Here are some of the budget details: Employee compensation
Higher Ed
Department of Natural Resources
The legislative session is almost over, but there are two important things that aren’t done yet – and we need your help to get them over the finish line.
First, the House and Senate have released their budgets, which include the 3.25% COLA and negotiated one-time lump sum for state employees. Unfortunately, they left out the governor’s proposal of pay increases for some of the lowest-paying and hardest-to-fill positions in state government. The Senate failed to include them at all, and the House restricted them to General Government employees only. These pay increases will help address the staffing crisis that is spreading across state government and provide much needed relief for state workers struggling to make ends meet. The Senate needs to hear from you. Tell your Senator to include the targeted recruitment and retention pay increases in the final budget! Click the link: https://app.leg.wa.gov/pbc/bill/5693 Fill Out the form with your information Select Support Submit this message: Please support the governor’s proposed targeted pay increases to help The state of Washington is in the midst of a growing staffing crisis. It is getting harder and harder to recruit and retain skilled employees dedicated to providing the services Washingtonians depend on. Governor Inslee’s proposed budget included targeted pay increases for some of the hardest-to-fill and lowest-paid positions in state service, including custodians, food service employees, maintenance mechanics, and office assistants. Unfortunately, the Senate budget left these pay increases out entirely. State employees have worked hard to serve the public during the pandemic, despite facing furloughs and no COLAs – and the staffing crisis has forced us to do more with less. Help support hardworking public service employees by passing a budget that includes all of the targeted pay raises for state employees. Help Protect Against Workplace Injuries Second, House bill 1837, a bill to restore Washington state’s ability to address work-related musculoskeletal injuries and protect workers, passed the House of Representatives on a 50-48 vote last month after a marathon 9-hour all-night attempt by a few Republicans to filibuster and kill the bill. The bill addresses ergonomic injuries – those caused by using muscles, tendons, and ligaments in awkward positions or in frequent, repetitive actions, that can cause pain and injury over time. Many of these injuries can be prevented, but the state Department of Labor & Industries is prohibited from requiring employers to take steps to protect workers from repetitive motion injuries. Now the bill is in the Senate, and union members across the state are raising their voices to help pass the bill. Urge your state senator to take action on HB 1837 and to stand strong with working families (as the House did) and vote “yes.” You can learn more about HB 1837 at The Stand. We are very excited to begin bargaining our next contract. The teams have been selected, but we still have some units not represented at the table. If you would like to volunteer to represent your unit, please let us know! Click here.
Higher Education: First team meeting scheduled for March 26, 1 - 5 Clark College – Joey Hicklin Big Bend Community College – Nancy Rakoz Edmonds Community College – Fredrick Pieters Bellevue College – Amy West Tacoma Community College – Rich Langhorn Pierce College – Kelly Gardner Walla Walla Community College – Keenan Failing Highline College – Tessa Bowen Olympic College – Margret Hodun Grays Harbor College – Cara Beth Stevenson Skagit Valley College – Lance Levesen Cascadia College – Vacant Wenatchee Valley College – Vacant Columbia Basin College – Vacant General Government: First team meeting scheduled for March 19, 1 – 5 DNR – Noah Messing and Jacob Peterson DOR – Kriss Aker (still trying to fill one more seat for DOR – so we have one vacant seat open) Military Department – Tim Shimp and Jim McNealy DoA – Pending Response LCB – Pending Response DoL – Vacant WSP – Pending Response CDHY – Diedre Curle WSSB – Pending Response WPEA is currently finalizing the candidates for the Contract Bargaining Teams and will be releasing the final teams tomorrow. Stay tuned!
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September 2023
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