Hello members,

I wanted to reach out about the recent information shared by the Director's Office (04/28 Stinson email and 04/29 Coffee Chat) and what many of you already know based on our legislative updates. The Washington state budget is not great. Currently, there are no furloughs scheduled and the 2025-27 CBA is funded with wage increases. We do know, however, there will be layoffs, among other cuts facing WDFW.

Below are some key items, but we will continue to update this article as we learn more.

What you can do to prepare: 

1. WAFWP website access. Make sure you are signed up and receiving emails on your personal email account on our WAFWP website. Check in with other co-workers to make sure they have registered on the WAFWP website here. 
2. Check your email frequently (at least weekly). Check for WAFWP scheduled meetings, legislative updates, and budget-related changes.
3. Check the Seniority List for accuracy. This also includes military service. You can find the List in the WAFWP Resource Library here or on the WDFW Sharepoint site. If it is not accurate, contact HR and cc WAFWP.
4. Check to make sure your Duty Station locations is correct. Check the WDFW Org Chart (click on the bullseye next to your name) to make sure your county and duty station are correct. Contact HR and cc WAFWP if it is not. Your supervisor can submit a JIRA ticket for the change as well. 
5. Check to make sure your address is correct with WDFW. This can be updated in MyPortal via WDFW. Contact HR (check your paystub) and cc WAFWP if it is not.
6. Check the Resource Library here for documents that may help if you receive an 'At-Risk' email from HR. This includes the Skills and Abilities Form, Seniority List, and language from the CBA on the layoff process. 
7. Reach out! You can contact to any of the WAFWP Executive Board members or Job Representatives with specific questions here. 

What WAFWP is doing:

1. We are working with our lobbyist, legislators, and the Governor's Office to provide feedback on the budget and possible impacts on members. This will be ongoing after the session ends and during the next session. 
2. A WAFWP Virtual Meeting (Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 7pm) is scheduled where we will provide updates and answer questions here. More meetings will be scheduled as we know more. 
3. We will continue to update this article and our Legislative Reports and Updates page here with new information. 

Please reach out if you have additional questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely,

Candace, WAFWP President