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During contract negotiations., our employers didn't want to spend a dime on compensation given the budget shortfall. We walked out for Washington won great contracts. Now we need to convince our elected officials to fund our contract.

On Tuesday, September 10, thousands of WFSE members at over 130 worksites walked out of their jobs to draw attention to the need for a fair contract.

Months into bargaining with the University of Washington, WFSE members feel disrespected by UW’s resistance towards better pay and benefits for the staff that keep the university clean, safe, and f

Roxie Nelson remembers her father, Ed Nelson, as a caring and passionate man who often put the needs of others before his own.

“When I was around him his phone was always busy, and he would take calls from people all the time,” she recalls. “He was always working to help somebody, whether it was at the union or friends or family. He would take care of people whenever they needed help.”

Editor’s note: The following is a story from the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, as told by a member in Washington state:

“My name is Kristina Johnson-Short and I am a social services specialist with the Division of Children, Youth and Families in Washington state. I’m a proud AFSCME member, a shop steward and president of AFSCME Local 1054 (WFSE). I am also a domestic violence survivor.

It’s become clear that relief bills Congress has approved thus far, including the record $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, won’t be enough to quell the health and economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

What other aid should Congress provide? AFSCME has recommendations.

AFSCME members working for the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) are hopping busy these days fulfilling a critical mission. They are helping Louisianans survive as the Bayou State’s economy buckles under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.

Updating wills before heading into work. Extending the lives of single-use masks. Self-isolating from their own families. These are just some of the shameful realities and conditions health care workers on the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic are facing each day.

Before the announcement early Wednesday of an unprecedented $2 trillion deal to combat the coronavirus pandemic, AFSCME President Lee Saunders and three front-line workers put pressure on federal lawmakers to come through with a robust aid package for state and local governments so they can rebuild decimated public services.

The coronavirus aid package that cleared Congress is just not good enough for public service workers. That’s the takeaway message from AFSCME President Lee Saunders.

When we speak up together, we win!

WFSE members scored several legislative victories over the past week, including bills that will protect our birthdates from public disclosure, hold private government contractors accountable, and grant language access providers the ability to negotiate their health care.

Take a look at the WFSE-sponsored bills that are on their way to Governor Inslee's desk: