Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

What Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO does

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is a nonprofit labor federation founded in 1957 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with additional offices in Olympia (legislative liaison) and Yakima (community organizing). Designated as the official AFL-CIO state federation in Washington, the WSLC represents more than 600,000 workers across 650+ affiliated local unions and councils, equating to roughly 16.5% of the state's non-agricultural workforce. The council operates by consensus and is governed by an Executive Board led by President April Sims and Secretary Treasurer Cherika Carter — together the first all-Black-women leadership team of any AFL-CIO state federation.

Name

Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Legal name

Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Website

https://wslc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is the official AFL-CIO state federation in Washington, founded in 1957 and headquartered in Seattle. It represents 600,000+ workers across 650+ affiliated local unions through legislative advocacy, political action, direct worker services, and racial and gender justice programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Federation and Worker Advocacy

NAICS

Labor Unions and Similar Labor Organizations (813930)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Labor & Employment Administration (Workforce Regulation & Programs) (BPAIAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Labor union federation
• Legislative advocacy services
• Workforce development programs
• Political action organizing
• Workers compensation assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-capita taxes from affiliated unions: The WSLC operates as a voluntary organization of AFL-CIO affiliated unions. Unions that affiliate pay per-capita taxes based on membership size, which funds the council's operations, legislative advocacy, political action, and worker services programs.
2. Foundation for Working Families donations: The Foundation for Working Families (FFWF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by the WSLC, accepts tax-deductible charitable contributions to assist union families facing hardship or disaster. Donations support cash assistance to qualifying union households.
3. Political action contributions (DIME PAC, COPE): The WSLC's DIME PAC (Don't Invest In More Excuses Political Action Committee) and COPE (Committee on Political Education) program collect contributions from union members to recruit and elect pro-worker candidates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO is the official state federation of AFL-CIO unions in Washington, coordinating legislative advocacy, political action, organizing support, and direct worker services for more than 650 affiliated local unions and 600,000 union members statewide. It delivers programs including Project HELP workers' compensation claims assistance (operated jointly with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries since 1986), the Foundation for Working Families emergency cash assistance, naturalization legal services for immigrant members, unemployment insurance navigation, workforce development, and racial and gender justice training.

Product overview

The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO operates as a service organization for affiliated unions rather than a technology product company. It offers a portfolio of member services including Legislative Advocacy, Political Action, Workforce Development, Project HELP (workers' compensation assistance), Naturalization Legal Services, Foundation for Working Families (hardship assistance), The STAND news service, UI & PFML Assistance, and Race and Labor racial justice programs. These services are delivered through staff departments, not as software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foundation for Working Families: A non-profit organization established by the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO and its affiliates to assist union families in Washington state in times of hardship or disaster
• The STAND
• Labor Neighbor
• Project HELP

Products and services

• Legislative Advocacy

Quantifiable outcome

• 600,000 workers represented across 650+ local unions — 16.5% of Washington's non-agricultural workforce, ranking it among the most unionized states in the nation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Governor's Economic Development Council (Washington)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026The WSLC was named as a member of Governor Bob Ferguson's new 26-member Governor's Economic Development Council, created to advise on a statewide economic development plan. The council includes leaders from Microsoft, Boeing, Puget Sound Energy, and T-Mobile alongside WSLC. The WSLC's role is to represent labor interests in statewide economic planning.
• AFL-CIO (national federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC is the official AFL-CIO state federation in Washington. All AFL-CIO affiliated local unions and councils are eligible to affiliate. The WSLC represents the official position of the AFL-CIO in Washington state and operates by consensus. Non-AFL-CIO unions may also affiliate via the Solidarity Charter program or AFL-CIO/NEA Labor Solidarity Partnership.
• Washington State Department of Labor and IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC jointly administers the Project HELP program with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries since 1986, assisting injured workers with workers' compensation claims resolution.
• Washington State Department of Labor and IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC's Government Affairs Director serves on the L&I Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee, representing labor's interests in Department policy.
• Washington State Employment Security DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC participates in a pilot project with the Employment Security Department and U.S. Department of Labor, placing a WSLC Unemployment Insurance Navigator to assist individuals navigating the UI system.
• Nuestra Casa (Sunnyside, WA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWSLC naturalization legal services are offered at Nuestra Casa in Sunnyside, providing a physical location for the WSLC's Union, Community & Naturalization Organizer to serve Yakima Valley legal permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship.
• U.S. Department of JusticeminorOthersWSLC Union, Community & Naturalization Organizer Dulce Gutiérrez has been authorized by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide legal services to U.S. legal permanent residents at a reduced cost for naturalization applications.
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) system partnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC's Workforce Development Department advocates for laid off workers and works to ensure labor has representation throughout the public workforce system, including trade adjustment assistance programs and state workforce boards.
• Community and technical colleges statewidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC works to increase labor representation on college advisory committees, K-12 advisory committees, and serves on the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges. The workforce development team consults with colleges on labor issues and apprenticeship program training.
• Washington State Labor Education and Research CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC worked with nationally acclaimed labor educator Bill Fletcher, Jr. and the Washington State Labor Education and Research Center to develop its Race and Labor workshop curriculum presented to hundreds of union leaders and rank-and-file members.
• Harry Bridges Center (University of Washington)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WSLC partners with the Harry Bridges Center at the University of Washington for research on workers' experiences with artificial intelligence in the workplace, addressed in a convention workshop.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Change to Win: Alternative labor federation competing with AFL-CIO for national union affiliation. Indirectly competes with WSLC for affiliate loyalty, although WSLC's AFL-CIO affiliation structurally limits overlap on direct union membership.
• AFL-CIO: National parent federation of which WSLC is the Washington state body. Operates at a vastly larger scale across all 50 states, but provides the structural model, branding, and policy framework that the WSLC executes locally.
• Strategic Organizing Center: A labor federation focused on strategic organizing among large unions; while national rather than state-scoped, it operates in an adjacent labor-federation space with overlapping organizing, policy, and political action functions to WSLC.

Direct peers

• California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: California's AFL-CIO state federation, also a labor union federation representing affiliated unions across a single large state with legislative advocacy and political action programs. Larger in scale than WSLC but built on the identical institutional model and revenue structure.
• Oregon AFL-CIO: State federation of AFL-CIO unions in Oregon, the most direct structural peer to WSLC. Operates under the same AFL-CIO state-federation model with per-capita dues from affiliated locals, legislative advocacy in Salem, and direct worker services — making it the closest comparable organization in adjacent geography.
• New York State AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO state federation in New York, comparable to WSLC as a state-level labor council with legislative advocacy, affiliated locals, and political action programs operating under the same AFL-CIO consensus-based governance framework.
• Illinois AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO state federation in Illinois, structurally identical to WSLC as a state labor council with affiliated local unions, political action, and legislative advocacy in Springfield.
• Pennsylvania AFL-CIO: State AFL-CIO federation in Pennsylvania, comparable to WSLC as a state-level labor organization with affiliated locals, legislative advocacy in the state capital, and political action programs.
• Massachusetts AFL-CIO: Massachusetts AFL-CIO state federation, a comparable state-level labor council with affiliated locals and legislative advocacy, similar in institutional form to WSLC.

Others

• Economic Opportunity Institute: Washington-based progressive policy and research organization that partners with WSLC on workforce and economic policy. Comparable as an allied advocacy organization in Washington's policy ecosystem rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WAAFLCIO
• Facebookfacebook.com/WAaflcio
• Instagraminstagram.com/waaflcio
• TikToktiktok.com/@waaflcio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO