General Government Contract Voting Documents and Timeline

WFSE members have voted to ACCEPT the tentative agreement for your 2027-29 union contract.

Thank you to the bargaining team for their hard work at the negotiating table and every member who supported them by making calls, sending emails, and getting loud in our communities.

The 40k state employees covered by this agreement will have:

• More time off from work
• A two-year ban on any layoffs caused by generative AI
• The ability to negotiate for raises next summer

While there is no additional compensation in the first year, we defeated the second attempt in a year and a half to increase your healthcare costs, winning nearly $350 million in new funding to maintain the current arrangement, where the employer pays 85 percent of costs and we pay 15 percent.

Find many more wins in the agreement here.

The work isn’t done. We’re right back in the fight.

We have less than a year to get as many members signed up and organized as possible before we fight for better pay again.

We haveless than two months to convince as many of our coworkers as possible to vote NO on I-645, the billionaire-backed initiative that would repeal the Millionaires’ Tax and undercut our chances of winning better compensation next summer.

Our new protections from generative AI would give serious momentum to our years-long effort to pass the AI bargaining bill when the legislative session begins in January, less than four monthsaway.

That legislation would apply to nearly all public workers, not just those covered by your contract. It would give us broader protections against AI and a real seat at the table in how it's adopted by state government.

The importance of public workers having a voice in this transformational technology can’t be understated, especially as federal funds dry up and our employers are pushed to cut costs.

What's next?

Get involved in our union's Legislative and Political Action program to win funding for your union contract, protect jobs and services, defeat the repeal of the Millionaires' Tax in November, pass the AI bargaining bill, and more! Learn more here.

For a bigger picture of how our contracts receive funding, check out our Road to a Fair Contract.

Message from Your Bargaining Team

Negotiation of the 2027-2029 GG Tentative Agreement (TA) has concluded. 

As you all know, the budget deficit continues to grow, and compensation discussions were incredibly difficult as a result. 

While there is no additional compensation in the first year, we successfully fought off takeaways and have secured a reopener that will allow us to come back to the table and fight for compensation increases in the second year of the agreement. 

Based on member feedback, your bargaining team leveraged that budget deficit to make every non-economic gain possible in these challenging budget times, and those gains are significant. 

Because of these achievements, your GG Bargaining Team recommends that you vote YES to ACCEPT this Agreement. 

See the links below for a complete copy of the TA, highlights, voting instructions, and more:

• Read the Complete TA 
• Read the Highlights

We want to thank you all for your hard work, research, job actions, and solidarity. Your strength makes all the difference! If you have questions, please visit a voting assistance center, contact a bargaining team member, or contact your WFSE staff. 

In solidarity,

Your WFSE GG Bargaining Team 

Download and Share the TA Highlights flyer

HIGHLIGHTS

This is a summary that highlights and explains the most significant provisions of the General Government (GG) Tentative Agreement (TA). It does not cover every article or every provision.

Your GG Bargaining Team recommends you VOTE YES TO  ACCEPT this Agreement.

As you all know, the budget deficit continues to grow, and compensation discussions were incredibly difficult as a result. While there is no additional compensation in the first year, we successfully fought off takeaways and have secured a reopener that will allow us to come back to the table and fight for compensation increases in the second year of the agreement. 

• Secured additional funding for healthcare and protected current cost share 
• Secured reopener for compensation in the second year of the CBA
• Protected 24/7 Facility Pay
• Protected Supplemental Shift Premium 
• Protected Assignment Pays 
• Protected against any layoffs resulting from the use of Generative AI

Based on member feedback, your bargaining team leveraged that budget deficit to make every non-economic gain possible in these challenging budget times, and those gains were significant. Read on for more information. 

Article 4 – Hiring & Appointments 

• Salary range, represented status, link to CBA, and list of benefits will be added to all job postings
• Seniority based transfer system for those without access to the bid system! 
• Language preventing abuse of non-perm appointments
• Longer notice of in-training appointments ending 
• Employees now have 30 days to decide whether to revert while in trial service 

Article 5 – Performance Evaluation  

• The employer must provide employees with all data and metrics relied on in the evaluation process 

Article 6 – Hours of Work 

• Moved travel time to work time in DFW CAMP
• Increased notice of temporary schedule changes to 5 days
• Increased notice of permanent schedule changes to 14 days!
• Additional rest period for 12-hour shifts

Article 7 – Overtime 

• Increased mandatory overtime waivers to 2 per quarter for all non-institutions/WSDA employees
• In 24/7s, credit for working voluntary overtime no longer requires working a full shift!

Article 8 – Training & Employee Development 

• Improved safety-related training language 
• Improved delivery of training on shift language 
• A full workday (no cap on hours) of CBA training for stewards!
• Updated Park Ranger training language

Article 10 – Holidays 

• Protected holiday pay for any employee impacted by temporary layoff!

