Thursday, October 1, 2026
On Monday, Aug. 31, thousands of public employees across the state took to the streets, waving signs and chanting, demanding Governor Bob Ferguson and his administration agree to a fair contract.
Here in Thurston County, I was able to join the hundreds of workers in a swarm of green at the intersection of Israel Road and Capitol Boulevard in Tumwater where employees from multiple state agencies gathered under an inflatable pig with a cigar and a pocket full of cash.
As we chanted and rallied, I met employees from the Attorney General's Office, Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Department of Financial Institutions, Department of Health, Department of Transportation, Department of Retirement Services, Department of Social and Human Services, Office of the Insurance Commissioner and Secretary of State.
Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) members organized these rallies and voiced one demand: That the state government provide a livable, fair wage. They attended “off the clock,” using lunchtimes and vacation time to join and speak out, so no, this wasn’t a strike.
Every two years, union and government representatives meet to negotiate a new contract that binds both sides for the next two years, typically both sides make compromises. There’s likely to be no agreement at the final session on Thursday, Sept. 3. The governor’s office has stonewalled WFSE during negotiations. WFSE negotiators reported that their government counterparts “admitted that they hadn't been authorized to spend a dime on our 2027-29 contracts.”
Instead of proposing a sensible adjustment for inflation, the governor's negotiators proposed that state employees should get no raise at all and forced unpaid leave (furloughs). This refusal feels surreal, since a citizen panel gave raises of 14 percent to the governor and the attorney general and gave themselves a 16 percent raise. When asked to weigh in, the governor’s administration said:
“The governor appreciates and respects our state workers.
"Collective bargaining in times of budget crisis will always be very challenging. In the past 18 months, we implemented billions of dollars in budget reductions. We're also facing billions in draconian cuts from the Trump Administration in vital areas, including the elimination of health care coverage for thousands of Washingtonians.
"In the face of those challenges, we are working to meet the needs of Washingtonians and adopt a balanced budget. ”
~ Brionna Aho, Communications Director, Washington State Office of the Governor
The governor isn’t wrong — federal funds have been drying up for our state services. Yet, he refuses to propose new taxes to deal with our projected budget shortfalls even though Washington state’s gross domestic product has been growing faster than any other state. Instead, he wants to make cuts.
Furloughed workers are rarely able to replace lost hours with work from a second job due to scheduling. The resulting lower quality of service fuels anti-government rhetoric, which only serves the billionaire class. Austerity and cuts to services cause worse economic outcomes across the state. Multiple state employees at the walkout spoke about living paycheck to paycheck, accumulating debt, working multiple jobs, and sacrificing quality of life to make ends meet.
“We have public employees who dumpster dive for food, work second jobs, or use the very public services we provide our community. There's a misnomer that government workers are lazy people sitting at cushy desk jobs with good paychecks; but that couldn't be further from the truth. We work hard to touch the lives of every person in our state, every day. Having a livable wage with good working conditions isn't a big ask … it's the bare minimum.”
~ Mïlo Nicholas, Shop Steward, WFSE Local 443
WFSE is waging the good fight. They want state workers to be able to do their jobs with dignity and stability.
"Everyone deserves fair pay and safe working conditions. It is disrespectful to our state to enter into bargaining with the public's employees with the instructions to give less than nothing. State workers protect their communities. We make sure the water is drinkable and the highways are drivable. Our work keeps Washington running. Bob owes it to us and to everyone in Washington to do better”
~ Ava Clarridge, President, WSFE Local 443.
State workers deserve a living wage and our critical programs need to be funded. Bob’s not going to win any moderate or conservative friends through austerity, he may as well do the right thing and stand up for those in need and the workers who serve them.
Kent Reister is a lifelong resident of Olympia, a paraeducator, and president of the Olympia Paraeducators Association.
The opinions expressed above are those of the writer and not necessarily those of The JOLT's staff or board of directors. Got something to say about a topic of interest to Thurston County residents? Send it to us and we’ll most likely publish it. Click here to email to us.
Editor's note: This reader opinion has been updated to correct a reference to salary increases.
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terry
The claim that government workers are “.. dumpster diving for food..” rings hyperbolically hyperbolic.
Thursday, September 3 Report this
MrDubious
Terry, they're not saying all are. But some are supplementing their food budget in extreme ways.
Here's a small exercise for you - go to OFM's classified job listing page. This has all the job classes and pay ranges for non management positions in the state. Search by salary range number, and type 34.
You'll get a list of every position that has their salary at range 34. Click on range 34 to see how much they get paid - you typically get hired at step A unless you can negotiate higher, then go up two step every year.
Next, pick one you think there's a lot of - Custodian 1, for example. Then go to the state staffing report website published by the Washington State Fiscal Information, and filter by that job title. You'll see how many people have that title, and how much they made the last few years (before taxes).
Can you live on $40-45k per year? I bet you can't.
Friday, September 4 Report this
Patriot
Spending in this state is off the rails. Doubling the budget every 10 years in the backs of taxpayers does not work. Either the state get their fiscal house in order and quit throwing money down the drain or we are going bankrupt. The current administration has no clue, just like the last one. Tax and spend. It works until the taxpayers run out of money. If I worked for the state I would be glad I had a job and the benefits they are given. I remember when the state couldn't meet their obligations they laid 25% of the workforce off.
Friday, September 4 Report this
jimLacey
"Multiple state employees at the walkout spoke about living paycheck to paycheck, accumulating debt, working multiple jobs, and sacrificing quality of life to make ends meet."
Statements like that are really only useful if you can provide a comparison to the non-state employees working in this state. There are plenty in the same situation, but you are asking for their taxes to be increased to pay for this.
Friday, September 4 Report this
MrDubious
Ah Jim, the old crab pot argument.
There's inequality, but instead of fixing it, let's point out other inequalities and get paralyzed and do nothing!!
Also, the poorest wouldn't be taxed.. It's the richest. Nice flawed argument
Friday, September 4 Report this
Yeti1981
I don't doubt that some state employees are struggling. There are state classifications starting around $38,000 a year, and that's not much money in Western Washington. If those positions are below market and the state can't recruit or retain people, then absolutely, address them.
But that's different from saying state workers generally are underpaid and taxpayers therefore owe everyone another raise. The median base salary for full-time executive branch employees is now about $90,700, before accounting for benefits, and general wage increases have occurred every year since 2022.
I'm all for paying people fairly. But "I live paycheck to paycheck" isn't, by itself, a compensation analysis. Show me the classification, market wage, vacancy and turnover rates, and total compensation. If we're asking taxpayers, many of whom are struggling themselves, to pay more, that's a perfectly reasonable standard.
Tuesday, September 8 Report this