WFSE tentative deal: First COLAs in 8 years

The Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28:

(Sept. 18, 2014) — The General Government Bargaining Team for the Washington Federation of State Employees, Council 28 at 1:23 a.m. this morning reached tentative agreement with the state on a new two-year contract with the first cost-of-living pay raises in eight years — at least 4.8 percent over two years — and additional 2.5 percent raises for more than 2,800 in job classes with certain inequities and a number of other economic and non-economic gains.

The tentative agreement, which came after two long days of negotiations and number-crunching, would bring:

► A 3 percent raise on July 1, 2015; and

► Another 1.8 percent on July 1, 2016, or 1 percent plus about 11.5 cents an hour, whichever is greater. The 2016 either/or formula is an attempt to address those on the lower end of the pay scale. Estimates are that about 95 percent of members would get 1.8 percent the second year.

The agreement affects about 30,000 state agency workers covered by this Federation General Government contract. It would take effect July 1, 2015, and run until June 30, 2017.

The bargaining team recommends ratification by General Government members.

General Government members will get more details in the mail and online about the dozens of other gains and instructions for online voting that will close Sept. 30. A detailed summary and the full tentative agreement are being prepared for posting on the Federation website at wfse.org.

The separate Health Care Agreement is still in negotiation.

IMPORTANT!

While General Government is done, the Federation isn’t. We now must band together to help members in the Community Colleges, University of Washington, Washington State University and Central Washington University achieve fair contracts for their members. Watch for details on how we all can help. Because our job isn’t done until we have fair contracts for all members.

For more information, visit www.WFSE.org.