Military Department members recently gathered in person to observe bargaining together through Zoom.

(Pictured: Phillip, Garret, Tedd, and Jason from the Military Department)

The employer has shown little interest in meeting reasonable requests or treating workers with dignity and respect unless employees are watching. Inside bargaining rooms, decision-makers can hide behind process and distance themselves from the people affected by their choices.

When members observe bargaining, that changes. It puts the employer’s conduct on display, demonstrates our collective power, and sends a clear message: workers are watching, and the state will be held accountable for how it treats them.

Members can observe bargaining by joining the WPEA Discord. Bargaining links are shared there, along with private text channels where members can discuss what is happening without the employer seeing the conversation.

Every observer helps humanize the impact of OFM’s decisions and reminds the state that workers are not numbers on a spreadsheet.