News

Ferguson's Proposed Cuts to Higher Education

If these cuts are implemented by the legislature, the colleges will decide how to implement them. Furloughs are on the table and have been utilized in the past. We need to speak up and demand the rich begin paying their fair share.

WFSE Grievance Nets DOC Members Thousands in Back Pay

After a hard fight, WFSE members received an arbitration opinion vindicating our nine Department of Corrections members who teach Defensive Tactics courses who had been unfairly excluded from receiving assignment pay.

Capacity, Not Closures! DOC Reentry Centers Provide Second Chances

The proposed closures would negatively impact those who are in most need of these services , result in increased recidivism (a 2007 study showed Washington’s reentry centers lead to at least a 2.8% reduction in recidivism), cost the state more money (research conducted by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy indicates that reentry programs have a positive cost/benefit impact; for every dollar spent, $3.82 is returned to the state.), and threaten the capacity of our community custody system when the need for more capacity is rising.

AFSCME celebrates Jackson’s confirmation; Saunders calls it ‘a watershed moment’

AFSCME members and working families are celebrating the Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose life experience and extraordinary legal career make her uniquely attuned to the challenges working people face.

The Senate confirmed Jackson today by a vote of 53-47. President Joe Biden nominated her as associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in February after Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement.

Report highlights need for state and local government jobs

A new Center for American Progress (CAP) report describes how state and local governments, having already shed critical public service jobs since the Great Recession, have lost 695,000 more since the onset of the pandemic.

Because the services these jobs deliver are critical to society’s functioning, state and local governments must invest in job creation.

A WFSE Member’s Student Loans Were Forgiven—Apply for Forgiveness Today

Find step-by-step instructions and resources on how to apply to have your loans forgiven.

Courage, Leadership, and Creating Space for Others: The Powerful Women Leaders of WFSE

Each year, Women’s History Month is a chance to thank and appreciate the many women in our movement who give their talent, time, and passion to lift up their union siblings.

We spoke with four women leaders in WFSE who exemplify the courage and solidarity that unionism is all about.

Leanne Kunze

“I have a low tolerance for injustice That’s why the labor movement has been a calling. It’s about advocacy and helping people find their voice.”

ARP funds are an opportunity to build up communities by investing in public service workers

The American Rescue Plan, which AFSCME members helped make a reality and which President Joe Biden signed into law a year ago, provided $350 billion in funding to states, cities and towns.

Don’t Close Naselle Youth Camp: Hear Workers’ Voices

Tucked amid the temperate rainforests, streams and tidelands of Washington’s Pacific coast, Naselle Youth Camp (NYC) is a peaceful environment where youth undertake major transformations.

They graduate from the camp’s high school. They learn trades like forestry, aquaculture and electrical that serve them for a lifetime and fast-track them for good-paying careers. They receive behavior therapy, anger-management training and chemical dependency treatment from dedicated professionals that monitor and celebrate their progress. 

For union members, the ‘state of the union’ is strong


For union members, the ‘state of the union’ is strong

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler

Saunders praises nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

Today, following President Joe Biden’s nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the United States Supreme Court, AFSCME President Lee Saunders issued a statement praising the historic selection.