Solidarity Needed At Clark, Pierce, Bellevue, Skagit Valley, Edmonds, Olympic, and Wenatchee Colleges In Washington On 8/28!

This post came to us by way of Portland activist Jamie Partridge:

I'm writing to gather support for the Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA) classified staff at Clark College who are currently in negotiations with the state. Classified staff at Clark are who keep the College running. Sadly, compensation for far too many of our classified staff falls significantly short of a living wage, and the current compensation offer from the state (2%) does next to nothing to alleviate this exponentially growing problem.

Please spread the word and invite folks to participate in an informational picket/march down Fort Vancouver Way on Wednesday, August 28th (this Wednesday) from noon to 12:30 and 1 pm to 1:30 pm in front of Gaiser Hall (the building on the Northernmost side of campus on the east side of Ft. Vancouver Way) at 1933 E. Ft. Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA 98663 to raise awareness about WPEA's ongoing compensation negotiations.

This is actually a somewhat unique action ... a multi-campus action taking place on the same day at Clark, Pierce, Bellevue, Skagit Valley, Edmonds, Olympic, and Wenatchee.

See the WPEA message below for more information about this action and other ways you can help. Please invite your friends, neighbors and colleagues to participate.... 

Thank you for spreading the word!

~Suzanne Southerland, Clark County Association of Higher Education President


We are organizing an Informational Picket to raise awareness about our ongoing wage negotiations. The state’s current offer results in a pay cut after inflation, and we need to ensure that both staff and the public understand what’s at stake.

Information is POWER! Our goal is to secure a wage increase that reflects the rising cost of living and to send a strong message that we will not accept a pay cut disguised as an offer. Sign up for a picket time, if you cannot, sign up to talk to coworkers through the phone bank, learn the Union Chants, participate in sign making, but plug in where you can.

YOU are the UNION! You deserve a fair wage!

Stand together and be heard! Sign up to participate in the picket at a college by using one of the links below, invite friends family, students, staff, faculty, anyone who supports fair wages.

Light snacks and water will be provided by WPEA.

We are stronger together, always!


Bellevue College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 30-minute increments
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Location(s): The free speak zone near the cafeteria.

Clark College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s):
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Location(s): North GHL entrance, outside in front of culinary

Edmonds College
Multiple dates, times, and locations.
Learn more at: https://tinyurl.com/230wpea

Olympic College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 12:00 PM and 3:30 PM
Location(s): Main entrance by Warren Ave and in front of Building 5

Pierce College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s):
7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Location(s): At the northeast and south entrances of the Cascade building

Skagit Valley College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 30-minute increments
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location(s): On the corner of North Laventure and East College Way

Wenatchee Valley College
Date: 8/28/2024
Time(s): 30-minute increments
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Location(s): 5th Street in front of college by administration building

Be sure to sign up for a picket time, action leaders at many locations will use picket sign ups to distribute communications to participants to coordinate things like sign making so we can prepare together and make our message loud and clear.

WPEA will supply some signs, but if you are participating in making them or want to make your own, expressing our message visually is just as important as our chants. When crafting your signs, focus on clear, bold statements that highlight the need for fair wages and expose the reality of the state's offer.

Signs should have 2-6 words on them and the words should be non-violent. Below are some suggestions to get you started, but feel free to get creative!

Prioritize Public Employees
2% is milk, not a COLA
HONK if you support Public Employees
Stop the pay cut!
Don’t leave us 30% behind!

Chants are a powerful way to keep energy high and attract attention during a picket. When starting a chant, make sure your voice is loud and clear—repeat the chant a few times until others join in. Each chant should last for about 1-2 minutes before switching to another, to keep things fresh and engaging. Feel free to rotate through a variety of chants so that the message stays strong and everyone remains energized!

“Push us down, we rise up!”
"No more pay cuts!"
"Fair wages now!"
"We work for you, now pay us too!"
"We serve the people, now pay us equal!"
“Stand up, fight back!”
“Stop the cuts, raise us up!”
“We work, we fight, we demand what is right!”
"Exploitation ain’t the way!, Workers gotta get fair pay!"
"When I say UNION you say POWER!"
"What do we want?, Fair Wages! When do we want it?, NOW!"

“Everywhere we go, (Everywhere we go),
People wanna know, (People wanna know),
Who we are, (Who we are)
So we tell them, (So we tell them)
We are the union, (We are the union)
The mighty mighty union, (The mighty mighty union)”

”Fighting for justice,(Fighting for justice)”
”Fighting for respect, (Fighting for respect)”
"Hey HEY, Ho HO, Poverty wages have got to go!"

Our power as a union comes from collective action. We need every member to participate so that we can demonstrate our strength to the employer. Without your involvement, the employer will continue to ignore our voices, and our wages will keep falling further behind.

This is our chance to stand together and demand the fair pay we deserve. Let’s make it clear that we don’t accept anything less. Your participation is crucial—together, we can make a difference!

In Solidarity,

WPEA UNITY Team

solidarity@wpea.org