OLYMPIA, Wash. — More than $264,000 to the InterContinental Los Angeles. Nearly $256,000 to the DoubleTree Seattle Airport. Almost $90,000 to the Hilton Seattle Airport.
Those three hotel vendors alone received $609,429 from the Washington Federation of State Employees during fiscal year 2025, according to a new report from Americans for Fair Treatment.
In total, AFFT identified $730,849 in payments to hotels and entertainment venues, raising questions about the cost of the union’s conventions, meetings and events—and what dues-paying workers received in return.
“Six-figure bills deserve serious scrutiny,” said Chip Rogers, CEO of Americans for Fair Treatment. “Workers paying dues out of every paycheck deserve to know who attended these events, what the money purchased and how these expenses served their interests.”
The Washington installment of AFFT’s “Where Do Your Union Dues Go?” research series examines WFSE’s federal financial disclosures for July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.
Among the hotel and venue payments identified:
- $264,073 to the InterContinental Los Angeles
- $255,730 to the DoubleTree Seattle Airport
- $89,626 to the Hilton Seattle Airport
- $45,000 to the Hilton Vancouver, Washington
- $37,216 to the Davenport Grand in Spokane
- $8,652 to The LINQ in Las Vegas
- $5,354 to Lucky Strike LA
The filing identifies the InterContinental payments as associated with AFSCME’s 2024 national convention and the LINQ payment as a conference expense. Other entries identify leadership summits, executive-board meetings and staff meetings.
“A convention explains why people traveled. It doesn’t answer whether the bill was reasonable,” Rogers said. “Union leaders should explain these costs to the workers whose paychecks fund the organization.”
The venue payments are part of a broader financial picture. WFSE reported $32.1 million in dues and agency-fee receipts, $29.8 million in total disbursements and $24.2 million in cash at the close of FY2025.
The union classified $8 million—approximately 27% of total disbursements—as representational activities and reported another $7.8 million in per capita payments to its national affiliate, AFSCME.
AFFT’s report gives public employees a closer look at those spending decisions and resources to help them make informed choices about union membership.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision in Janus v. AFSCME, public-sector employees cannot be required to pay union dues or agency fees as a condition of employment.
Workers who want to learn more about their rights, union membership or stopping union dues can visit AFFT.org or call (833) 969-FAIR.