David Groves, 58, left the Washington State Labor Council June 7 after 32 years as a communicator. A former newspaper copy editor, he joined the staff in 1992 as an assistant for then-Communications Director Karen Keiser, and took her job when she left for a career in the Washington Legislature. Over the years he served as a spokesperson for the state AFL-CIO, helped publicize the 1999 WTO protests in Seattle, and took part in WSLC’s ballot initiative campaign that made Washington the first state to adjust the minimum wage annually for inflation. In 2011, he launched a free email newsletter called The Stand that links to labor news from Washington and nationally five days a week. Today it has about 6,000 subscribers. Groves said he plans to take the summer off after decades in a demanding and time-consuming role. WSLC Digital Organizer Sarah Tucker has taken over as interim communications diirector and is serving as The Stand’s new editor.
Mike Burlingham, 42, started work June 3 as a union rep for Oregon AFSCME, assigned to serve its largest unit, Local 328 at Oregon Health and Science University. Burlingham, who was secretary-treasurer of Bakers Local 364, went to work at the Portland Nabisco bakery in 2007, and got involved in 520-member Local 364 as a shop steward and executive board member. He was vice president during the 40-day Nabisco strike in 2021, and then became secretary-treasurer, the local’s number two office, in 2022. Local 364 secretary-treasurer is a part-time position. Local 364 president Jesus Martinez will serve through the end of 2024 to fill out the remainder of Burlingham’s elected term.
