Contract negotiations for PROTEC17 State members at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Department of Licensing (DOL), and the Washington State Patrol (WSP) kicked off on March 12 with representatives from the agencies and the Governor’s office joining the PROTEC17 bargaining committee at our office in Seattle. The PROTEC17 team made several initial proposals, and will start wage discussions in July after the State’s economic forecast is released.  

The process for negotiating the State contract is unique. The contract covers the State’s budget biennium, which is every odd-to-odd year. We’re currently in our 2023-2025 contract, and negotiations this summer will focus on the 2025-2027 contract. 

We negotiate every even-numbered year starting in the spring and ending by October 1, which is a deadline put in place by State statute. The contract then has to be examined by the Office of Financial Management for viability before being included in the Governor’s budget.  

Next, the contract goes to the Washington State legislature for final approval. While lawmakers are not permitted to make line-item vetos or amendments to the contract, they ultimately have the power to approve or deny the contract. This is why it’s important to have elected officials who support State employees in office.  

Due to State law, we are prohibited from negotiating retirement benefits for State employees, but we do negotiate the cost-share of your health care benefits in coalition with other State employee unions. This will also be taking place this summer.

While a PROTEC17 staff member is the lead spokesperson at the table, we have a team of PROTEC17 members who represent the membership and serve as subject matter experts, providing insight and determining proposals and overall strategy for these negotiations.  

The PROTEC17 negotiations team for the 2025-2027 contract is: Paul Austin (WSP), Brian Brannies (WSDOT), Brendan Byron (WSDOT), Jason Clutter (DOL), Annette Dinkel (WSDOT), Bill Hicks (DOL), Daniel Jones (WSDOT), Bennett Olsson, (WSP), and Faith Shuler (WSDOT), plus PROTEC17 Union Representatives Sarah Lorenzini (lead negotiator), Suzie Saunders, Brent Wagar, and Alexis Young. 

But remember that the union is YOU!  As members, you control the strategy and direction of our union and contract negotiations. We received hundreds of responses to our State bargaining survey this spring which is informing our priorities at the bargaining table. If you have additional input or questions, please reach out to your Union Representative or bargaining team member. 

You will be informed of our progress at the table via personal email. Please make sure we have a current personal email address on file for you by updating your contact information here: protec17.org/contact-info-update.