State Workers Threaten To Strike To Stop Gov. Bob Ferguson's Furloughs In Washington Budget

HK

Hundreds of state workers, adorned in their green Washington State Federation of State Employees (WFSE) gear, staged several actions across the Capitol Campus in Olympia Wednesday — from a sit-in outside the Governor Bob Ferguson’s office to cussing him out at the steps of his mansion. All this in service of their demand: “No cuts, no furloughs, tax, tax the rich,” a chant that reverberated through the round at the Legislative Building so long and so loudly, I can only imagine it’s still ringing in state lawmaker’s ears. 

But the union’s president, the formidable Mike Yestramski, told WFSE workers that “making noise is not enough.” He said they’ll have to “make” lawmakers vote in worker’s interest and they’ll have to use their power as the people who run this state to do it. Sounds like a strike is on the horizon to me! 

Yestramski said in their closing rally at Tivoli Fountain that he’s heard calls for a one-day strike from rank-in-file workers. He clarified that as union president he wasn’t officially calling for that, but with a metaphorical wink and a nudge, Yestramski said he likes “our parks people and our wildcats that live in our parks.”

The group’s been building pressure against Ferguson all session to stop his proposal to furlough workers for 24 days to balance the state's $16 billion deficit. The Senate proposed 13 days of furloughs and the House balanced their budget without any furloughs.

WSFE wants lawmakers to instead balance the budget by taxing corporations and the wealthy. Lawmakers have proposed a B&O surcharge and a statewide payroll tax on Washington's biggests businesses, and, most controversially, two different wealth tax proposals, both of which Ferguson vowed to reject if they came across his desk.  

But if the Governor or any lawmakers vote to balance the budget on the back of workers instead, workers promise their will be hell to pay when they seek re-election.