Washington State officials will receive an annual salary increase and a $1,000 each as a covid-19 booster shot bonus, the civil servants’ union announced.
The Washington State Confederation of Public Officials (WFSE) said the state has agreed to a 4% increase in salaries next year, 3% in 2024, and an additional $1,000 bonus to employees who serve until July 1 next year.
The highlight of this labor-management negotiation is the booster shot bonus.
Earlier this month, Governor Jay Insley emphasized that all his emergency executive orders related to the pandemic, including mandatory vaccinations for health and education officials, will be lifted at the end of October, but the compulsory vaccination measures for most state government officials will remain in effect. did.
Governor Inslee issued an emergency executive order in September last year, obliging all state officials to complete their first and second vaccinations by October, with the exception of a very small number of unavoidable cases. or got fired.
Governor Jamie Smith, spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office, said the “booster shot” bonus was taken “in light of the opinions and recommendations of state officials and labor groups.”
WFSE represents approximately 47,000 state officials, including prison guards, university professors, nurses and sanitation workers. However, according to the WFSE, the contents of the wage negotiation agreement apply only to about 35,000 union members.
In this labor-management negotiation, WFSE said that it won the largest compensation in the history of the union, such as a salary increase as well as a booster shot and a job retention bonus, and asked union members to confirm it through a vote.
WFSE, a longtime supporter of the Democrats, has sent 64 to the Central Committee to support Democratic candidates at all levels over the past five years, including a $210,000 donation to the Washington State Democratic Central Committee in 2012, when Insley first ran for governor. It was reported that he had donated $5,000.
As a result, the Central Committee was recorded as the organization that paid the most money every time Insley held three consecutive elections.