News

Bills Would Provide Better Oversight of Wash. Government Contractors

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A measure in the Washington State Legislature could bring greater transparency to government contracting.

AFSCME president urges swift Senate action on COVID-19 relief bill

AFSCME President Lee Saunders praised the House of Representatives for passing 

Notice of Election: GG CBA Seniority MoU Ratification

The WFSE General Government Bargaining Team has negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MoU), protecting seniority for high-risk employees on leave without pay.

AFSCME’s free bachelor’s degree program is here to stay

There is good news for AFSCME members looking to pursue higher education. AFSCME Free College has made its bachelor’s degree completion program a permanent benefit.

That means that AFSCME members and their families can earn a bachelor’s degree for free, making an even wider choice of career options a possibility for more people.

WFSE Members Working for Equitable Vaccine Access

The goal of Washington’s four mass vaccination clinics is to ensure that vaccines are distributed and administered in an equitable way across the state. WFSE members are helping make that happen at the Kennewick site.

Data Breach Impacting State Employees

The Washington State Auditor’s Office (SAO) announced that criminals breached the computer systems of their third-party vendor, Accellion. 

New leaders make new push to raise the federal minimum wage

Here’s a sure sign of new leadership in Washington. There’s a renewed push to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour, an idea that went nowhere when the Trump administration and anti-worker members of Congress were in power.

AFSCME retiree Sue Conard calls on Congress to fund the front lines

The coronavirus pandemic won’t be controlled until states, cities, towns and schools – and particularly health departments – have the funding they need from the federal government, says AFSCME Retiree Sue Conard.

Conard should know. She spent 24 years as a public health nurse serving Wisconsin’s La Crosse County. One of her many areas of expertise? Immunization.

U.S. Conference on Mayors calls on Congress to go big on funding the front lines

The U.S. Conference of Mayors has sent a letter to Congress that echoes what AFSCME has been saying for months: It’s long past time to robustly fund the front lines.

Union Activism and Community Brought Maricres Back

Terminated by Seattle Colleges during the pandemic, Maricres was reinstated with the help of her union, member activists, friends and colleagues.

Maricres Tuliao has worked for Seattle Colleges in one form or another for 25 years. She started out as a student worker washing gym towels while she pursued an Associate of Arts degree. 

WFSE Members Raise Concerns Over Public Disclosure Requests

Several WFSE members have received notification from their employer/agency regarding two separate public disclosure requests (PDRs) sent to the Department of Retirement Services—one from the Seattle Times and another from the so-called Freedom Foundation (FF). (See sample below.) Click here to complete a brief survey regarding this matter.