Your 2026 Contract
After a hard-fought campaign, we’ve officially ratified the 2026 Contracts for both Higher Education and General Government. This did not come easily, it was earned through your persistence, your solidarity, and your refusal to back down. Every conversation, every stand taken, every vote cast made this possible.
This vote broke records for participation, with well over 30% of members casting a ballot compared to less than 10% in most past votes. Thank you for standing together and making this possible.
Because of the efforts of our bargaining teams, stewards, and members, these contracts include a year of retroactive pay increases for all members employed on July 1, 2026 (and nearly all members who separate before then), plus all the targeted pay increases that members ratified earlier this year. You can see the full details of each contract on the WPEA website. Gen Gov ChangesHigher Ed Changes
These contracts reflect what we were able to achieve today, together, under pressure. But we know the work isn’t done.
There are still issues to fix, conditions to improve, and priorities that weren’t fully met. We will need to keep pushing, at the bargaining tables and at every worksite. Yes, bargaining resumes next year, but today, we do something just as important; today we reconnect, today we plan for the future. More co-workers than ever before are participating, but our lines of communication remain in urgent need of rebuilding. Today we need to:
- Build stronger connections in every workplace and department
- Identify new leaders and bargaining team members
- Listen to and document the priorities of all members
- Educate ourselves and each other about the contract and our rights
- Stay engaged and ready to act when needed
This moment is not just the end of a bargaining cycle, it’s the beginning of the next phase of our movement.
We will be hosting meetings and conversations in the coming weeks to reflect, reconnect, and begin building power for the next round of bargaining. We need every member’s voice in this process.
To join this effort to spread the word with your coworkers and communicate about howour union can help in your workplace, reach out to your steward leadership team .
Thank you for all your strength and solidarity. Let’s take a moment to be proud of where we have gotten today, and then get ready to keep moving forward, together.
In Solidarity,
