email to eboard@kclsvoice.org requesting a Zoom invitation, and you’ll receive that in the minutes leading up to the meeting time.

Can’t make it? Not real interested in eBoard meetings? Be sure to check out the next Listening Session on Monday, October 26th at 7:15pm. Don’t forget to visit the full calendar to see other upcoming dates!

Not a dues paying member but suffering from a bad case of FOMO? Might be time for you to join your colleagues in Local 1857. ✊

Octopus with just four arms, but just as many tools.

20th Anniversary of Local 1857-F: A Milestone for KCLS Workers

Jason Allen

This year is a pretty major milestone for our union family over here in 1857, as we celebrate the TWENTIETH anniversary of Local 1857-F! But their historic impact on the organization goes back even further.

In the the early ‘90s, maintenance workers in Facilities became the very first group of employees at King County Library System to organize. Their courage established a new tradition of labor solidarity and advocacy within our system under the AFSCME / Council 2 banner of Local 1652-LM.

Then in 2006, recognizing that workers are stronger when standing together as one, the members of Local 1652-LM voted to disband and integrate into the much larger union of KCLS workers formed just a few years earlier as Local 1857. When the pages joined up with 1857-M and 1857-F just a year later, Local 1857 became one of the largest unions under Council 2.

After 20 years of 1857-F, we all owe a great debt of gratitude to the courage and effort of the workers in Facilities for bringing union representation to KCLS for the first time. Thank you for your continued hard work in keeping our system running, and for your enduring commitment to solidarity.

Happy 20th Anniversary, 1857-F!

Many faces in various computer screens having fun at a Local 1857 union meeting

Reminder: Union Listening Session Tomorrow

Jason Allen

Just a reminder that the listening session is tomorrow, September 14th at 7:15pm!

These are great opportunities to bring any issues, questions or concerns to your union because the only way union leadership is able to address issues is if they hear about them. This has been such a successful and effective format that our friends down at the Multnomah County Library System have used it as a model for their own!

Reminder that these sessions are open to all dues paying members of our union. If that doesn’t include you yet, you can easily join to strengthen both your voice AND the voice of the union itself.

Please look in your inbox for the message sent from c2everett@council2.com on Friday, August 28th for a link to the Zoom meeting.

Not able to make tomorrow’s event? Be sure to check out our calendar for other opportunities!

Don’t Stay on the Sidelines

Jason Allen

Checking your work email this week revealed those rarest of occurrences: a staff-wide email from our local union through official work channels. And coupled with the message from HR a few days later confirming that they’re working with our union to address scheduling concerns? A very big week for the often invisible nature of our union’s work!

As you likely noticed in the message from the president of Local 1857-S, the opportunity to share health insurance priorities and preferences was limited to members in good standing only. This isn’t about being exclusionary, but about the people sitting at the bargaining table fighting for the specific interests and priorities that membership voted on.

If you haven’t joined your union yet, you don’t need to stay on the sidelines. You can join today and add your voice to the chorus of your colleagues and help determine our path forward.

Have questions? Find your local steward, or you can email the executive board at eboard@kclsvoice.org.

Join Local 1857 Today