(November 26th, 2024) A 5,000-member public employee union in Washington that overwhelmingly rejected a new two-year contract in September is accusing the governor’s office and several community colleges of bad-faith bargaining.
The Washington Public Employees Association filed a lawsuit on Friday alleging the state Office of Financial Management engaged in unfair labor practices by refusing to resume bargaining on a full, two-year deal. Gov. Jay Inslee, in his official capacity, and 11 community colleges are also named as defendants. The contract now in place expires next June.
The suit reveals the contention between the union and the state since association members voted down the contract offer, largely because they considered the state’s proposed 5% pay hike inadequate to keep pace with rising costs of food, housing and health care.
By law, the union had to approve a new contract by Oct. 1 for Inslee to include money to pay for it in the two-year budget he will propose in December. Inslee was not involved in the negotiations.
In the lawsuit, the union asserts that the Office of Financial Management, which conducts contract talks on behalf of the state and the colleges, is still required to negotiate a full two-year contract.
But the Office of Financial Management disagrees. It contends that as a result of the vote the provisions in the existing contract – and no raises – are in effect for one year beginning July 1, 2025. Any negotiations would be on an agreement for the second year beginning July 1, 2026.
Association attorney Kathleen Phair Barnard said state negotiators have repeatedly mischaracterized the implications of the Oct. 1 deadline “to coerce employees to accept subpar contracts.”
“This lawsuit is not just about missed deadlines,” she said in a statement. “It’s about the state’s duty to bargain in good faith and to respect the democratic decision of our membership.”
Michaela Doelman, state chief human resources officer, said the department could not comment directly on the legal action. She noted in an email that the state “reached agreements with all of the other unions with whom we bargain, either through bargaining or arbitration – 27 agreements in all.”
In search of deal The Washington Public Employees Association represents workers at 13 community colleges and nine state agencies. Among them are the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Revenue, the Liquor and Cannabis Board and Department of Agriculture.
Employees, by rejecting the tentative agreement Sept. 30, put themselves in a position union leaders described as “uncharted territory.”
Union negotiators sought to immediately restart talks, figuring if a new agreement was negotiated and ratified, they would lobby the Legislature and the next governor to fund it in the 2025 legislative session. Initially, the state didn’t want to start up again until February, according to the lawsuit.
Gina Comeau, the state’s chief labor negotiator, said the state would meet for a limited number of sessions with the Washington Public Employees Association in December and January – though not the quantity sought by the union. She rebutted assertions from the union that the state sought to limit the scope of negotiations, according to email excerpts cited in the suit.
Bargaining sessions are planned Dec. 4 and 17, Doelman said.
“We have communicated on numerous occasions our willingness to consider all proposals the [union] has to present to us and stand ready to bargain,” Doelman said.
OLYMPIA, WA (November 25th, 2024) The Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA/UFCW Local 365) has filed a lawsuit against the State of Washington and several community colleges, accusing them of bad faith bargaining in negotiations for the 2025-2027 public employee contracts.
On November 22, 2024, WPEA filed an unfair labor practice complaint in Superior Court, citing the state’s refusal to engage in expedited bargaining. The union is now seeking a declaratory judgment and plans to file for a preliminary injunction this week, which would compel the Office of Financial Management (OFM) to resume negotiations for a full biennial contract.
The dispute stems from a breakdown in negotiations after WPEA members overwhelmingly rejected the state’s proposed contracts earlier this year. Under state law, public sector unions must approve a new contract by Oct. 1 in order to have funding of that contract considered in the governor’s budget. WPEA members — thousands of state agency and community college employees throughout Washington — rejected a contract proposal in late September, with workers instead sending the bargaining team back to the table to negotiate raises that reflect the skyrocketing cost of living.
Now, the union believes that the state and colleges, through the OFM, are refusing to meet their legal obligations to negotiate a full, two-year contract.
“OFM has repeatedly failed to take the needs and aspirations of state employees into account in bargaining and relied on its mischaracterization of the implications of the October 1 “deadline” to coerce employees to accept subpar contracts,” said WPEA President Amanda Hacker. “WPEA seeks to end that practice with this suit.”
