WPEA members have negotiated and ratified state employee contracts for the 2025-2027 biennium, and it’s time for the legislature to fund them. Our contracts weren’t funded during the regular budget last year: that means that more than 5,000 state employees are working without the 3% “cost-of-living" increase that other state employees received.
The legislature can address this inequity by funding and approving all three WPEA contracts in the 2026 supplemental budget.
Three WPEA contracts weren’t funded by the legislature in the regular session: the General Government, the overall Higher Education agreement, and the Highline College agreement (the Yakima Valley College contract and two contracts for legislative staff were funded in the regular budget; the contracts for the Kitsap Regional Library and the Fort Vancouver Regional Library do not rely on legislative approval). What’s in these contracts? Check out the summary of changes for each contract.
WPEA members across the state are reaching out to lawmakers, sending postcards calling on the legislature to fund all state employee contracts in the 2026 supplemental budget. Want to get some postcards for you and your coworkers to fill out? Email [email protected].
