News

WFSE members have chosen who will represent them at the bargaining table to negotiate their 2025-2027 contracts.

Dedicated WFSE members at the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families show up for kids and families during some of the hardest times in their lives.

Big decisions about our working conditions and livelihoods were made in Olympia during the 2024 legislative session. Through our union, we had a seat at the table and came away with major improvements for public employees.

Lobbying as a Public Servant: What Are Our Rights?

As a public employee, you have a special role in our state. Public employees protect some of our most vulnerable citizens, preserve our natural resources, and keep our roads safe. But what about your personal rights? Many state employees express concern about their ability to lobby their elected officials.

Register for a lobby day here.

The new year brings good news for millions of working Americans. Nearly 7 million of them are in line to get pay raises this year thanks to state and local minimum-wage hikes.

On Wednesday, December 18, Governor Jay Inslee released a proposed 2020 supplemental budget, a chance to adjust the 2019-21 budget adopted during the last legislative session. 

Though revenue remains a concern, the supplementary budget addresses many of the budget issues raised by public employees.  

Governor Inslee proposed no new revenue and a total state spending increase of only 0.6%.

UPDATE 12/27/19: The court extended the temporary restraining order through March 31, 2020. This provides a small window of opportunity for legislators to update our state's public disclosure law. Click here to email your legislators.

Olympia, Wash. – The Superior Court of Washington for Thurston County issued a temporary restraining order December 18, halting the release of state employees’ names, birthdates, work locations, and work emails.

As a public librarian for the Philadelphia Free Library, Sheila O’Steen embodies what we think of when we imagine a public service worker. Every day, she interacts with members of her community. Whether her patrons are young or old, affluent or impoverished, O’Steen shares knowledge and information with everyone she serves.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A lot of information can be gleaned from a birth date. That's why Washington state public employees are raising safety concerns about a recent state Supreme Court decision – and hope lawmakers will correct it.

In October, justices sided with the Freedom Foundation that public employees' birth dates can be disclosed under the state Public Records Act. Kati Thompson, an IT Systems Administrator of the Employment Security Department, believes this could put state workers in danger, especially those who are domestic violence survivors.