State Productivity Board
Bill would bring back state Productivity Board, employee suggestion programThe program that generated millions of dollars in taxpayer savings thanks to employees’ “Brainstorm” ideas may live again under a new bill that would re-establish the state Productivity Board.The...
PSERS bill gets hearing
Add high-risk state institutions workers into the Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS).AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) President Sue Henricksen (at far left) and Western State Hospital Local 793 member Rick Hertzog (at far right) today (Jan. 17) as they urge the H...
Tax Structure WorkGroup Seattle
We expect revenue will be an issue in the 2019 legislative session and so did the 2017 Legislature.We need to fix Washington's upside-down tax system. This is one opportunity to address the structure's impact on public services.The 2017 supplmental budget (SB 6032 Sec....
A Decade Later: Four Ways Working People Are Still Paying for the 2008 Financial Crisis
It was 10 years ago this month that the 2008 financial crisis kicked into high gear. When storied Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers shut down, bankers walking out of the building carrying cardboard boxes of their possessions made the perfect image for TV cameras.
PSERS, Privacy, Interpreters bills pass hurdle
Three of our priority bills passBULLETIN: The state House late Monday morning (Feb. 12) passed our priority bill (SHB 1558) to expand the Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS) to institutions workers in high-risk jobs. The vote was 89-9. SHB 1558 now goes to...
TAX DAY MARCH April 14
“Invest in All of Us” at our coalition Tax March April 14The Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28 is joining the All In For Washington and 10 other coalition partners for Tax Day March and Rally, 2-5 p.m., Saturday, April 14, Judkins Park, 2150 S....
House Tax Structure Work Group hearing next week
The Tax Structure Work Group meets next week in Spokane, Yakima and Vancouver.The goal of this work group is to facilitate discussions about the current tax structure, with a focus on the business and occupation tax, and identify any options to improve the overall tax s...
$60K in settlements at 4 agencies
Union Membership Equals major settlements for members in four agenciesMembers in four agencies – Enterprise Services, Employment Security, Ecology and DSHS (Western State Hospital) -- have won settlements validating their work totaling nearly $60,000. All four came on u...
Endorsements 2018
AFSCME Council 28 Political Endorsements 2018Belwo is the list of endorsements made at the April 28 AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) Endorsements Conference. FEDERAL RACESU.S. SenateMaria Cantwell, D*U.S. CongressCD 1: Suzan DelBene, D*CD 3: Carolyn Long, DCD 5: Lisa Brown, DCD...
Part-timers bill passes
ANOTHER PRIORITY BILL PASSES SENATEThe Senate Wednesday night (Feb. 28) passed the priority bill (HB 2669) to leave no doubt and add part-time state employees to civil service. HB 2669 passed the Senate on a vote of 27-21. It now goes to the governor for signature into...
Privacy fight shifts to legislature
AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE)'s fight to protect your privacy has shifted to the Legislature to be consistent with our recent court victoryAFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) has blocked attempts by the Freedom Foundation to violate your privacy by getting your dates of birth.The state...
Crisis point on encampment cleanup protections
“CRISIS POINT”: SEATTLE’S SPOKANE STREET DOT MEMBERS CALL FOR ACTION ON ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP PROTECTIONSProtecting DOT members cleaning up homeless encampments is at a “crisis point” and the union and Seattle Local 378 members are pushing the agency to amp up action.To st...
Senator rebukes critics of unions
Vancouver senator gives poignant floor speech as she rebukes critics of unions and working familiesSen. Annette Cleveland of the 49th Dist. in Vancouver showed courage and conviction when on Saturday (Feb. 10) she took to the floor of the state Senate in Olympia to reje...
Brett Kavanaugh: No R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Women’s and Workers’ Rights
Like others around the world, I mourned the death last week of Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul set a new standard for enduring classic songs with both artistic and political impact, like her mega-hit “Respect,” which became an anthem for both the civil rights and wom...
Send the Capital Budget now!
Inlsee pushes for state Capital Construction Budget “NOW!”Just hours before the first scheduled committee vote on the long-stalled state Capital Construction Budget, Gov. Jay Inlsee used his annual “State of the State” address to a joint session of the Legislature to l...
Public Safety Conference in March
AFSCME Northwest Region Public Safety ConferenceMarch 10-11, 2018, Vancouver, WARSVP ONLINE
Debate centers on safety net
Supplemental budget debate centers on public safety netIn the first legislative airing of the governor’s proposed supplemental budget, the Federation praised its attention to Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities but said it should act on Community Corrections an...
Taxpayer Protection Act introduced
Taxpayer Protection Act hits home in wake of damning audit report on outsourcingAFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) Taxpayer Protection Act may be needed now more than ever just days after a legislative audit report questioned the value of outsourcing state work in the agency char...
Believe It or Not, Congress Seeks More Tax Cuts for the Rich
At a time when our country needs real investments in infrastructure, education and public services, congressional leaders are doubling down on tax cuts for the rich.
Outsourcing transparency bill good governing
Outsourcing transparency bill just plain good government, Senate panel toldOur priority bill to bring transparency and accountability to state outsourcing brings front-end scrutiny that may stop a bad decision before it costs taxpayers money.That’s what 2SHB 1851 would...
WFSE members ratify contracts
WFSE members overwhelmingly ratified 2019-2021 contracts today when voting closed at 5pm."The hard work of our bargaining teams, and advocacy of our members resulted in historic gains in our 2019-2021 contracts. We are stronger together." — Amy Spiegel, WFSE Director of...
WFSE members ratify contracts
WFSE members overwhelmingly ratified 2019-2021 contracts today when voting closed at 5pm."The hard work of our bargaining teams, and advocacy of our members resulted in historic gains in our 2019-2021 contracts. We are stronger together." — Amy Spiegel, WFSE Director of...
It pays to be 100% Union
Victory for represented Consolidated Support Services (CSS) Carpenters and Painters and for Union rights.In early June our union (WFSE) learned that Eastern State Hospital’s administration contracted with Great Floors to have the basement flooring in ESH’s Eastlake buil...
Green Machine stops to aid flood victims
As Omak-Okanogan recovers from floods, Green Machine is on the scene to help two members in needThe WFSE/AFSCME Green Machine – the union’s resource center on wheels – spent much of May going from worksite to worksite in a vast swath of Eastern Washington. Here is one s...