Washington State Capitol (Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)
In the first-ever collective bargaining for legislative employees in Washington, Republican staff in the state House and Senate got contracts but their Democratic counterparts did not.
Legislative assistants in the GOP caucuses unanimously approved two-year agreements with pay hikes of 3% on July 1, 2025 and 2% a year later, the same amount offered to other state employee unions .
But Democratic caucus employees in the two chambers rejected proposed contracts, a stinging disappointment as some fought for the 2022 law that cleared the way for them to unionize and negotiate terms and conditions for the workplace .
“I’m pretty frustrated. We want a contract but we want a good contract,” Josie Ellison, a communications specialist with the House Democratic Caucus, said Tuesday. They served on the bargaining team.
In separate votes, legislative assistants, policy analysts and communications staff in the House Democratic Caucus and legislative assistants in the Senate Democratic Caucus turned down the agreements. The Washington Public Employees Association represented both units.