BREAKING: Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) just announced in a press release that public workers will walk off the job on Monday, Aug 31, from 125+ locations, including state agencies, community colleges, universities, and healthcare facilities. “Years of cuts and ballooning workloads for employees in high-stakes jobs, like protecting vulnerable children, maintaining public safety, and caring for intellectually and developmentally disabled folks, is a recipe for avoidable suffering and billions in liability,” said WFSE President Mike Yestramski, a psychiatric social worker at Western State Hospital. The state set another record in fiscal year 2026 with $537 million in lawsuit payouts, according to the Department of Enterprise Services. Over the last five years, the state has paid over $1.6 billion in tort claims, not including the cost of legal defense. “We are sounding the alarm that the governor’s team seems intent on following the same failed policies that produced the shortfall in the first place,” Yestramski said.