General Government Bargaining
  • Next Session on
  • 09/09/2026
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Represented Units

Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth
Department of Agriculture
Department of Licensing
Department of Natural Resources
Department of Revenue
Liquor and Cannabis Board
Military Department
Washington State Patrol
Washington State School for the Blind

Table Leads

Amanda Hacker

  • WPEA Staff
  • Table Lead
  • WPEA President

Shelley Withee

  • WPEA Staff
  • Second Chair
  • Organizing Representational Specialist

Bargaining Representatives

Benjamin Craig

  • Department of Revenue
  • Steward
  • Revenue Forester 4
  • Spec Prgs Forest Tax

Kriss Acker

  • Department of Revenue
  • Bargaining Representative
  • Revenue Auditor 3
  • Audit Bothell

Dave Stratford

  • Department of Natural Resources
  • Steward
  • Southeast Region
  • Wildland Fire Management Supervisor
  • Wildland Fire Helitack

Brady Dier

  • Department of Natural Resources
  • Steward
  • South Puget Sound Region
  • Natural Resource Specialist 3
  • Independence Valley Unit

Christopher P Scelsa

  • Department of Natural Resources
  • Steward
  • Northwest Region
  • Natural Resource Specialist 2
  • Boulder Unit

James Mcnelly

  • Military Department
  • Steward
  • Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioner Technician
  • Cfmo Smss South Region Team

Mike Mullen

  • Washington State Patrol
  • Bargaining Representative
  • Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer 3
  • Everett

Jeff Hembury

  • Washington State Patrol
  • Bargaining Representative
  • Maintenance Mechanic 4
  • TSB - Training - Basic Training

Billie Jo Thomas

  • Washington State School for the Blind
  • Steward
  • School Social Worker
  • On Campus - Counselor & Psychologist

Carmina Harrington

  • Washington State School for the Blind
  • Steward
  • Teacher of the Blind
  • On-campus

Deirdre Curle

  • Washington Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Youth
  • Steward
  • Speech Pathologist
  • Outreach

UPDATES

2026 Contract Ratification

It’s almost time to vote! Higher Education and General Government contract ratification vote will take place September 18-27th via electronic vote. You can also come to WPEA Headquarters at 140 Percival St NW Olympia, WA 98502 Monday – Thursday 8-5. We’ll also have more in-person voting opportunities available, with dates, times, and locations coming soon. 

Current In-Person Times

Wednesday, September 23rd
7:30am-6:30pm
Olympic College
deb@wpea.org

Tuesday, September 22nd
12:00-1:00
Tumwater DNR

Thursday, September 24th
12:00-1:00
Tumwater DNR

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Below are the tentative agreements to the Higher Education & General Government contracts. Legislative tentative agreements will be made available when bargaining is complete.

Higher Education Tentative Agreement

After a long summer of bargaining, our team is presenting you the tentative agreement reached for our 2027 – 2029 collective bargaining agreement.  The bargaining team fought hard until the very end to improve the working conditions at each of your colleges.

At the start of this year’s bargaining window, the team brought a variety of proposals based on member survey feedback: a 32 hour workweek during summer quarter, advance notice of two quarter’s when there’s a change to remote work, monetary enhancements when working in hazardous environments, and several longevity incentives. We had also hoped for a modest COLA given the current economic reality, but at least one that would keep pace with inflation.  Sadly, the governor’s office and OFM essentially rejected all economic proposals for all of labor across the state.  For the contract period, there will be no cost of living adjustment or any job specific salary adjustments. 

Although angry and heartbroken by this decision from the governor’s office, the team pressed on and fought hard for every non-economic enhancement we could get, pressing the state for additional bargaining time beyond our scheduled sessions.  We were not able to secure all of what we had hoped for, but the state did hear our team on several items which they included in their final offer.

Below you will find a summary of changes that highlights each change in the tentative agreement.

