Union urges Ferguson not to sign budget without their pay raises
Thousands of state government and community college employees in Washington want Gov. Bob Ferguson to ensure they receive a pay raise in July like the rest of the state workforce.
They are asking the first-term Democrat not to sign a new state budget unless it pays for their contract, which lawmakers said was ratified too late to be put in the spending plan awaiting Ferguson’s signature.
This request from the nearly 5,300-member Washington Public Employees Association is a long shot and could require the governor calling lawmakers back to Olympia for a special session.
In the meantime, the much larger Washington Federation of State Employees is pressing Ferguson to sign the budget, which would pay for raises for its members and does not include furlough plans that the union fought against.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/05/09/union-urges-ferguson-not-to-sign-budget-without-their-pay-raises/