The PROTEC17 State negotiating team reached a tentative agreement on Sept. 17 on the 2027-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) after months of frustrating negotiations with the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and state agency leadership. Members from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Department of Licensing (DOL), and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) voted to ratify the agreement just ahead of the State-mandated Oct. 1 deadline.

While wage adjustments were the main sticking point in this negotiations – with the State unwilling to move off of a 0% increase for PROTEC17 and other unions in 2027 – the team was able to negotiate wage reopener language, which could allow for an increase in the 2028-2029 fiscal year. In addition, a number of important language improvements were made including:

  • Two additional personal holidays;
  • Stronger telework protections;
  • Protection from AI in the workplace
  • Additional comp time for our Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officers (CVEOs) at the WSP;
  • Tentative leave improvements for DOL Licensing Service Reps (LSRs);
  • Expanded Shared Leave;
  • More time with new employees at New Employee Orientations;
  • Access to State email to communicate directly with members on State resources;
  • Establishment of better rest time provisions for CVEOs.

In one of the most difficult negotiations in recent years, State unions coordinated on a number of solidarity actions in order to move the dial, including a lunch break walkout organized by the largest state union – Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) – on Aug. 31 (pictured below), and a rally at the Capitol in Olympia on Sept. 5 (pictured on the cover). Thank you to all of the PROTEC17 members who participated. 

Moving forward, we are taking steps to move legislation in Olympia to put us in a better bargaining position in subsequent years, and will fight to ensure new taxes remain in place in the face of ballot measures that intend to dismantle those valuable sources of revenue – again putting us in a better position to fight for greater economic wins in the future. 

A huge thank you to the member leaders on the bargaining team, who do much of this work on their personal time, demonstrating incredible commitment and dedication to their coworkers and communities. To view the new contract, visit: protec17.org/members. If you have any questions about the new contract, please reach out to your Steward, Bargaining Team, or Union Representative.