Washington public sector unions split on new two-year contract

By Jerry Cornfield Washington State Standard For the Tacoma Daily Index • September 27, 2024 1:30 am
Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard Members of the Washington Public Employees Association are voting on a new two-year contract this week that leaders of the union say they should reject. Aubrei Hansen, WPEA marketing and membership coordinator, is putting out ballots inside the Olympia office on Wednesday Sept. 25, 2024.
Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard Members of the Washington Public Employees Association are voting on a new two-year contract this week that leaders of the union say they should reject. Aubrei Hansen, WPEA marketing and membership coordinator, is putting out ballots inside the Olympia office on Wednesday Sept. 25, 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.

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@washingtonstatestandard.com. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and Twitter.