2027 – 2029 Higher Ed Tentative Agreement SummaryDownload

Higher Education Ratification Q&A Sessions

Thursday, September 24, 2026

11am to 1pm
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/89868991760

AND

5pm to 7pm
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/87093256951

Article4_HiringandApoointments_TADownload
Article9_TrainingandEmployeeDevelopment_TADownload
Article14_SharedLeave_TADownload
Article12_SickLeave_TA_091126Download
Article16_FamilyAndMedicalLeaveParentalLeavePregnancyDisabilityLeaveAndWAPaidFamilyAndMedicalLeave_TADownload
Article17_SuspendedOperations_TADownload
Article18_MiscellaneousLeave_TADownload
Article19_LeaveWithoutPay_TADownload
Article20_CommuteTripReductionParkingAndWorkingRemotely_TADownload
Article28_Discipline28_TADownload
Article39_UnionActivities_TADownload
Article42_Compensation_TA_signedDownload
Article46_Strikes_TA_091126Download
Appendix A_TADownload
MOU-A_TADownload
MOU_WPEA_HE_GWIDownload
MOU C – Classified Staff Meeting TADownload
MOU_XX_Paid Leave Lump Sum TADownload
MOU_XXX_PRAOI_TADownload
PRAOI WPEA HEDownload

General Government Tentative Agreement

We knew going into this round of negotiations that this would be a difficult bargaining cycle, and it was.

On September 11, WPEA reached a tentative agreement with the State for our General Government contract. We will be sending that agreement to you for a ratification vote, and our bargaining team has made the decision to remain neutral on ratification. Our job is to make sure you understand exactly what is in the agreement, what we were able to accomplish, what we were not able to accomplish, and what the consequences of either decision may be. The decision about whether this agreement is good enough belongs to you.

There are some meaningful wins in this agreement. We finally resolved the R&R Day issue for our DNR members who work wildfire, requiring DNR to pay for all R&R days regardless of when they occur. We preserved the lump-sum payment for certificated employees at the Washington State School for the Blind and the Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth after the State initially proposed taking it away. We also secured seniority-based transfer rights and an additional personal leave day in each year of the agreement.

We also want to be straightforward about what we did not accomplish. There is no general wage increase in the first year of this agreement. Instead, there is a wage reopener for the second year. For a workforce that has already been losing purchasing power for more than two decades, that is deeply disappointing.

Throughout this bargaining cycle, we proposed meaningful improvements to working conditions that would not have required significant new State spending. We did that intentionally. If the State did not have money for wages, we believed there should at least be an opportunity to make meaningful improvements in other areas. Too often, the answer was still no.

I also want to take a moment to recognize the people who did this work. WPEA’s bargaining team worked incredibly hard throughout this bargaining cycle. They came to the table, pushed for meaningful improvements to working conditions, and did everything they could to secure some sort of wage increase so our members would not continue falling further behind.

That commitment continued right through the end. On our final scheduled bargaining day, team members made themselves available until 8:00 p.m. because we were still discussing the R&R day language. Throughout this cycle, we also had members attend bargaining as observers. They listened to what happened at the table, participated in our caucus discussions, asked questions, offered their perspectives, and supported the bargaining team throughout a very difficult round of negotiations.

I am grateful to every member who gave their time to this process. Bargaining team members take on a significant responsibility when they agree to represent their coworkers at the table, and they deserve our thanks. When you see or talk to one of your bargaining team members, please take a moment to thank them for the work they did on your behalf.

There is an important lesson in what happened this year. A bargaining team can work incredibly hard, bring data, make good proposals, explain the recruitment and retention crisis, and demonstrate the long-term cost of vacancies, turnover, and contracting out work. All of those things matter, but ultimately, bargaining leverage comes from the Employer believing that employees are organized and prepared to act collectively when they are not being treated fairly.

That is also why I want members to think carefully about the ratification vote. Voting no is absolutely your right, and rejecting this agreement would send a clear message to the Governor and the State that employees believe this agreement is unacceptable. A no vote, however, does not by itself create bargaining leverage or guarantee a better agreement. If employees are prepared to reject an agreement, we also need to be asking what we are prepared to do together to change the outcome.

