Two WFSE Members Murdered in Past Month - Take Action Now to Stop Domestic Violence
A Letter from WFSE President Mike Yestramski
Dear union siblings,
It is with a heavy heart that I write to tell you that one of our union siblings at Eastern State Hospital was murdered this weekend in an apparent act of intimate partner violence. This is the second WFSE member who’s been murdered by an intimate partner in less than a month, following the death of a member at the University of Washington a few weeks back.
One of out every three women, and one out of every four men, will experience some form of physical violence from an intimate partner during their lifetime. Roughly 50% of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner. This is an evil within our society that has roots in misogyny, toxic masculinity, and patriarchal systems within our culture that all of us have an obligation to root out.
I haven’t shared this publicly, but as a child I witnessed my mother’s partner routinely hurt her (and my sister and me), only to come back as a “changed” man to do it all over again. We must break that cycle. If you are in an abusive relationship and need help, you can contact The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence at 1 (800) 562-6025.
I also want to speak directly to other males reading this. We must ensure that this behavior cannot continue. It is our obligation to speak up when we hear about these things. It is our duty to call out toxic masculinity and to raise the next generation to reject that mindset. All of us, including the labor movement, must do everything within our ability to eliminate this stain on our society.
"It is our duty to call out toxic masculinity and to raise the next generation to reject that mindset. All of us, including the labor movement, must do everything within our ability to eliminate this stain on our society."
We talk of solidarity and we say “an injury to one is an injury to all,” but we also must put those thoughts into action. We must stand together and reject all forms of violence and hatred, evil and bigotry—and all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination.
“Harmless” jokes and looking the other way have allowed these horrendous views and actions to become normalized, and only when something tragic happens, like the two cases that have happened recently, do we stand up and say “ENOUGH!” We cannot wait for another person to lose their life. We must take action. I promise I will do everything in my power to ensure another family doesn’t have to endure a tragedy like this, and I ask all of you to do the same.
Please Donate Today: https://wscadv.org/donate/
Resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org/
National Hotline: 1 (800) 799-SAFE (7233)
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence: https://wscadv.org/
Washington Hotline: 1 (800) 562-6025
Stats from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence: https://ncadv.org/STATISTICS
In Solidarity,
President Mike Yestramski
Mike Yestramski was elected as president in 2019 at the 48th AFSCME Council 28/WFSE Biennial Convention. He is a leader in the fight for fair wages and safe workplaces for all Washington state employees, and through multiple roles, he has demonstrated his commitment to empowering working people in the labor movement.
