500-plus workers join WFSE in two weeks

Membership drive sees hundreds of public service workers join the Washington Federation of State Employees 

OLYMPIA, WA (August 27, 2025) — One of the largest unions in Washington, the Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) is celebrating a successful organizing blitz, gaining more than 500 new members this past month. Over the course of two weeks, WFSE Volunteer Member Organizers (VMOs) knocked 1,658 doors and held roughly 140 worksite events across the state to talk to their coworkers about the power of joining together in union.

Photo: WFSE

WFSE represents over 50,000 state and other public service workers, uniting public servants in communities all over Washington. This organizing drive comes in the aftermath of a tough legislative session, that saw public workers fighting to ensure that negotiated raises would be funded in the state budget. Along with public workers in other unions, WFSE members successfully fought back against proposals that would have furloughed state employees, increased healthcare costs, and undermined the workers’ ability to collectively bargain over healthcare in future contract negotiations.

WFSE is also looking ahead to negotiations for the next contract; state employee contracts are for two years, meaning contract negotiations will begin less than a year from now. The budget issues that forced a tough fight for funding in the 2025 session remain, with increased uncertainty about availability of federal funding as the chaos from the Trump administration continues to unfold.

That uncertainty makes WFSE’s role — ensuring public service workers are paid well, have good benefits, and a secure retirement — all the more essential.

Per the union, “we’ll need every voice with us to protect what we’ve won and to keep pushing the ball forward.”

Learn more about the Washington Federation of State Employees at wfse.org.