Public employees represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees have announced plans for a statewide walkout on Aug. 31 in response to what they called subpar pay and program cuts.

Workers from state agencies, universities and healthcare facilities have been bargaining for a new contract with the state since April. 

Mike Yestramski, president of the union, said his members are aware Washington faces financial challenges but added state leaders are taking months to respond to union proposals and sometimes do not respond at all. 

“We did not go into this with expectations of rainbows and lollipops and it to be really simple. We knew it was going to be a challenging bargaining session,” Yestramski explained. “That said, this has been the most difficult bargaining session that I have been a part of.” 

In media interviews, Washington’s Office of Financial Management has refused to address claims of being unresponsive. State leaders project a budget shortfall of nearly $500 million in the next year as costs for state-funded programs and services rise faster than tax revenue. Gov. Bob Ferguson said the December budget proposal will rely on cuts, rather than new taxes. 

Most members of the union received a 2% general raise in July and a 3% raise last year, levels workers contended are not enough to keep up with inflation. Yestramski stressed as the cost of living continues to climb, many public employees are broke. 

“No one is sitting here asking for a salary that’s going to let them buy vacation homes and sports cars, but they should be able to pay their rent, buy enough groceries to feed their family,” Yestramski said. 

Yestramski pointed out in 2024, after thousands of members walked out of their jobs calling for a fair contract, they were able to reach some tentative agreements just two days later. He added this time around, the union is inviting businesses and other community members to join. 

This story is republished from Public News Service, an independent, member-supported news organization and Certified B Corporation committed to increasing awareness of and engagement with critical public interest issues by reporting and delivering credible journalism and media packages through a network of independent state newswires.