Raises Canceled, Furloughs Planned​ For Some State Workers

OLYMPIA, WA — Some 5,600 state employees in Washington won't see their scheduled 3% pay raise this year, and around 40,000 state employees will be required to take intermittent furlough days at least until fall, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced Wednesday.

In a release, Inslee said the wage increase was scheduled for July 1, but it has been canceled for many of the state's highest-paid general employees.

All told, the wage increase has been canceled for agency directors, Exempt Management Service and Washington Management Service employees and all other exempt employees earning more than $53,000 annually, the release stated.

Union-represented and non-represented classified employees will still get the 3% raise on July 1.

Furloughs are also also set to begin later this month with more than 40,000 state employees being required to take one furlough day per week.

The first phase of furloughs runs from June 28 to July 25. After July, employees' mandatory furlough days will decrease to one per month and will last through the fall at the earliest.

State employees will also be allowed to take voluntary unpaid furlough days at their discretion.

Inslee said the canceled raise, paired with furloughs, will save the state's Near General Fund some $55 million in the next year.

The governor also encouraged other agencies like higher education institutions, the state legislature, courts and separately elected officials to enact money-saving efforts. If they do, Inslee said the state could save another $91 million.

“This was a very difficult decision. We know the furloughs will put additional pressure on all employees as they will need to help shoulder additional work and responsibilities in the short-term,” David Schumacher, director of the state Office of Financial Management, said in a statement. “We also recognize that furloughs and not extending the general wage increase to all employees will cause financial hardship for some state employees.”

In the release, Inslee encouraged government agencies to find a plan through the SharedWork program to help financially support furloughed employees.

In May, Inslee enacted a hiring freeze for all the state's executive and small cabinet agencies. Before that, he vetoed nearly two dozen bills and more than 100 budget items in the state's supplemental budget in hopes of saving the state $445 million over the next three years.

“COVID-19 has hit our state hard and our economy has taken a severe hit as a result. These are very difficult decisions, but they are necessary to address the financial shortfall that we are facing,” Inslee said in a statement. “In this current financial situation, everyone needs to make sacrifices, and we know this will not be easy. I know that our state will come out of these difficult times stronger than ever.”