Fighting for Public Workers Since 1943

Founded in 1943, AFSCME Council 28/WFSE has grown from a small union of Tacoma welfare workers into a movement of 50,000. 

We have expanded our power in the workplace, won respect for the jobs we perform, and looked beyond our union to make our state and country a better place to live in.

During the Civil Rights Movement, our union took a leading role by aggressively organizing across economic, racial and social lines to guarantee that anyone could find fair pay, dignity and respect in the public sector.  In 1961, WFSE's Executive Board created the Civil Rights Committee, which lives on today as the WFSE Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

For decades, state jobs that were predominately held by women were systematically underpaid in Washington state. In 1985, our union won a settlement from the state of $482 million which was paid out to tens of thousands of workers in these job classes. 

The COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States in Washington state first, and WFSE members met the crisis of our lifetimes head on.

We pushed back on furloughs and cuts. We kept our universities, medical facilities, and communities running. We provided life-saving services and won vital workplace protections that were eventually extended to all workers across the state.

Our members showed heroic dedication to the many people who rely on us—and we stuck with our union through the crisis.