We didn’t arrive here in one bargaining cycle. State employee salaries have been losing ground for more than two decades, and we are not going to reverse that trend in a single contract, but that does not mean we have to accept it.

Building the power to change this starts long before we sit down at the bargaining table. We need to make the salary issue a regular topic of conversation in our workplaces and stop treating two decades of declining purchasing power as though it is normal or acceptable.

Workers have the right to talk with their coworkers about their wages and working conditions, and we need to use that right. Talk to your coworkers about what has happened to state employee salaries, what another year without a wage increase means for you and your family, and whether the State can recruit and retain qualified employees at these wages. We need to start calling attention to the problem instead of quietly accepting it.

We also know that many members believe our contract contains a no-strike clause. The actual language says, “Nothing in this Agreement permits or grants to any employee the right to strike or refuse to perform their official duties.” WPEA proposed removing this language because the law already governs this issue and because members understandably read this language as saying they cannot strike. The State refused to remove it. In fact, they asserted that even our proposal to remove that article from the contract was somehow an “illegal subject” of bargaining.  The language in the contract does not say that employees cannot strike; it says that the contract does not grant that right. If you want to better understand your rights around strikes and other forms of collective action, come to a UNITY meeting or a meeting of your local bargaining unit so we can talk about it. If your bargaining unit hasn’t had a meeting lately, contact your leadership team and ask them to schedule one.

Please also talk to the coworkers in your bargaining unit who aren’t members of WPEA and ask them to join. Explain why it matters. Every person we organize makes us stronger, and if we want to make meaningful progress on salaries, we need more of the people we represent actively participating in their union.

For coworkers who aren’t familiar with WPEA or aren’t sure where to start, invite them to attend one of our UNITY meetings on Wednesday. It is an easy first step toward learning more about the union, what is happening in our workplaces, and how they can get involved. We also need to make sure we have current personal email addresses and contact information for everyone we represent so that workers know about collective action, education, and other opportunities to participate.

We cannot expect a handful of bargaining team members to create the leverage we need at the bargaining table. We have to build that together in our workplaces, and the work for the next round needs to begin now.

WPEA members have already asked me to reach out to other unions and begin building a coordinated contract campaign, and we intend to do that. With a wage reopener in this tentative agreement, we will be back at the bargaining table in a year. That gives us twelve months to organize, educate, build participation, work with other unions, and have serious conversations about the collective action necessary to create leverage at the bargaining table.

All of this will require member participation, which starts with making sure you vote on this agreement. If you are represented by WPEA but are not currently a member, join so that you can participate in that decision. Whatever decision you make on ratification, please vote, and after the vote is over, stay involved.

The question isn’t only whether this contract is good enough. We also need to be asking ourselves what we are willing to do together to make sure we aren’t having this same conversation the next time we bargain.

Article3_Promotions&Vacancies_TA_082126Download
Article10_Holidays_TA_081226Download
Article12_SickLeave_TA_091126Download
Article25_OffDutyConduct_TA_082126Download
Article29_PresumptionofResignation_TA_091126Download
Article32_PersonnelFiles&OtherEmpInfo_TA_072226Download
Article35_Layoff&Recall_TA_091126Download
Article38_UnionActivities_TA_091126Download
Article41_Compensation_TA_091126Download
ArticleX_HealthCareBenefitsAmountsTADownload
MOU-D_TA_091126Download
Personal Leave Day_MOU_WPEA_TA_091126Download
Transfer_by_Seniority_MOU_WPEA_TA_091126Download
AppendixA_LayoffUnits_TA_072226Download

All other articles to be tentatively agree as current contract language

GG Ratification Q&A Sessions

Saturday 9/19/2026 from 10:00am-12:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/89976306129?pwd=raDZ0uNwUma7I5bKLRbfupWV9sYT2l.1

Meeting chat link
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/launch/jc/89976306129

Meeting ID: 899 7630 6129
Passcode: 949978

Saturday 9/19/2026 from 2:00pm-5:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/84331718654?pwd=613VQo5TnxVdXE7df8qGaCUi2ipSWU.1

