Voting will take place in September, once our open contracts have been tentatively agreed upon.
Voting Schedule
Hybrid Voting (In-Person + Online)
Online Only
Tentative Agreements are expected by September 10.
Online voting will run September 11 through September 27 at 11:59 p.m.
Stay Tuned for More Information!
Today is the day, October 1st. Most years this day ushers in nothing more than a cool breeze and pumpkin spiced everything. This year brings so much more.
With historic turnout, on September 30th WPEA members covered under the General Government, Higher Education, and Highline College voted against ratifying the 2025-27 TAs.
While members were casting their votes and building power, the Office of Financial Management(OFM) was trying to find a way around the the members’ votes. This is concerning at face value but more so when you realize that OFM is the lead negotiator for the state employers covered by these contracts.
On September 27th, 2024, The Director of OFM, Pat Sullivan, wrote a letter to President Amanda Hacker, expressing concerns over the potential rejection of the tentative agreements (TAs) by the WPEA membership. Sullivan highlighted that OFM viewed a “no” vote on the TAs as a breach of good faith bargaining. With the October 1st deadline looming, Sullivan ask President Hacker if WPEA leadership could still ratify the contracts if membership voted against ratification. He reiterated the legal requirement to submit the TAs by October 1st for inclusion in the Governor’s 2025-27 budget and emphasized the consequences of missing this deadline, which would delay any potential agreements until July 1st, 2026. Sullivan concluded by stressing the importance of adhering to the legal framework and reaffirmed OFM’s commitment to continue bargaining in good faith if no agreements were submitted by the deadline.
On October 1st, 2024 President Amanda Hacker wrote a lengthy response clarifying that the rejection of the TAs by WPEA members was not due to the bargaining team’s recommendation, but rather because the agreements failed to offer substantial gains after nearly two decades of inadequate contracts and salary increases. Hacker also expressed frustration over OFM’s handling of negotiations, particularly regarding repeated postponements of agency-specific bargaining sessions forcing firefighters to bargain the middle of fire season and other mismanagements of time. She criticized OFM for interfering when both the union and the employer agree on member needs and for dismissing member concerns altogether. She disputed OFM’s assertion of bad faith bargaining, stating that WPEA had consistently communicated concerns about the TAs’ lack of appeal to the members, which OFM did not address. She detailed the long-standing issues faced by WPEA members, including the over 20% loss of purchasing power over the years, sub-par wage increases, and inadequate responses to non-economic issues that could improve working conditions. She also emphasized the disparity in compensation between WPEA members and other state employees, highlighting the significant gaps shown in the State Salary Survey and the failure of OFM to address these discrepancies adequately. She asserts her role as a representative of the members’ voice and commitment to upholding their decisions. When Director Sullivan asked,“…we want to confirm whether the WPEA union would have the ability to move the tentative agreements forward on its own even if the membership votes ‘no.’”, President Hacker responds , “On its face, that question doesn’t make sense – the WPEA union is the membership that voted no on the TA’ed agreement. Indicating that there is some separation between what the “WPEA union” would do and the will of its “membership” is a mistake.” President Hacker rejects the notion that the WPEA union leadership would move the TAs forward without the support of the membership.
To read the letters in their entirety: OFM Letter – Sept 27th
WPEA leadership has both notified OFM that these contracts were not ratified and requested bargaining dates.
CALL TO ACTION
2024 Bargaining continues… The bargaining teams need your support!
In Solidarity,
WPEA UNITY Team
With historic turnout, WPEA has just wrapped up the contract ratifications for the General Government Contract, Higher Education Contract, Highline College Contract and Yakima Valley Contract.
We want to thank everyone who came out to vote, who attended meetings in-person and online, who has talked to a coworker about the union, and to all of you for being active members! We are stronger together, always!
Without further ado:
Higher Education = NOT Ratified
9% Yes
91% No
General Government = NOT Ratified
18.1% Yes
81.9% No
Highline College = NOT Ratified
5.2% Yes
94.8% No
Yakima Valley College = Ratified
62% Yes
38% No
Watch your email and attend one of the UNITY meetings online every Wednesday at noon, 5pm, and 6pm to stay up to date with the next steps for your contract!
In Solidarity, WPEA
Bargaining time is now for four of our contracts, General Government, Higher Education, Highline College, and Yakima Valley College. As we embark on this journey together, our goal is clear: to negotiate fair terms that reflect the hard work and dedication of every member of our union.
Be sure to check out the latest 2024 Bargaining webpage. Featured are bargaining updates, downloadable media to show your support, bargaining team member lists, and moreto be added throughout the process! Click here 2024 Bargaining Campaign Webpage https://facebook.com/wpea365 https://www.wpea.org