Per WPEA attorney Kathleen Phair Barnard, a September 2024 letter from OFM Director Pat Sullivan warned that failing to reach an agreement by October 1, 2024 would prevent the state from seeking legislative approval for a full two-year contract. Instead, OFM has attempted to limit bargaining to cover only the second year of the biennium, beginning July 1, 2026.
Barnard called this position “counter-productive” and said that the OFM was misinterpreting Washington’s collective bargaining laws. She explained that these laws require the state to negotiate for a full biennial contract, regardless of missed deadlines, and that the OFM’s refusal to bargain for the 2025-2026 period violates both statutory obligations and established practices.
However, OFM has maintained that it lacks the authority to negotiate or propose terms for fiscal year 2026, a stance that WPEA argues contradicts state law and previous practices, where similar situations were resolved through supplemental legislative action.
“This lawsuit is not just about missed deadlines,” said WPEA attorney Kathleen Phair Barnard. “It’s about the state’s duty to bargain in good faith and to respect the democratic decision of our membership.”
The union believes OFM’s legal stance and practices during bargaining have hurt the state’s ability to provide effective public services.
“Our members are struggling, whether they’re wildland firefighters or college custodians. Meanwhile, the agencies they work for are having a hard time recruiting and retaining folks,” said WPEA President Amanda Hacker. “That crisis won’t get any better unless OFM can come to the table in good faith and negotiate a contract that our members can ratify.”
(October 1st, 2024) In the first-ever collective bargaining for legislative employees in Washington, Republican staff in the state House and Senate got contracts but their Democratic counterparts did not.
Legislative assistants in the GOP caucuses unanimously approved two-year agreements with pay hikes of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% a year later, the same amount offered to other state employee unions.
But Democratic caucus employees in the two chambers rejected proposed contracts, a stinging disappointment as some fought for the 2022 law that cleared the way for them to unionize and negotiate terms and conditions for the workplace.
“I’m pretty frustrated. We want a contract but we want a good contract,” Josie Ellison, a communications specialist with the House Democratic Caucus, said Tuesday. They served on the bargaining team.
In separate votes, legislative assistants, policy analysts and communications staff in the House Democratic Caucus and legislative assistants in the Senate Democratic Caucus turned down the agreements. The Washington Public Employees Association represented both units.
“When members passed this bill I think they did so with the intention that we’d make some progress here,” Ellison said, referring to the work environment. “I do think (the vote) sends a pretty strong message that the status quo is unacceptable.”
Agreement couldn’t be reached on issues such as telework during legislative sessions, an increase in relocation stipends and adding a third party arbiter to the grievance process, union members said.
Jeremy Knapp, an executive legislative assistant with the Senate Democratic Caucus and member of the bargaining team, said Tuesday that the outcome is “definitely disappointing.”
“We wanted some changes. That’s what we thought the law was supposed to do. For the most part the contract they pitched is status quo and that is frustrating,” he said. “We know we’re at-will (employees). We want a few protections put in.”
Republican legislative assistants, who were represented by the Legislative Professionals Association, did not share the same misgiving about the content of their agreements
“Public sector union bargaining has the negative aspect that we as employees are supposed to be combative to seek the self interest of a few often against the interests of those who receive services and those who pay taxes,” Jami Lund, president of the association said in an email. “But on the bright side, it’s great to have open conversations with our employers about what we need to do our jobs well.”
‘Uncharted territory’ “We are making some small improvements in the areas which are important to us as professionals, like the tools and training to help us serve our districts,” he wrote.
Under Washington’s law, employees of the Democratic and Republican caucuses in each chamber had to be in separate units unless a majority of each caucus voted to be in the same unit. All four units could, and did, negotiate collectively on economic issues, like wages and benefits, with the employers, which are the chief clerk of the House and secretary of the Senate.
“We worked hard to bargain in good faith to reach a first agreement in a very short period of time,” Chief Clerk of the House Bernard Dean wrote in an email Tuesday. “We feel the agreements were responsive to many of our employees’ needs and were disappointed that our tentative agreement with the WPEA was not ratified.”
Secretary of the Senate Sarah Bannister said she was “thrilled” to learn the Legislative Professionals Association ratified its contract.