Meeting chat link
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/launch/jc/84331718654

Meeting ID: 843 3171 8654
Passcode: 643594

Monday 9/21/2026 from 11:00am-1:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/84736519969?pwd=cqpIRF40CBLQfVBwSzelgN6bRcAb9I.1

Meeting chat link
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/launch/jc/84736519969

Meeting ID: 847 3651 9969
Passcode: 848931

Tuesday 9/22/2026 from 11:00am-1:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/88262799447?pwd=lwZBhl7WIr5JMrohy40LBGQsbKYbKK.1

Meeting chat link
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/launch/jc/88262799447

Meeting ID: 882 6279 9447
Passcode: 013186

Thursday 9/24/2026 from 5:00pm-7:00pm
Join Zoom Meeting
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/j/85616844624?pwd=IKO9KeGzlLq6WCTOQZx8zqualNNIRN.1

Meeting chat link
https://wpea-org.zoom.us/launch/jc/85616844624

Meeting ID: 856 1684 4624
Passcode: 400571

President Hacker Discusses Tentative Agreement in Washington State Standard

WPEA President Amanda Hacker was recently quoted in the Washington State Standard. You can read the article here: Two WA public sector unions reach tentative deals on new contracts • Washington State Standard

Her full statement is available below:

We knew going into this round of negotiations that this would be a difficult bargaining cycle, and it was. We understand the State is facing real financial challenges, but so are our members.

A zero percent wage increase means another loss in purchasing power, continuing a trend we’ve seen for the last two decades. On average, our members have lost nearly 30% in purchasing power over the last twenty years. The result of this bargaining cycle is more of the same, and that simply isn’t sustainable. Until the State gets serious about addressing the staffing crisis that has developed over the last two decades, and recognizes that a living wage is a necessary part of that solution, we are going to continue to see the same cycle.

WPEA members fight wildland fires, help students succeed in college, keep our roads and food supply safe, collect tax revenue, protect recreational lands, and many other essential public services. While serving the public, they are also struggling to afford housing, food, healthcare, and other basic necessities. The people who provide these essential services for our citizens should not have to struggle to meet their own basic needs.

 ###

WALKOUT August 31st!


From: WALKOUT August 31st! | Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE)


After being told “not a dime” had been authorized by Governor Ferguson’s negotiations team for public workers 2027-29 union contracts, WFSE announced:

Unfortunately, during a recent negotiations session, Governor Ferguson’s negotiations team admitted that they hadn’t been authorized to spend a dime one our 2027-29 contracts.

Now is a time to use our numbers. Our walkout will show our elected officials, higher ed leaders, and their negotiations teams that we’re organized and paying attention to what’s happening at the negotiating tables.

This is a coordinated action where folks will take regularly scheduled break, lunch, or vacation time to get outside, get press attention, and bring our message to our communities.

To see where all the walkouts are taking place visit: Walkout with Washington for Public Services – 8/31/26

At 12:00 pm August 31, WFSE members and our community allies will be walking out of work and demanding a fair contract for Washington’s public workers.

How it Works

  • Enter your zip code on this page to find a walkout near you and RSVP.
  • Don’t see your worksite? Fill out this form and we’ll add your worksite to the list.


Anybody who cares about public services is welcome and encouraged to join.

If you work remotely, please join the closest walkout to you, regardless of which employer is is for.

Learn more about why we’re walking out here.

After Six Sessions, the State Still Isn’t Listening

After six bargaining sessions, one thing has become painfully clear. This round of negotiations isn’t just about wages, promotions, or contract language. It’s about whether the State believes the people who actually do the work deserve to have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their lives. So far, the answer we’ve received from the Office of Financial Management has been disappointing.

