State employees gathered outside the Labor and Industries Building in Tumwater as part of a statewide walkout to demand fair wages and safe staffing levels. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
Thousands of state employees across Washington walked off the job for an hour on Tuesday demanding livable wages and safe staffing levels amid negotiations for their next two-year contract.
The Washington Federation of State Employees, which represents 50,000 state government, higher education and public service workers, encouraged its members to walk out this week during the Tuesday lunch hour to show frustration over wage proposals and high turnover among public employees. Union members at about 100 locations statewide walked off the job.
About 60 workers gathered at the Labor and Industries Building in Tumwater. Employees shared stories about being forced to work multiple jobs, ask family members to help pay their rent, or live paycheck to paycheck as a result of their current pay.