Governor Ferguson statement on state employee union contracts

All public sector unions vote to approve proposed contract updates

OLYMPIA - Governor Bob Ferguson offered the following statement regarding the unanimous approval by public employee unions of new employment contracts for 2027-2029.

Most public sector unions negotiate contracts with the Office of Financial Management, under the Governor's Office. Once unions reach a tentative agreement with the bargaining team, they present that proposal for a vote, known as ratification.

Some unions have the ability to go before third-party arbitrators to finalize their contract terms if they cannot reach agreement with the OFM bargaining team. Several chose to do so.

All the unions that reached a tentative agreement with OFM voted to ratify those contracts. The unions voting to approve new contracts are:

• Washington Federation of State Employees - General Government (WFSE-GG)
• Association of Washington Assistant Attorneys General (WFSE AWAAG)
• Administrative Law Judges (WFSE ALJ)
• Coalition of Unions (Coalition)
• Professional and Technical Employees Local 17 (Protec17)
• Washington Association of Fish and Wildlife Professionals (WAFWP)
• Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199 NW (SEIU 1199)
• Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA-GG)
• Washington Public Employees Association - Higher Education (WPEA-HE)
• Washington Federation of State Employees - Higher Education (WFSE

"When I took office, I inherited a $16 billion budget shortfall," Governor Ferguson said. "We scoured the budget for savings, and made billions of dollars in reductions in order to adopt a balanced budget. Last session, we had a $3.3 billion shortfall, and made more reductions to balance our budget.

"We are making progress on stabilizing our state budget, while also weathering billions of dollars of cuts by the Trump Administration, including the elimination of health care coverage for thousands of Washingtonians. This coming session, we can expect another challenging budget. The details will become clear as we get more information about our revenue and caseload forecasts, but we know it will be significant. One thing is certain: We have more tough choices ahead.

"Our state employees do critical work, and I respect their contributions. I appreciate the partnership of our state employee unions during challenging financial circumstances."