“Unfortunately, the agreement with WPEA was not. Despite this setback, we remain committed to reaching an agreement and will continue to bargain,” she said.
It is not clear what happens next since this is the first time through the process.
Under the collective bargaining law, legislative units needed to submit a ratified contract by Oct. 1 to be considered for funding by the governor in the next two-year budget, which Gov. Jay Inslee will propose in December.
If an agreement is not reached, any party in the negotiations can seek mediation through the Public Employees Relation Commission, according to the law.
Dean said the parties are in “uncharted territory and are still reviewing our options.”
“Our bargaining obligation continues and we hope to have a completed proposal to meet the next October deadline,” he said. “We know that it often takes time to get a first agreement and will continue to work towards that bargaining in good faith.”
Knapp and Ellison both said their co-workers want to keep talking too.
“We plan to go back to the bargaining table,” Knapp said. “We want a contract.”
(September 30th, 2024) A union representing nearly 5,000 state government and community college employees in Washington has overwhelmingly rejected a new two-year contract, putting it in a position its leaders have described as “uncharted territory.”
Members of the Washington Public Employees Association voted down the tentative agreement, which contained a proposed 5% pay hike. Union negotiators derided this as a pay cut, saying it would not enable worker salaries to keep pace with rising costs of food, housing and health care. The union sought a 30% hike as it looked to make up for what leaders said has been two decades of contracts with little or no increases leaving workers with 21% less in purchasing power over the past 25 years.
“Our members love their work, they love serving the public, but they cannot afford to keep falling further and further behind,” WPEA president Amanda Hacker said in a statement. “With these votes, our members are calling management back to the table to negotiate so we can break this negative spiral. We look forward to reopening negotiations as soon as possible.”
In contrast, one of the state’s largest public employee unions soundly ratified a new two-year deal containing nearly the same economic terms.
The Washington Federation of State Employees, which represents 50,000 state government, higher education and public service workers, approved the tentative agreement in voting that concluded Monday. The federation had 14 negotiated contracts getting voted on.
The largest contract, covering nearly 40,000 general government employees, was approved by close to 85%, union officials reported.
The tentative agreements voted on by the federation and the public employee association contained general pay hikes of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% a year later. They would also raise the starting wage for state workers to $18 an hour, assure the state will continue paying 85% of employee health care premiums, and add new types of leave such as for those experiencing wildfire emergencies.
By law, public sector unions must approve a new contract by Oct. 1 to be considered by the governor for funding in the next two-year budget, which Gov. Jay Inslee will propose in December. Inslee was not involved in the negotiations.
The Washington Public Employee Association bargaining team recommended rejection of the state’s “last, best and final offer” by its members working at 13 community colleges and in nine state agencies. Among them are the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Revenue, the Liquor and Cannabis Board and Department of Agriculture.
A master agreement covering more than 2,500 state agency employees was rejected by roughly 82%, according to union officials. A separate contract covering roughly 2,000 classified staff on community colleges fared worse, with 91% turning it down.
On Monday, the public employee association signaled its willingness to restart talks with the Office of Financial Management, which handles negotiations. It is the governor’s budget office. If a new agreement is negotiated and ratified in the next few weeks, the union would have to lobby the Legislature next session to fund it since it would be arriving after Oct. 1. And the next governor would need to sign off on it too.
Otherwise, the terms and conditions of the union’s current collective bargaining agreements will be in effect and there would be no general wage increase. Any new negotiated tentative agreements would need to be reached by Oct. 1, 2025 in order to be funded by the Legislature in the 2026 session.
But if the two sides return to bargaining and fail to reach a new agreement by Oct. 1, 2025, state law allows the employer to unilaterally implement the terms of the state’s last best offer for the second year of the 2025-27 biennium, which would run from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027.
For the federation, the focus is making sure the deals get funded.
Kurt Spiegel, executive director of Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28, said in an email that the vote shows the membership “was aware of the significant state budget deficit being forecasted” and with that information “supported the tentative agreement by a very wide margin.”
“With newly elected officials coming in and the state budget deficit, we are preparing our members for a busy legislative session to ensure all our contracts are fully funded,” he said.
