Washington for All, Not Just the Rich

The Governor has proposed across the board budget cuts to tackle Washington's projected $12 billion budget deficit, along with the closure of several public facilities that the most vulnerable depend on.

The House and Senate will release their budgets the week of March 24.

That means we have until mid-March to convince our elected officials to reject cuts and balance the budget by having the wealthy and the most profitable corporations pay what they owe.

Contact Your Elected Official to Demand a Washington for All, Not Just the Rich

We can’t cut our way out of this mess. Our workloads are already through the roof. We can fix the structural budget deficit that got us here by asking the super-rich to begin contributing like the rest of us.

Every one of our members can attest to how having to do more with less every year impacts them and the general public that depends on their work, and how drastic budget cuts would make it worse.

That's what we’ll have to do protect the work we do and the people we serve – tell our stories.

Learn about Our Upside-Down Tax Code and Structural Budget Deficit

WFSE Priority Bills

We're calling on our elected officials to ratify and fund our 2025-2027 union contracts to ensure the state can hire and retain the workforce necessary to provide the vital public services we all depend on. Negotiating raises was no small feat given the budget deficit.

Make Washington's Wealthiest Pay their Fair Share

Our elected officials must address our upside-down tax code and ask the super-wealthy to contribute like the rest of us. We will never be able to address unmet needs across government until we solve our structural budget deficit. The ERFC projects revenue to flatten-out, so it’s vital we continue to pursue policies that ask the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes.

Fund existing state services before funding new projects or initiatives

The current state of our state services is chronically underfunded and understaffed, and the lack of investment is beginning to show in how our agencies operate. We must fully invest in our existing state services before funding new projects or initiatives. Without more revenue and lower workloads, we are on an unsustainable course that will crush our vital state operations.

(OPPOSE) SB 5792 - Forced Furloughs

WFSE opposes the one-year furlough mandate--forcing state employees to take one unpaid day per month starting in 2026. This amounts to a 5% pay cut for frontline public servants. 

(OPPOSE) SB 5793 - Raising Healthcare Costs

WFSE opposes the rejection of our healthcare agreement for 2025-2027. The bill proposes to raise employee portion of healthcare premiums from 15% to 20%, and it takes away all bargaining rights related to healthcare, from premiums to FSA to wellness incentives.

(OPPOSE) SB 5393 / HB 1472 - Closing Rainier School and Yakima Valley School

WFSE opposes the plans in Governor Inslee’s proposed budget to close Rainier School and Yakima Valley School, which would significantly impact care for residents of institutions and threaten the jobs of dedicated public servants working there.

(OPPOSE) Budget Item - Closing DOC Reentry Centers in Yakima and Bellingham

WFSE opposes the plans in Governor Inslee’s proposed budget to close two DOC Re-entry Centers- Bellingham and Ahtanum View (Yakima). This would shortsightedly reduce capacity in our criminal justice system for community custody, and isolate people in re-entry centers farther from their communities.

>> Take Action: Capacity Not Closures: Reentry Centers Provide Second Chances

HB 1105 (Fosse) / SB 5433 (Ramos) Create a stand-alone contract for WFSE members members in the Community Corrections division at DOC. 

This bill would create a separate contract for WFSE DOC members apart from the General Government contract, which they are currently a part of. This change would save time and simplify the process. 

HB 1622 / SB 5422 (Parshley) - Collective Bargaining on AI Use

WFSE supports allowing bargaining over matters related to the use of artificial intelligence, ensuring that worker rights and protections are addressed as technology evolves.