The 2025 Washington and Oregon legislative sessions began in January, and we have several priorities in each state that will help improve the work and lives of PROTEC17 members and their families.
Washington
In Washington, the session runs through April 27, and one of our top priorities includes ensuring that the contract for PROTEC17 State members is fully funded and layoffs are avoided as the legislature looks to close a $10 billion budget gap (read more on p. 4). We will also be working with legislators on a continued project to allow the State’s salary survey to be used in contract bargaining – a loophole that has hamstrung negotiations in the last several cycles.
Ongoing efforts to support permanent and secure funding for our Public Health system that maintains clinics, services, and union-represented jobs is also a top priority. Last year, the legislature approved a funding mechanism through Harborview Medical Center that will temporarily fund Public Health clinics in King County for the next few years, however, the move falls short of a solution for the chronically underfunded, but critically-needed, system.
Other efforts in the legislature this session include removing the one percent cap on property tax and supporting a wealth tax to fill the $10 billion budget hole. Since 2007, the one percent property tax cap has created a structural deficit for local governments, severely limiting their ability to provide critical public services, including public health, public safety, and infrastructure maintenance.
We continue to work with legislators on funding for critical infrastructure and transportation projects that address climate change while protecting workers’ rights and the rights of all Washington residents to safe roads, bridges and transportation choices. By prioritizing environmentally responsible infrastructure projects, we can mitigate climate impacts, enhance public transit, and create high-quality union jobs.
This year also marks the transition to new leadership under incoming Governor Bob Fergusson, and a key priority is to continue building a strong relationship with the new administration.
We will likely need PROTEC17 members to provide comment and testimony this session as bills are introduced so that we can demonstrate the critical need for support. This can often be done online, remotely, or by going down to Olympia directly. If you have questions or are interested in sharing your expertise in your field and work, please contact our new Political Director, Mark Watson at
mark@protec17.org.
Oregon
On January 21, the Oregon legislature began its long session, which will last until the end of June. With strong Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate we are optimistic for a productive session and seeing progress for working people across the state. This is a budget year, so revenue and spending will be a major part of legislative conversations, as well as the continued focus on education and housing. Along with these major issues,
PROTEC17 will be closely tracking a number of bills and subjects that directly impact PROTEC17 members including transportation funding, retirement security, and public employee rights.
The legislature has been working on creating a transportation funding package, and the governor has signaled support for this measure. While most of this funding will be directed to ODOT, we remain interested in making sure that local transportation agencies are supported as well. We will be closely tracking the progress of this package through the legislature as it will have a direct impact on our Portland Bureau of Transportation members.
Several concepts are being discussed in regards to the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), including improvements in how overtime pay is used to calculate PERS benefits, adjusting PERS lookback periods, and aligning PERS disability with workers’ comp. Importantly, we do not expect any attempts to cut PERS benefits during this session.
Additional subjects being discussed that impact working families include workplace age discrimination protections, defending the Oregon Pay Equity Act, unemployment insurance for striking workers, Artificial intelligence, workplace surveillance and technology regulations, and paid family medical leave fixes.
We will continue tracking developments in the legislature throughout session and will send information and opportunities to engage as the year unfolds. If you are interested in such opportunities, please contact PROTEC17’s Research Director and Oregon Legislative Advocate Elliot Levin at elliot@protec17.org.