(September 25th, 2024) Thousands of state workers are voting this week on a new two-year contract but not everyone agrees it’s the best deal. Leaders of one public employee union are recommending its members turn down the offer, a move they admit would put them in “uncharted territory.” The core tentative agreement contains general pay hikes of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% a year later. It also raises the starting wage for state workers to $18 an hour, assures the state will continue paying 85% of employee health care premiums, and adds new types of leave such as for those experiencing wildfire emergencies. By law, unions must approve a new contract by Oct. 1 so it can be considered for funding in the next two-year budget, which Gov. Jay Inslee will propose in December. Inslee was not involved in the negotiations. The Washington Federation of State Employees, which represents 50,000 state government, higher education and public service workers, is encouraging its members to ratify the tentative agreement. It has 14 negotiated contracts getting voted on through Friday. Meanwhile, the bargaining team of the Washington Public Employees Association is urging its 5,000 members to reject the agreement. They argue the salary increase amounts to a pay cut as it is not enough to keep pace with rising costs of food, housing and health care. The union sought a 30% cost of living adjustment. “The team was able to reach agreement on many of our non-economic items, but the state was unfortunately nowhere near what the team believed to be adequate compensation,” they wrote in a letter to members. Kurt Spiegel, executive director of Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28, said in an email that the salary increases were an achievement given the state is forecasting a budget deficit next year and “the Legislature will no doubt struggle to fund all the state’s obligations and priorities.” And the terms of the agreement for workers represented by the federation contain other important advances, such as a minimum of an additional 2.5% increase for more than 330 job classifications. Some of the economic package reportedly improved following a midday walkout organized by the federation Sept. 10. The Public Employees Association also took part in the walkout.
Union officials on Wednesday called the deal a “status quo” agreement and pointed to two decades of contracts with little or no increases leaving workers with 21% less in purchasing power over the past 25 years. “Our bargaining team got to a place where it said we cannot keep doing this,” said Seamus Walsh Petrie, legislative specialist with the association. “We don’t know what will happen next. We do know what’s happening now is slowly sucking the quality of life of people performing public service.” The association represents workers in community colleges and government including the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Revenue, the Liquor and Cannabis Board and Department of Agriculture. Wednesday marked the start of their three-day voting period at locations around the state. Counting will occur Sunday. If the agreement is rejected, the union would seek to restart talks with the state immediately, Petrie said. If a new agreement is reached, the union would have to lobby the Legislature next session to fund it since it would be arriving after Oct. 1. More likely, terms of the current contract would be extended for a year and there would be no general wage increase. Any renegotiated tentative agreements would need to be reached by Oct. 1, 2025 in order to be funded by the Legislature in the 2026 session. “Not having a ratified contract by the deadline is uncharted territory for public labor in Washington state,” reads an information sheet at polling stations. While there is risk, “a no vote is the only way to send a message to the state that change is long overdue,” it concludes.
YAKIMA (September 11th, 2024) Several staff members at Yakima Valley College joined a noon walkout Tuesday projected to involve an estimated 50,000 state employees throughout Washington.
The statewide collective action was organized by the Washington Federation of State Employees and joined by the Washington Public Employees Association. The association represents around 150 staff members at YVC, said chief shop steward Sybil Miller.
American Federation of Teachers-Yakima union joined the association in the protest. Rachel Dorn, president of the local union, encouraged fellow federation members to support their colleagues by attending.
"We support our union colleagues in WPEA and hope that the statewide actions communicate to Olympia that our staff are a vital part of our college and they need to be paid and respected like the professionals they are," said Dorn, an art instructor.
A third union, the AFT Yakima Professional Staff union, is also active at the college. Collectively the three unions represent more than 500 YVC employees, union officials have said.
Though all of those unions negotiate their own contracts with the college, the noon walkout Tuesday was not directed at the college, but rather the state, Miller explained. "It's to bring attention to the unfair negotiations," she said.
Contract negotiations with the state are coming to an end in mid-September, according to Walkout for Washington — 2024 information online. Among other financial issues, union members and negotiators disagree with the cost of living adjustment increases proposed for the next two years, Miller said.
