Snohomish County government and labor leaders today congratulated the employees represented by the Washington State Council of County and City Employees (AFSCME) on their overwhelming approval of a new contract. The employees, about half of the county workforce, had been working without a contract since the end of 2014.

“I value our union colleagues who work every day to make our community better, safer, and stronger. Their support for this new contract shows that we can both value our employees and be mindful of the need for responsible financial stewardship,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “We are pleased that an agreement was reached that is both fair to employees and fair to taxpayers.”

“On behalf of the Snohomish County Council, we congratulate AFSCME on their vote for the agreement,” said Council Chair Terry Ryan. “We appreciate all the hard work everyone put into these negotiations including the AFSCME representatives, County Executive’s office and the County Council. We look forward to bringing this before the Council for a vote.”

“Our members are pleased to reach agreement with the county. The process took longer than we preferred but we are satisfied with where we ended. I appreciate working with Executive Somers and the county council to reach an agreement that’s fair for our employees and taxpayers,” said Chris Dugovich, President of AFSCME Council 2.