WFSE, AFSCME Council 28

What WFSE, AFSCME Council 28 does

WFSE, AFSCME Council 28, is a nonprofit labor union headquartered in Olympia, Washington, founded in 1943 and serving as the largest union for state, higher education, and public service employees in Washington State. The federation represents more than 52,000 public workers, interpreters, and cultural workers organized across 50+ local unions covering state agencies (DCYF, DSHS, L&I, DOH), higher education institutions (University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, Seattle Colleges), healthcare facilities (Harborview Medical Center), cultural institutions (Seattle Art Museum), and freelance interpreters (Interpreters United, Local 1671). Its core offering is collective bargaining representation, contract negotiation, grievance handling, legislative lobbying, and worksite organizing through Member Action Teams (MATs).

The union's revenue model is membership dues-based, set at 1.5% of gross monthly salary with a monthly cap of $134.43 (effective July 1, 2025). Dues fund operations, staff representatives, member services, education programs (Rise Up! conference, Leadership Summit), scholarships, and political action through the PEOPLE fund. Distribution occurs via direct membership signup, local union chapters, the Member Connection Center (MCC) hotline, and AFSCME International affiliation. Underlying "technology" is non-proprietary: a website, email newsletter, social media accounts, member portal, and downloadable organizing toolkits (MAT Toolkit, Contract Campaign Toolkit) rather than a software platform.

WFSE's strategic positioning rests on 80+ years of institutional history, landmark legal wins (the $482 million comparable worth settlement in 1985, full-scope collective bargaining rights in 2002), and active organizing campaigns that have added new categories including assistant attorneys general, administrative law judges, cultural workers, and WMS/DSHS workers. Recent activity focuses on the 2027-29 contract negotiation cycle, cultural worker expansion, and political engagement around Washington's tax code and structural budget deficit.

Name

WFSE, AFSCME Council 28

Legal name

Washington Federation of State Employees

Website

https://wfse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Short description

WFSE, AFSCME Council 28, is a Washington State labor union representing more than 52,000 public workers, interpreters, and cultural workers across 50+ local unions in state agencies, higher education, healthcare, and cultural institutions, funded by membership dues and providing collective bargaining, grievance handling, and legislative advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Olympia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Union members pay dues equal to 1.5% of gross monthly salary, with a monthly maximum cap that increases periodically (effective July 1, 2025, monthly maximum dues are $134.43). This is the primary revenue stream that funds union operations, staff, and member services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

WFSE, AFSCME Council 28 is a labor union representing over 52,000 public sector workers in Washington State through approximately 50 local unions. Its core offering is union membership that provides collective bargaining representation, contract negotiation, grievance handling, workplace advocacy, and legislative lobbying on behalf of members employed at state agencies, higher education institutions, healthcare facilities, cultural institutions, and as freelance interpreters.

Product overview

WFSE, AFSCME Council 28 is a labor union representing over 52,000 public sector workers in Washington State. The organization operates as a federation of approximately 50 local unions offering member programs including Member Action Teams (MAT) for grassroots worksite organizing, the biennial Rise Up! Educational Conference for leadership development, the Leadership Summit for local officers, and contract campaign resources. Member services include the Member Connection Center (MCC) hotline, AFSCME Retirees (RPEC-WA), the PEOPLE political action fund, scholarship programs, and shared leave resources. The union provides downloadable toolkits for organizing (MAT Toolkit) and contract campaigns, along with historical comparable worth documentation. WFSE does not operate as a technology product company but rather as a traditional labor union with member-facing services and programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WFSE Membership Program Union membership program representing over 52,000 public workers, interpreters, cultural workers, and more in Washington State. Members pay monthly dues equal to 1.5% of gross salary (capped at $134.43 as of July 1, 2025) and receive contract representation, voting rights on union contracts, the right to elect officers, access to member-only benefits, and scholarship opportunities.
• Member Connection Center (MCC) Member support hotline service available at 833-MCC-WFSE (1-833-622-9373) for WFSE members needing assistance with union-related questions, help locating their local union, and resolving workplace issues.
• AFSCME Retirees Chapter 10 (RPEC-WA) Retired Public Employees Council of WA (RPEC-WA) Chapter 10 provides continued union representation, pension advocacy, and member benefits for retired Washington State public employees.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AFSCME International UnionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFSE is AFSCME Council 28, a local affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. AFSCME provides resources, political action (GO campaign), organizing support, and connects WFSE to 1.3 million members nationwide. Lee Saunders serves as AFSCME International President.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AFSCME International: AFSCME International is the national parent union of which WFSE is Council 28. It represents 1.3 million public service workers across the U.S. and provides the organizing resources, political infrastructure (PEOPLE), and shared brand that WFSE operates within.

Direct peers

• SEIU (Service Employees International Union): SEIU is one of the largest U.S. labor unions representing public service and healthcare workers. It directly competes for the same public-sector member base as WFSE in many jurisdictions and operates on a similar dues-funded membership model.
• NEA (National Education Association): NEA is the nation's largest employee organization, representing public school teachers and education support professionals. It overlaps directly with WFSE's higher education and K-12 segments and uses comparable dues-funded, democratic-governance structures.
• AFT (American Federation of Teachers): AFT represents public sector workers including teachers, healthcare professionals, and government employees. It competes directly with WFSE in higher education and shares the same AFLCIO-affiliated, dues-funded collective bargaining model.
• AFSCME Council 75 (Oregon): Oregon AFSCME Council 75 is a sibling AFSCME council representing Oregon state, local, and public-sector workers. It operates with the same structure, dues mechanism, and political program as WFSE and is the most direct geographic and organizational peer.
• PEF (Public Employees Federation, New York): PEF represents New York State executive-branch professional, scientific, and technical employees. It mirrors WFSE's role as a state-employee bargaining unit with similar collective bargaining rights, dues structure, and political advocacy approach.
• Teamsters (International Brotherhood of Teamsters): The Teamsters represent a diverse U.S. workforce including public sector employees. They share the same dues-funded, democratic-governance labor union model that WFSE uses, though across a broader set of industries.
• UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union): UFCW is a large labor union with public-sector and private-sector members that uses the same dues-funded collective bargaining model as WFSE. It is comparable in size and operational structure.
• WSCCCE (Washington State Council of County and City Employees): WSCCCE is a Washington-based AFSCME local representing county and municipal employees throughout Washington. It shares the same state geography, AFSCME affiliation, and dues-funded representation model as WFSE.

Regional players

• CSEA (California State Employees Association): CSEA is California's largest state employee association, representing a similar public-sector worker base as WFSE. While it operates in a different state, it shares the same model of representing state employees through dues, lobbying, and contract negotiation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WFSEc28
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wfsec28
• Facebookfacebook.com/WFSEc28
• Instagraminstagram.com/wfsec28

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WFSE, AFSCME Council 28