"Typically it's 3% or 4% per year," Miller said. Negotiators for the state are proposing a 2% increase in the first year of the contract, and nothing in the second year, she added.
Miller held up a small sign with the words, "I'm Worth More than 2%!" and said, "This is what it's about."
Washington Public Employees Association members at the college have a "Me Too Clause" with the state, she said. A "Me Too Clause" means any COLA negotiated with the state is also put into effect in the union's contract with the college.
"We also understand that YVC does not have control of this," Miller noted.
She stood with others at all four corners of 16th Avenue and Nob Hill Boulevard, waving to drivers and talking to them when they were stopped at red lights. Some drivers honked in response.
Local bargaining Dorn stood with her. Tuesday's statewide unity action had nothing to do with the college or the faculty union there, but Yakima faculty are feeling optimistic about their bargaining efforts following the most recent meeting with interim President Teresa Rich, Dorn said Tuesday.
When the collective bargaining agreement that covered July 2020 through June 2022 expired, the union and college agreed to roll it over for another year, Dorn has said. Bargaining began again in April 2023, but progress wasn't made before the rolled-over agreement expired on June 30, 2023, she has said. Until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, the terms and conditions of the most recent agreement remain in place.
Faculty members been looking for a more collaborative and respectful relationship with administration, Dorn said.
"Today we saw evidence that Dr. Rich is taking action towards that end," she added.
WENATCHEE (August 28th, 2024) — Wenatchee Valley College workers walked an informational picket line today outside the administration building, seeking a better cost of living increase under their next contract.
Ninety-eight WVC staff are among the thousands of state classified workers who must come to an agreement by Oct. 1 with Washington’s Office of Financial Management. The college is not directly involved in the negotiations.
The Washington Public Employees Association, which represents community college classified staff including WVC's, says contracts with the state system over the last 25 years have yielded an average cost of living increase of 1.67% per year. That has not kept pace with real price increases in goods, housing and services averaging 2.6% a year.
In the last year alone, consumer prices have risen 3% in western U.S. cities, according to July tables from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "So we've just been getting further and further behind," says Wendy Glenn, a data engineer at WVC and a member of the union’s bargaining committee. "... They're offering us 2% this year and 0% the next year. And we've seen how grocery prices have almost doubled, and housing prices have skyrocketed." "Classified staff" includes custodians, financial aid assistants, administrative assistants, grounds maintenance and others — "sort of the backbone" of the college, Glenn says. The WPEA staged seven informational pickets at community colleges across the state.
In recent years, staffmembers have had to quit, take second jobs, or go on public assistance to make ends meet. An estimated 35 classified workers have departed WVC in the last year, she says. Washington law provides regular cost of living increases for community college teaching faculty, through a formula based on the U.S. consumer price index. No such guarantee is in place for community college classified staff, although there is a similar provision for classified staff at technical colleges. "The academic part is funded," Glenn says, "but that the staff that support the colleges, that support the teachers and support the facilities themselves — we'd like to see legislation that would show that we're tied to the cost of living also."
OLYMPIA, WA (August 21, 2024) — At 12:00 pm on September 10, unionized public employees at state agencies, community colleges and four-year universities will Walkout for Washington to demand livable wages, safe staffing levels, and respect for the Washingtonians that depend on their services. Negotiations have been underway since April between the 50,000 public workers represented by AFSCME Council 28 (the Washington Federation of State Employees) and the Office of Financial Management (OFM). At the conclusion of a 15-hour bargaining session on August 19th, the parties remained no closer to an agreement on critical matters like compensation. In the midst of a staffing crisis in the public sector, OFM has proposed what accounts to a pay cut for WFSE members’ 2025-27 union contracts. In the General Government contract, which includes most state agencies and some 40,000 employees, the state is proposing takeaways that include cuts at 24/7 institutions like Green Hill School and Western State Hospital that are suffering the most acute staffing shortages and assaults on the job. 40% of the state employee workforce has turned over in 8 years due to resignations alone. Tom Cline, the senior systems administrator at Peninsula Community College and a bargaining team member for the Community College Coalition, sums up the experience at the bargaining table, “We’re given an impression that we were important, but then they’re treating us like we’re second members of society.” The staffing crisis looks as varied as the different kinds of work WFSE members do. At the Department of Transportation, it means more close calls, worksite injuries, and deaths. Andrew Stubblefield, a WFSE member and WSDOT highway maintenance worker was almost killed last week by a semi-truck. “We have seven positions, and apparently we’re not going to fill our seventh slot this year,” Stubblefield says, “And that presents a safety hazard for us because we do a lot of mobile traffic control. And whenever we’re short, even one person, we can’t get a lot of that done. It shows in the number of very close call incursions we’ve had with motorists.”
