Wildfire Leave | Disaster Relief
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- Disaster relief resources for union members, and ways to donate to union members in need
Details on members' new Wildfire Leave benefit
Emergency Cash Assistance for Union Members
If you are a member and have been impacted financially, apply for cash assistance from the Foundation for Working Families: (https://wslc.org/ffwf/).
Donations can also be made as an individual or as a WFSE local.
Donate to Spokane Wildfire Relief HereMake sure to specify "Spokane Wildfire Relief" when donating.
WFSE created the fund in 2007 in response to major flooding in Chehalis, and it is now administered by the Washington State Labor Council and benefits all union members in Washington. 100% of donations go to union members in need.
When fires tore through Spokane County in 2022, WFSE’s Executive Board voted overwhelmingly to contribute $200,000 to the Foundation for Working Families.
When historic floods inundated our state in December of 2025, WFSE and many locals again answered the call.
Additionally, when AFSCME members are impacted by large-scale natural disasters and emergencies, our national union can activate the AFSCME Fallen Heroes Fund to provide additional relief.
In 2023, AFSCME activated the fund to assist our members in Spokane county as well as the many AFSCME members impacted by the fires in Maui.We will provide an update when we know if the AFSCME fund will be activated.
Other Relief Options
Get help from the Northwest American Red Cross by clicking here or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.
The Employee Assistance Program, available to most Washington public workers also has resources.
Please listen to local advisories and follow all instructions from emergency responders.
Wildfire Leave
The expanded Wildfire Leave Benefit we won in many 2025-27 union contracts is now in effect under the Governor's emergency declaration for members ordered to evacuate or who have lost homes.
Check your agreement for details at wfse.org/all-contracts. You can search Wildfire to find the relevant article or look at the table of contents for the Leave sections of the contract.
Following Governor Ferguson’s statewide emergency declaration, WFSE-represented workers have mobilized to protect our communities.
DNR firefighters, foresters and heavy equipment operators are on the ground controlling the blazes. WSDOT road crews are clearing hazards and keeping evacuation routes open.
Analysts and logistics coordinators at the Military Dept’s Emergency Management Division are coordinating the multi-agency response. At Riverside State Park, when the fire was about the jump the river, WFSE State Parks members got everyone out of the park safely and stuck around to close the park gates to ensure nobody else would enter.
These stories of heroism from our members and other public workers will continue to roll in.
Members at Lakeland Village and Eastern State Hospital saved residents from the 2023 Grey Fire in Medical Lake, pushing folks over a mile in wheelchairs to safety.