Before compensation bargaining even began, OFM acknowledged the economic reality facing Washington. In June 2026 budget instructions sent to agency directors, OFM wrote that inflation had increased by 39% over the past decade and that rising costs for utilities, fuel, materials, and other necessities were weakening the State’s purchasing power. We agree. Inflation weakens purchasing power. The only question is whose purchasing power counts. If inflation weakens the State’s purchasing power, it also weakens the purchasing power of the employees who buy the same groceries, pay the same utility bills, and fill the same gas tanks. Yet despite acknowledging those economic realities, the State’s opening wage proposal in bargaining was 0% over the life of the agreement.

Let’s be honest about what that means. Any cost-of-living adjustment that fails to keep pace with inflation is a pay cut. When your paycheck grows more slowly than the cost of living, you lose purchasing power. Classified employees have already seen their purchasing power erode over time because wage increases have repeatedly failed to keep pace with inflation. Instead of recognizing that reality at the bargaining table, the State began negotiations by proposing more of the same.

We then turned to one of WPEA’s highest priorities for Department of Natural Resources employees: fixing unpaid Rest and Recuperation Days. Our proposal is simple. If management directs an employee to rest, that time should be paid. We’ve discussed this issue with DNR management and OFM for four years. Employees have lived under this language, experienced its impact, and carefully documented unpaid R&R Days. OFM’s response was that our proposal was ‘premature.’ We explained that our members don’t need another year to understand what an unpaid day off costs because they’re the ones living with it. We were told we were not ‘persuasive.’ Apparently, four years of employee experience still wasn’t enough.

Recognizing that OFM claimed there wasn’t money available for meaningful wage increases, our bargaining team also pursued meaningful non-economic improvements. We proposed giving qualified bargaining unit employees the opportunity to compete for promotional vacancies before positions are opened to outside candidates. If the State can’t pay employees more for the work they’re doing today, the least it can do is improve opportunities to advance. OFM rejected the proposal because they claimed employees don’t actually want it. Shelley Withee, WPEA’s Second Chair at the bargaining table, asked, ‘If I can get 5,300 people to send me a statement saying this is important to them, would that change your position?’ OFM’s lead negotiator, James Dannen, replied, ‘No, because they would be wrong.’ Even if thousands of classified employees spoke with one voice about what they wanted in their own contract, OFM’s position was that they would simply be ‘wrong’ about the benefits of the change.

WPEA also proposed removing the strike article from the collective bargaining agreement. This was a serious proposal intended to address the message the language sends to employees. The current language largely mirrors existing law, so removing it would not change the State’s ability to rely on the law if it believed it applied. Our concern is that employees often read the article and conclude they have no rights beyond what the contract appears to say. Rather than discussing the proposal on its merits, OFM refused to engage. They first said it was not a serious proposal and later stated in open bargaining that they would not respond because the idea was ‘ridiculous.’ Whether someone agrees with the proposal or not, bargaining requires discussion. Simply refusing to engage is not meaningful bargaining.

Now step back and look at the pattern. Employees say wages aren’t keeping up with inflation. The State says 0%. Employees say unpaid R&R Days are hurting them. The State says it’s premature. Employees say they want better promotional opportunities. The State says employees are wrong. The Union brings forward a proposal for discussion. The State says it’s ridiculous. These aren’t isolated disagreements. They all send the same message: we don’t believe you. We don’t believe you about your wages. We don’t believe you about your working conditions. We don’t believe you about your careers. We don’t believe you about your own contract.

Here’s the good news. The State doesn’t get the last word. WPEA is the only union bargaining with OFM that opens bargaining sessions to members. Every member is welcome to attend because bargaining belongs to the membership, not just the bargaining team. When members attend bargaining, management notices. When members wear union gear, talk to coworkers, and participate in workplace actions, management notices. The State is making assumptions about how engaged employees will be. That’s the calculation we have the power to change. History has shown that meaningful improvements happen when workers stand together and make their voices impossible to ignore. Your bargaining team will continue showing up prepared and ready to fight for the priorities you’ve identified. But bargaining teams don’t create leverage. Members do. The contract we achieve will be shaped not only by what happens across the bargaining table, but also by what happens in workplaces across Washington. We hope you’ll stand with us, stay engaged, and help show the State that the people who keep Washington running deserve to be heard.