WFSE members who work in trades jobs will deliver a petition to OFM’s office in Olympia that is signed by 1,300 public workers on August 28 at 9am. Another petition signed by over 2,000 public employees in administrative support positions will be delivered to OFM virtually on August 21. “I have seen admins request time off during the workday to attend WIC appointments, a USDA nutrition program, because they are underpaid and qualify for the benefits,” said Mïlo Nicholas, a health services consultant at the Department of Health and a WFSE General Government bargaining team member. “These admins ensure that the agency runs smoothly with their high-pressure jobs and are the backbone of public health services, yet they can’t afford to feed their families.” In DCYF’s Juvenile Rehabilitation division, workers report that the rehabilitation isn’t being done. With insufficient staff to provide youth with therapeutic and recreational activities, workers at Green Hill School and Echo Glen Children’s Center have experienced an alarming rise in assaults. In July 2024, DCYF halted youth intakes at Echo Glen and Green Hill School due to overcrowding and is looking to open a facility with more beds. WFSE protested the closing of Maple Lane in 2015 and Naselle Youth Camp in 2022. Elsewhere in DCYF, child welfare workers are currently suffering under double, triple, and in some areas quadruple their “maximum caseload.” Over half of DCYF employees represented by WFSE called for the removal of DCYF Director Ross Hunter. The Washington State Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice has renewed that call. “In DCYF, we have seen the Governor and the Legislature add more and more to our workloads, and we cannot continue to do more with less and expect good outcomes for children, youth and families,” said Jeanette Obelcz, a child welfare supervisor and WFSE bargaining team member.” At the University of Washington and the UW Medical Center, employees have recently started a food bank to help their many coworkers, especially food service workers, who are suffering from food insecurity. WFSE members in the Department of Corrections Community Corrections Division, who supervise around 18,000 individuals who are reintegrating into our communities, are moving to arbitration after they could not reach an agreement with the OFM. “The Department of Corrections leadership and politicians take credit for Community Corrections being a progressive supervision model nationally,” said Community Corrections Officer Jim Furchert, who is a WFSE steward and a member of the bargaining team. “The reality of this is these reforms are unfunded mandates.”
“2% is milk, not a COLA”
Public workers organized with WPEA to hold informational pickets at seven colleges across Washington on August 28
OLYMPIA, WA (August 27, 2024) — Washington Public Employee Association (WPEA) members working in higher education will hold informational pickets on Wednesday, August 28 as negotiations for a new two-year contract continue to drag on. Workers are sounding the alarm on low pay; at some colleges, near 60% of workers make so little that they qualify for state assistance, per the union.
The WPEA Higher Education bargaining coalition has been negotiating with the state since May. Despite months at the table, the union has only secured tentative agreements on 3 out of 50 articles of the contract. With an October 1 deadline looming for an approved contract, the union is concerned the state may be looking to run down the clock instead of meaningfully engaging in bargaining.
The state isn’t moving on key issues like wages, working conditions, and benefits, per the WPEA. For the workers, the state’s current offer on wages — one 2% COLA over the span of the two year contract — just isn’t cutting it.
“2% is milk, not a COLA,” said Higher Education bargaining team member Manda Pelly, who works at Edmonds College. “We deserve fair pay.” The union points out that with the sharp rise in the cost of living in Washington State, a one-time 2% COLA effectively amounts to a pay cut. The CPI in the Western US grew 2.6% in the last 12 months alone, and 3.8% in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area.
