Gregoire, for example, got the 10 percent raise she had sought for legal secretaries in her Seattle offices. Even so, state unions oppose the move. They say if nurses at Western State Hospital are given a raise, for example, all state nurses should get it. Union leaders say the best long-term solution is giving workers the right to bargain collectively for pay and benefits, a power now of the Legislature. Locke proposed such a bill, which died in the Legislature.
Republican lawmakers oppose collective bargaining for state workers.
In large part, they worry it would mean strikes, which the unions have long argued would not be allowed. But surveys show state salaries have lagged 11 percent to 14 percent behind salaries in the private sector since 1990. The governor's budget this year calls for a 2.2 percent pay increase in 2002 and 2.5 percent in 2003. State officials say the increase, sparked by soaring health-care costs, is unavoidable.