Article 11 – Vacation Leave 

• Established timelines for segment process!
• Allows employees to plan and to get answers about their leave well before it occurs
• Allows schedulers adequate time to review and post the schedule

Article 14 – Shared Leave 

• Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) immediately expanding the use of shared leave for immigration purposes, which was also included in the 2027-2029 TA!

Article 17 – Miscellaneous Paid Leave 

• Removed requirement to be without compensation in order to use time for blood donation
• Added the West Coast Health Alliance to those who can recommend vaccines
• Expanded wildfire leave to all disaster types!
• Expanded bereavement to great grandparents and great grandchildren
• New Critical Incident leave in DCYF and DSHS!
• MOU adding two more personal leave days – one in each year of the CBA!

Article 20 – Safety & Health 

• Safety meeting minutes must now be posted for all covered by that safety committee within 30 days of committee approval 

Article 24 – Meals 

• New provision providing ½ price meal access to DOT employees at Eagle Harbor!
• New provision providing meals to DSHS Special Commitment Center employees working mandatory overtime!

Article 25 – CTR & Parking 

• Moved telework into Article 25 giving it greater permanency!
• New language requiring any notice of telework agreement modifications to be in writing
• Increased the required notice period for modifications to 15 days!
• Prohibited arbitrary denials of telework!
• Telework language is now grievable to step 3 (it was not grievable before)! 

Article 27 – Discipline 

• Article rearranged in order of the process to help employees better find and understand their rights
• Limitations on the scope of investigations!
• Notification to employees of their right to representation now required!
• Strengthened language regarding time frames around investigations!

Article 34 – Layoff & Recall (includes WMS Article 34) 

• The employer is now required to notify employees of their right to be part of the General Government Transition Pool
• The threshold for project employees to have expanded layoff rights to the rest of their agency is reduced from 5 years to 3 years in project!
• The employer must give consideration to participating in the shared work program during a temporary layoff, which could give impacted employees access to unemployment 
• The employer is required to offer resources and support through the layoff process!
• Notification of temporary layoff is increased to 10 days!
• Notification of permanent layoff is increased to 20 days!

Article 36 – Employee Rights 

• Reduced the threshold for access to layoff options when duty station changes to 25 miles

Article 37 – Union Management Communication Committees

• OSPI team size increased!
• MOU establishing a new Parks Maintenance & Trades UMCC!

Article 39 – Union Activities 

• Work time for stewards expanded to be able to present all NEOs (not just group)!
• Ability for Union to directly use state email (replaces having to go through HR for electronic desk drops)!
• Updated 30-minute Union leave to allow virtual meetings (not just in person or by phone)!
• Improved NEO:
  • Increased to 60 minutes!
  • The employer is required to notify the Union within 7 days of an employee’s start date, along with a list of information to help us connect with the new employee!
  • The employer must now ensure NEO occurs within 60 days instead of 90 days!

Article 40 – Union Dues Deduction & Status Reports 

• The employer must provide telework data regularly, making it easier to connect with remote workers about their rights in the workplace!

Article 41 – Classification  

• The increase that an employee receives from a reallocation is now higher to ensure it is  equitable with increased pay from promotions!

Article 42 – Compensation (includes WMS Article 42) 

• In addition to the items noted at the top, overtime pay was secured for overtime-exempt employees who do not normally do so, but must work as a State Emergency Operations Officer at the Alert and Warning Center to ensure staffing levels

Article 43 – Health Care Benefits Amounts  

• In addition to the items noted at the top:
  • Protected any SmartHealth benefit that is earned in 2027!
  • Protected the Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA) benefits for all workers making $68,004.00 or less annually (see 43.5)!
  • Protected the FSA workgroup MOU, which provides a path to increase participation in this important benefit!

Appendix P – Special Pay Ranges  

• Guaranteed incentive for meeting annual goals for Lottery DSRs!

Appendix Q – Wildfire Suppression & Other Emergency Duties DNR

• Improved rest and recuperation time! 

Statewide MOU A – CDL Medical Certification Allowance 

• Expanded CDL benefit to all who must have CDLs! 

Statewide MOU C – 24/7 Premium Pay 

• Protected 24/7 Premium Pay against takeaways!

Statewide MOU D – Reference 75 Legacy 

• Preserved for original grievant group to allow more time for potential reallocations!

Statewide MOU E – Supplemental Basic Shift Premium! 

• Protected Supplemental Basic Shift Premium against takeaways!

NEW Statewide MOU – Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)

• GenAI cannot be relied on for employment decision making!
• GenAI use in such decisions must be disclosed!
• GenAI cannot be used in a manner that results in the layoff of any represented employees! 

NEW Statewide MOU – Mail-In Voting

• If changes in law impact Washington’s mail-in voting system, we will meet and bargain to ensure you maintain the ability to register and vote! 

Your GG Bargaining Team recommends you VOTE YES TO ACCEPT this Agreement!

How did we get here? 

Read all the bargaining updates from this round of negotiations on our GG landing page here.