A Message From Mike

Solidarity Makes the Difference - WFSE President Mike Yestramski

Our union, WFSE, is closed out the year with plenty to celebrate. Once again, our unity gave us the strength to secure victories at our worksites and the state capitol, despite the global pandemic and attempts by anti-worker groups to strip away our rights and cut our pay. Although we have more work ahead, let's recognize what we accomplished together in 2021:

  • Negotiated general wage increases up to 3.25%
  • Secured lump sum payments in recognition of our shared sacrifices in 2020
  • Secured state funding and eliminated furloughs
  • Saved the Violence Reduction Team at Western State Hospital
  • Stopped the imminent closure of Rainier School
  • Won back-pay for DOT members when management outsourced work
  • Recruited, trained and mobilized member action teams (MATs) across the state
  • Expanded members-only benefits
  • Awarded scholarships to members and their families
  • Secured state funding for contracts with step increases
  • Negotiated the effects of the governor's vaccine mandate to ensure members seeking medical/religious exemptions were treated fairly
  • Secured law enforcement reform and protection of due process in coalition with multiple unions
  • Passed the capital gains tax to fund vital programs (SB 5096)
  • Mobilized to make Juneteenth a state holiday starting in 2022 (HB 1016)
  • Extended collective bargaining rights to Torts Division of the Attorney General's Office (SB 5133)
  • Saved member jobs at the Horse Racing Commission (HB 1022)
  • Removed outsourcing from the IT (Information Technology) cloud computing bill (HB 127)

Want to help win more in 2022? Sign up for WFSE's lobby day program or join a member action team.

The Opposition We Face

While WFSE members have focused on winning for our jobs, families and communities, anti-worker groups like the so-called Freedom Foundation have spent millions on sending us junk mail in a sad attempt to divide us. Don't forget what they're up to according to their state budget toolkit:

  • freeze all hiring,
  • lay off employees,
  • cut pensions,
  • raise retirement age,
  • freeze health plans,
  • reduce benefits,
  • delay raises,
  • raise health costs,
  • and privatize jobs.

We all know how fast misinformation can spread in this climate. Make sure your co-workers have the facts and share some of these resources to set the record straight.

Together, We Will Continue to Win in 2022

I'm confident that 2022 will be another successful year for WFSE members. While anti-worker groups have their billionaire friends, we have what matters most—people power.

When 47,000 public employees stand together, there's no end to what we can accomplish.