3,500 WA Workers Ratify Contract to Seek Retroactive Pay Bumps

You may recall hearing about certain WA state workers, from the WA Public Employees Association, who failed to ratify a contract in time last fall to be included in a 3 percent pay bump given to other state employees. The legislature was not able to include them in pay raises due to the delay.

  Now, they want retroactive money

According to various sources, including the Tri City Area Journal of Business,  for a number of weeks these state workers and community college employees were hammering out a contract which was finally ratified this week.   Because they failed to to do in time last fall, they didn't get the pay bump that went into effect in July, like other workers.

Get our free mobile app

Now, they are seeking and will be pressing the legislature in January to approve retroactive pay increases, giving them the 3 percent wages they missed out on.

According to the TCAJOB:

"A spokesman for the Office of Financial Management said the tentative agreements and associated costs will be reviewed by the governor’s budget director, K.D. Chapman-See, to determine whether they’re financially feasible."

This demand and new contract comes as the state just passed into law the biggest tax increases in WA history, some $9 billion dollars. Opponents of the tax hikes said WA doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.

The affected workers are in 9 state agencies and 14 of the state's community colleges, including CBC.

If the legislature approves the retroactive pay, the workers would get 3 percent backfilled, then the other 2 percent next year like other workers.