More than 1,000 ferry workers agree to no raise

More than 1,000 state ferry workers will voluntarily forgo raises they negotiated with Gov. Chris Gregoire last year because of the downturn in the economy.

At a news conference Monday morning, Gregoire was joined by leaders from the five unions to announce the agreement. She says that the agreement will save the state $18 million over the next two years.

"My goal is not to lay off" workers, she said. "We don't have an overabundance of workers on the ferry system. It's a choice between pay raises or layoffs in my budget, and I chose to not do pay raises and try and maintain a work force to deliver the service."

The raises for the estimated 1,500 employees would have ranged from increases of 1.6 percent to 10.7 percent.

The unions are: Inlandboatmen's Union; Masters, Mates and Pilots (both deck and watch supervisors); Puget Sound Metal Trades Council; Marine Engineers Benevolent Association; and Office and Professional Employees International Union.

They were the first to come forward and ask that their contracts be renegotiated. Gregoire said several other unions have stepped forward and asked to do the same, but would not say which unions.

Jeff Duncan, with the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, said that the decision to forego the raises was tough, but "we realize what kind of condition the state budget is in."

"We had to make the tough choice to do the right thing," he said.

Gregoire and the state Legislature are trying to solve a 2 1/2 year budget deficit of about $6 billion.

Gregoire is being sued by four other unions, including nurses and other state workers, because her proposed budget doesn't include money to pay for new labor contracts.