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Informational Picket - 2024 Bargaining

We are organizing an Informational Picket to raise awareness about our ongoing wage negotiations. The state’s current offer results in a pay cut after inflation, and we need to ensure that both staff and the public understand what’s at stake.

Information is POWER! Our goal is to secure a wage increase that reflects the rising cost of living and to send a strong message that we will not accept a pay cut disguised as an offer. Sign up for a picket time, if you cannot, sign up to talk to coworkers through the phone bank, learn the Union Chants, participate in sign making, but plug in where you can.

YOU are the UNION! You deserve a fair wage!

Phone Banking and Member Outreach
We also need volunteers to help with phone banking to reach out to staff and encourage participation in the picket.

You'll be provided with talking points and a general script to guide you through the calls. Even if your college isn't hosting a picket, you can still support the effort by joining another picket or volunteering to phone bank.
Volunteer to Phone Bank

Picketing Details

Stand together and be heard! Sign up to participate in the picket at a college by using one of the links below, invite friends family, students, staff, faculty, anyone who supports fair wages.

Light snacks and water will be provided by WPEA.

We are stronger together, always!
Bellevue College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 30-minute increments
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Location(s): The free speak zone near the cafeteria.
Picket at Bellevue

Clark College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s):
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Location(s): North GHL entrance, outside in front of culinary
Picket at Clark

Edmonds College
Multiple dates, times, and locations.
Learn more at: https://tinyurl.com/230wpea
Picket at Edmonds

Olympic College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Location(s): Main entrance by Warren Ave and in front of Building 5
Picket at Olympic

Pierce College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s):
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Location(s): At the northeast and south entrances of the Cascade building
Picket at Pierce

Skagit Valley College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 30-minute increments
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location(s): On the corner of North Laventure and East College Way
Picket at Skagit

Wenatchee Valley College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 30-minute increments
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Location(s): 5th Street in front of college by administration building
Picket at Wenatchee
Sign Ideas
Be sure to sign up for a picket time, action leaders at many locations will use picket sign ups to distribute communications to participants to coordinate things like sign making so we can prepare together and make our message loud and clear.
​
WPEA will supply some signs, but if you are participating in making them or want to make your own, expressing our message visually is just as important as our chants. When crafting your signs, focus on clear, bold statements that highlight the need for fair wages and expose the reality of the state's offer.

Signs should have 2-6 words on them and the words should be non-violent. Below are some suggestions to get you started, but feel free to get creative!

  • Prioritize Public Employees
  • 2% is milk, not a COLA
  • HONK if you support Public Employees
  • Stop the pay cut!
  • Don’t leave us 30% behind!
Union Chants
Chants are a powerful way to keep energy high and attract attention during a picket. When starting a chant, make sure your voice is loud and clear—repeat the chant a few times until others join in. Each chant should last for about 1-2 minutes before switching to another, to keep things fresh and engaging. Feel free to rotate through a variety of chants so that the message stays strong and everyone remains energized!

“Push us down, we rise up!”

"No more pay cuts!"

"Fair wages now!"

"We work for you, now pay us too!"

"We serve the people, now pay us equal!"

“Stand up, fight back!”

“Stop the cuts, raise us up!”

“We work, we fight, we demand what is right!”

"Exploitation ain’t the way!, Workers gotta get fair pay!"

"When I say UNION you say POWER!"

"What do we want?, Fair Wages! When do we want it?, NOW!"

“Everywhere we go, (Everywhere we go),
People wanna know, (People wanna know),
Who we are, (Who we are)
So we tell them, (So we tell them)
We are the union, (We are the union)
The mighty mighty union, (The mighty mighty union)”


”Fighting for justice,(Fighting for justice)”

”Fighting for respect, (Fighting for respect)”

"Hey HEY, Ho HO, Poverty wages have got to go!"

Our power as a union comes from collective action. We need every member to participate so that we can demonstrate our strength to the employer. Without your involvement, the employer will continue to ignore our voices, and our wages will keep falling further behind.

This is our chance to stand together and demand the fair pay we deserve. Let’s make it clear that we won’t accept anything less. Your participation is crucial—together, we can make a difference!

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