Subpar pay has lasting impacts on both public workers and the thousands of Washingtonian who rely on public services. Workers are stuck in an endless cycle of training new hires, as low wages fail to retain employees long-term. When this cycle is unsustainable, both the workers and the community members who use these services suffer.
TAKE A STAND — join WPEA members for pickets across Washington on Wednesday, August 28:
Bellevue College Date: 8/28/2024 Time(s): 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM, 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM Location(s): The free speak zone near the cafeteria.
Clark College Date: 8/28/2024 Time(s): 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM Location: North GHL entrance, outside in front of culinary Edmonds College Multiple dates, times, and locations. Learn more at: https://tinyurl.com/230wpea Olympic College Date: 8/28/2024 Time(s): 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM Location: Main entrance by Warren Ave and in front of Building 5
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
Skagit Valley College Date: 8/28/2024 Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Location: On the corner of North Laventure and East College Way Wenatchee Valley College Date: 8/28/2024 Time(s): 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Location: 5th Street in front of college by administration building For more information, contact Julia Thurman-Lascurain at 360.490.8469 or [email protected]
The WPEA Higher Education bargaining coalition has been bargaining since May and little movement has been made. Out of 50 articles, 3 have been tentatively agreed on with a 2% COLA proposal over the next 2-year contract cycle. One WPEA representative calls that "a slap in the face to our staff and a pattern the state has followed for years."
Clark College WPEA membership will host 2 informational pickets on Wednesday, August 28, at the Clark College campus from 12 pm-12:30 pm and 1 pm-1:30 pm. The picket will start outside by the green parking lot at the north end of the campus. WPEA is asking Southwest Washington union siblings to join them in solidarity - they are looking to make as much noise as possible! WPEA encourages folks to wear blue (any blue will do!) A map of where the picket will start is attached and you can use this link to sign up. If you have any questions, please reach out to Courtney Braddock at [email protected]. Please join these workers and stand with them as they fight for a fair contract.
OLYMPIA (May 29, 2024) — Earlier this month the Washington Public Employees Association/UFCW Local 365 filed for representation on behalf of the Washington State Legislature’s House Democratic Caucus staff.
Legislative staff were prohibited from forming or joining a union until a 2022 law that went into effect on May 1 of this year. WPEA has actively supported legislative staff’s right to collectively bargain, an effort that goes back to a 2011 bill proposed by former staff-turned-member Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (D-West Seattle).
The proposed unit includes over 80 staffers working as Legislative Assistants, Policy Analysts, Communications Specialists, Constituent Services staff, and more. More than 80 percent of the workgroup signed cards indicating their desire to be represented by WPEA.
“The legislative staff have been waiting a long time to be able to form a union. We’re honored that when the time came, they asked WPEA to represent them. The legislature might be a unique workplace, but their contract can be unique, too. We look forward to bargaining a contract that starts to address the issues they’ve been facing,” said Amanda Hacker, the President of WPEA.
House Democratic Caucus staff cited a variety of reasons for coming together to join WPEA, including compensation, workplace conditions, overtime (which is still excluded from bargaining until the 2027 contract), and more.
“During my time in the HDC I have worked in all three workgroups. While I was a Legislative Assistant I had to get a second job to pay my mortgage – so I would spend my days talking to constituents who were struggling with affordability in Washington, and then I would clock out and go pour beers until 11 p.m.” said Alice Palosaari, who now works as a Policy Analyst with the HDC. “Now, a few years farther into my career, I am struggling to balance this incredibly demanding job with having a family. I love this job and I want to be able to keep doing it and serving Washington for a long time, but we need some better work conditions to make that possible.”
Samantha Cruz-Mendoza, a Legislative Assistant who is just shy of two years with the caucus, also talked about how a union will help improve the workplace for staff, legislators, and constituents.
“Though I would be considered relatively new in other workplace environments, here I am considered seasoned staff, due to the massive turnover” said Cruz-Mendoza. “This union feels long overdue for legislative staff, and will give us the chance to work on compensation, housing stipends, professional development, and other significant workplace concerns.”
The next steps are for the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to schedule a vote, and if the unit is able to be confirmed before July 1 we look forward to bargaining for the first contract which would go into effect summer of 2025.