Hundreds of state workers rally against budget cuts, Gov. Bob Ferguson's furloughs

Hundreds of protesters — many in green shirts — gathered near Tivoli Fountain at the Capitol Campus in Olympia on Wednesday to slam recent proposals to furlough state employees.

“No cuts, no furloughs. Tax, tax the rich!” rally-goers chanted at the April 9 event sponsored by the Washington Federation of State Employees. Demonstrators also took the chant inside the Legislative Building and to the closed doors of the Governor’s Office.

Attendees expressed frustration with Gov. Bob Ferguson, who unveiled budget ideas in late February, including one-day-a-month furloughs — a mandatory day off without pay — for most state employees over two years.

Some workers say they feel lied to, noting that on the gubernatorial campaign trail, then-candidate Ferguson vowed to have their backs.

Emmie Forman, who works at The Evergreen State College, is among those who showed up Wednesday to oppose the governor’s furlough proposal.

“If I had known that that was what he was going to do, I wouldn’t have voted for him,” Forman told McClatchy. “I feel betrayed, honestly.”

She also doesn’t approve of the Senate’s furlough idea, which would amount to 13 furlough days in one year.

The WFSE rally comes as the state is scrambling to find a combination of cuts and new revenue to mend a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall before session ends April 27. Democrats have proposed new taxes — but lawmakers are also considering cuts.

Now state employees are urging the Legislature to refrain from balancing the budget on the backs of state workers. Many are already “barely scraping by,” Forman said.

If Forman had to take a furlough day each month — combined with potential future rent increases — she said she’d have to seriously consider not working for the state anymore. She might not be able to pay her bills.

“I know I’m not alone,” she said, “and it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Protesters also criticized Ferguson for refusing to back Democratic lawmakers’ proposed wealth tax.

Speaking with reporters last week, the governor said such an idea would likely attract an immediate legal challenge. Depending on an untested new tax to balance the budget would be “irresponsible,” particularly given the uncertainty coming from the federal government, the governor said.

Ferguson said he wouldn’t sign either the House or Senate budgets — which rely on such a tax measure — in their current forms.

Reached for comment on Wednesday’s rally, Brionna Aho with the Governor’s Office told McClatchy that Ferguson appreciates all state employees’ hard work. His office is doing all it can to support and protect workers in a very challenging budget environment, she said.

However, Aho said, Ferguson inherited a $16 billion budget deficit since being elected in November.

“The governor will work closely with stakeholders and legislators to adopt a balanced budget that preserves core services, maintains our Rainy Day reserves, and prepares us for looming cuts from the federal government,” Aho said.

WFSE rallies to keep protections, benefits

WFSE Vice President Ashley Fueston told rally-goers that state employees are standing united against an attack on their livelihoods. In addition to furloughs, she said members are protesting legislation that would allow their health-care costs to “skyrocket.”

She said they will fight to keep their hard-earned protections and benefits.

“These cuts aren’t just numbers on a page,” Fueston said. “They’re people. They’re real people.”

Local 443 Vice President Milo Nicholas told attendees that the working class has been taken advantage of time and again. Nicholas said they felt like Ferguson and lawmakers, particularly those whom WFSE endorsed, have effectively thrown state employees under the bus.

Public workers demand fair working conditions and living wages, and that the state’s rich pay their fair share, Nicholas said.

“Public employees touch every aspect of your life every day,” Nicholas said. “And if we don’t get our demands, we will shut down operations bit by bit — and it will be you who is to blame.”

Last month staff from the Attorney General’s Office in Olympia and other locations statewide staged walkouts in protest of possible budget cuts and furloughs.

WFSE President Mike Yestramski told McClatchy on Wednesday that state leaders are breaking promises when it comes to more than furloughs. Another example: Democratic lawmakers’ proposed closures of two residential habilitation centers, which serve people with significant developmental and behavioral disabilities.

Before taking office, Ferguson told WFSE members that he would always keep his door open to them, Yestramski said. So far, he added, that hasn’t been the case. Yestramski said he’s requested meetings with Ferguson through staff and the governor’s website.

“We’ve been trying all sorts of ways, and he won’t even give us the dignity of a response,” Yestramski said.

Aho said the governor’s team has been in close and regular communication with WFSE “at multiple levels, including numerous calls and meetings with our senior leadership.” She provided a list of recent examples.

Yestramski said that this fight isn’t only about state workers. Public servants keep the roads clean, educate children, ensure food safety, maintain parks and much more.

“If we lose those people, that is going to have an effect across everyone in our state,” Yestramski said. “Every citizen will be affected.”