​The legislature wraps up a 30-day special session Tuesday without coming to an agreement about education funding or whether to approve public employee contracts. Governor Jay Inslee is calling for a second special session to begin immediately.
​We’re getting perilously close to a potential July 1st government shutdown.
The House has already passed a budget that funds our contracts and invests in public service. The problem is in the Senate, where they passed a budget that would reject our contracts and cut public services.
So the thing to do now is to call your Senator to urge them to adopt the House budget and invest in Washington!

Here's a sample script:

“I work as a ________________ (job) at ___________________ (agency) and I’m a member of the Washington Public Employees Association. I’m one of thousands of state employees who provide critical services for the citizens of Washington. I’m proud to do this work, even though the state pays a salary that is below market rate, according to the state’s own salary survey. Now the Senate has released a budget that plays political games with the collective bargaining agreements we negotiated in good faith. Don’t play games with public service employees. Please adopt the House budget, invest in Washington and fully fund our contracts.”

​The legislature has ended its 105-day regular session without passing a two-year budget. The divided legislature could not come to an agreement on whether to approve the state employee contracts. The Democratic-led House released a budget that fully funds our collective bargaining agreements, while the Republican-led Senate offered a budget that rejects our contracts and cuts vital public services.
As lawmakers start a 30-day special session, they still need to hear from state employees. Call your legislators and tell them to invest in Washington by enacting the House budget and fully funding our contracts!
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​Call the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 and ask your senator to adopt the House's budget,  invest in Washington, and fully fund our contracts.  ​Find your legislator here.

​​How to call

1. Call your senator directly, or the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000.
2. Leave a message. You may get a person or a recording.

If you get a person:
“I’d like to leave a message for my senator.”

They’ll ask you for your name, address, and phone number. Then they’ll ask for your message and transcribe it for you. Here’s a sample message you could leave:

“I work as a ________________ (job) at ___________________ (agency) and I’m a member of the Washington Public Employees Association. I’m one of thousands of state employees who provide critical services for the citizens of Washington. I’m proud to do this work, even though the state pays a salary that is below market rate, according to the state’s own salary survey. Now the Senate has released a budget that plays political games with the collective bargaining agreements we negotiated in good faith. Don’t play games with public service employees. Please adopt the House budget, invest in Washington and fully fund our contracts.”
 
If you get a recording:
“Hello, my name is _____________ (name).  I work as a ________________ (job) at ___________________ (agency) and I’m a member of the Washington Public Employees Association. I’m one of thousands of state employees who provide critical services for the citizens of Washington. I’m proud to do this work, even though the state pays a salary that is below market rate, according to the state’s own salary survey. Now the Senate has released a budget that plays political games with the collective bargaining agreements we negotiated in good faith. Don’t play games with public service employees. Please adopt the House budget, invest in Washington, and fully fund our contracts.” ​​