State workers voting on contracts with 0% raise

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Number of the week: 0%

That’s the pay raise tens of thousands of state employees will receive under collective bargaining agreements that their union leaders are recommending they vote to ratify.

They may say no thanks. Some of them want to talk strike.

Voting begins Monday for the Washington Federation of State Employees, the largest public sector union, representing roughly 52,000 state government, higher education and public service workers. It is the state’s largest public sector union. Members of the Washington Public Employees Association, with about 2,500 members in several state agencies, started casting ballots Friday.

Leaders for those unions entered contract talks seeking a cost-of-living adjustment, but Gov. Bob Ferguson and those negotiating on his behalf from the Office of Financial Management wouldn’t budge one-tenth of a percent. Ferguson’s position was that there’s not enough money coming in to pay for the state’s commitments, making a salary increase a nonstarter.

The result is a contract offer with no wage bump for two years starting July 1, 2027. There is language to hold talks next August on a possible increase. There’s no guarantee the state will make or accept any offers.

“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,” Federation leaders told members.

Activists in their ranks are peeved. Some with their union execs for recommending a ‘yes’ on the deals. More with Ferguson, who they say sold them out after they invested their time and money to help get him elected in 2024.

Many workers want to understand what happens if they reject the agreement — can they strike?

State law sets an Oct. 1 deadline for all public worker unions to ratify agreements to be included in the budget that runs from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2029. Failure to meet the deadline can result in an extension of an existing contract.

Washington Public Employees Association members experienced this two years ago. When they restarted talks with Ferguson’s budget office in 2025, they eventually agreed to a deal.

Association leaders address the issue of a strike in a lengthy post on the union website. They made clear their contract does not contain a no-strike clause.

“The actual language says, “Nothing in this Agreement permits or grants to any employee the right to strike or refuse to perform their official duties.” In other words, it does not say that employees cannot strike, only that the contract does not grant them the right to do so.

Workers probably won’t be walking off the job soon. The outcome of the ratification votes may be revealing about the depth and breadth of unrest in the state’s workforce.

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