In leaked emails recently obtained by WA INTERPRETERS, Quan Tran, the president of Interpreters United/AFSCME Local 1671, explains how the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is corrupt, out-of-touch and undemocratic.
In one email, Quan explained that WFSE,
“…had not ever been challenged in the past by any forces, so they never had to prove their worth to the members. Bullying, racism, nepotism, corruption and…other illnesses are the result the membership has to suffer.”
And in another email, Quan discussed how it is “a dirty secret of the Union operations” that the “Union staff are running the Unions, not the elected Executive Board members” even though “they have always touted ‘democracy’ as the number one virtue.”
He explained further that,
“E-board members are volunteer and do not have the time nor the expertise to decide any thing, they form committees to assist staff in various areas of the operation. The staff manipulate these committees members in making virtually all decisions.”
Quan finished the email by stating, “Currently I am fighting racism within the WFSE Council 28.”
To top it off, Quan sent these emails to the FREEDOM FOUNDATION, applauding its efforts to make unions like WFSE more accountable to their members. He even offered to help the Freedom Foundation contact employees to inform them of their right to not join/resign their membership.
With the runoff election between WA INTERPRETERS and WFSE beginning on Monday, Quan’s true feelings about WFSE give L&I interpreters serious reasons to question WFSE’s integrity and ability to represent their interests.
As a truly independent union, comprised entirely of actual L&I interpreters, WA INTERPRETERS answers to nobody but L&I interpreters. Because we’re independent, we won’t have to worry about playing by someone else’s rules or paying exorbitant salaries to union staff who have never worked in our industry and substitute their interests for ours.
We may not be the biggest union on the ballot, but we’re scrappy and sincere, and we’re dedicated to fighting for ALL L&I interpreters, all day every day.
All we need is your support!