Ferry and WSDOT Losses From the COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate, Counted

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said 402 of its employees left state service over Governor Jay Inslee's COVID-19 vaccine requirement, which took effect October 18, 2021¹. The state Office of Financial Management (OFM) counted more: 462 WSDOT departures on its October 19, 2021 tally, and 416 by December 31, 2021, most of them employer-initiated separations rather than retirements or resignations^2,3.

Washington State Ferries (WSF), part of WSDOT, lost 132 people by WSDOT's count: 121 separations and 11 retirements¹. A Joint Transportation Committee (JTC) consultant report found the losses fell hardest on engine rooms, including 20 oilers and 40 temporary assistant engineers⁴. Crew-related sailing cancellations hit 615 in the last quarter of 2021⁵.

The state's reports do not separate the mandate's effect from the other causes they name: a global shortage of mariners, retirements and an aging fleet^5,6,7. WSF assistant secretary Steve Nevey said in March 2025 that staffing was back to pre-pandemic levels, KUOW reported⁸. No cached source puts a dollar figure on the mandate's cost, and the overtime figures found stop at the summer of 2021⁹.

• WSDOT's own count was 402 departures¹. OFM's October 19, 2021 report shows 462, and its January 12, 2022 report shows 416^1,2,3.

• At WSF, WSDOT counted 121 separations and 11 retirements¹. The JTC's final report says 120, its December 2021 presentation's figures add to 129, and one trade outlet's unsourced estimate was 200^4,10,11.

• Statewide, OFM counted 2,135 departures by December 31, 2021, about 3.4% of covered employees: 1,823 employer-initiated separations, 168 resignations and 144 retirements^3,12.

• The JTC report said WSF lost about 6% of its operational workforce, nearly double the 3.2% rate for state employees⁴. Engine room staff made up 55% of the ferry system's noncompliance separations⁴.

• WSF's quarterly reports named the coming mandate as one of three causes of crew cancellations in July to September 2021⁵. Later reports point to COVID-19 quarantines and crewing problems "since the pandemic"⁵.

• Former workers could reapply, with no special priority^13,14. A rehiring window that WSF opened with the engineers' union brought back three people, WSDOT told the Washington Policy Center¹⁵.

• No cached source shows a court awarding relief to fired state workers. The Attorney General's office said in June 2023 that none of the cases had led to settlements or payouts¹⁴. Three Fish and Wildlife employees won reinstatement with back pay through arbitration¹⁴.

• Three House bills to rehire workers or clear personnel files, HB 1029, HB 1814 and HB 1871, were referred to committee; no cached source shows a hearing^16,17,18.

Inslee announced on August 9, 2021 that state workers and contractors on state property had to be fully vaccinated by October 18 as a condition of employment¹⁹. Proclamation 21-14.1, signed August 20, 2021, barred any worker who was not fully vaccinated from working for a covered state agency after October 18, 2021²⁰.

The order covered about 60,000 workers in cabinet-level agencies¹⁹. It did not cover agencies run by other statewide elected officials, higher education or K-12 schools¹⁹. It offered no option to test regularly instead of getting vaccinated²¹.

Workers could seek a medical or religious exemption, but also needed a job accommodation to keep working²¹. The proclamation barred agencies from granting accommodations without an individual assessment, which it called rubberstamping²⁰. The Employment Security Department said a worker who did not qualify for an accommodation and still did not comply would likely be denied unemployment benefits, according to the law firm Stokes Lawrence²².

The ferry unions agreed the mandate was legal but bargained over its effects, such as where exempt workers would be placed, said Captain Dan Twohig of the Masters, Mates and Pilots union²³. The Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) sued to force bargaining, then ratified an agreement with more than 80 percent voting yes²⁴.

Proclamation 21-14.6 ended the proclamation itself on October 31, 2022²⁵. A separate June 30, 2022 directive kept vaccination as a condition of employment for executive agency workers^6,26. That requirement ended May 11, 2023^27,28.

The week before the deadline, WSDOT sent roughly 750 separation notices, the Port Townsend Leader reported²⁹. A WSDOT spokesperson said about 350 were rescinded by the Friday before the deadline, after employees began getting vaccinated²⁹. On the morning of October 18, 2021, 87 percent of WSF employees and 93 percent of WSDOT employees had verified vaccinations or approved exemptions²⁹.

OFM's October 19, 2021 table lists 462 WSDOT departures: 420 employer-initiated separations, 6 resignations and 36 retirements². Its January 12, 2022 report lists 416: 372 employer-initiated, 6 resignations and 38 retirements³. WSDOT itself gave 402¹.

For the ferry system, WSDOT described its 132 losses as 121 separations and 11 retirements¹. The JTC's December 2021 presentation said 121 ferry workers separated and 8 retired, which it put at 6.8% of the WSF workforce¹⁰. In June 2024, WSF Chief of Staff Nicole McIntosh said the ferry system lost about 120 employees to the mandate³⁰.

Statewide, OFM's October 19, 2021 report counted 1,887 departures: 1,696 employer-initiated separations, 112 resignations and 79 retirements². By December 31, 2021 the total was 2,135³. OFM also reported that about 3%, or 1,899 employees, had received an accommodation¹².

The JTC report said WSF's losses were concentrated in critical jobs, naming 20 oilers and 40 temporary assistant engineers⁴. Its December 2021 presentation said 11% of oilers and 35.7% of assistant engineers separated¹⁰. Engine room workers made up 55% of noncompliance separations and 43% of all separations in July to September 2021, the first quarter of fiscal 2022⁴.

The report said WSF needed 350 engineers year-round but employed 177, and that most temporary assistant engineers had resigned over the mandate⁴. It put the oiler and wiper gap at 166 employed against 326 needed for winter sailings⁴.

Deck crews were less affected at first. Ryan Brazeau of the Inland Boatmen's Union (IBU) said in October 2021 that only 40 of the union's 1,000 deckhands had not disclosed their vaccination status³¹. The Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association (MEBA) said about 35 of its members would not be allowed to keep sailing³².

Replacing officers and engineers is slow. WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling said in November 2022 that the deck officer shortage caused the most trouble, because certification takes a long time⁶. The JTC report said union contracts do not allow WSF to hire experienced mates, captains or engineers directly, so all new crew start in on-call entry jobs⁴.

As of October 31, 2022, WSF had 174 licensed deck officers out of a planned 200, 500 unlicensed deck workers out of 546, 181 engineers out of 185 and 188 oilers out of 202, The Center Square reported from a WSF progress report⁶.

No cached source breaks down WSDOT's losses outside the ferry system by division. A federal suit by 60 former WSDOT employees included ferry workers, engineers and snowplow drivers, The Seattle Times reported¹⁴. HB 1814's findings said the loss of nearly 1,900 state employees, including 400 transportation workers, led to curtailed ferry service, reduced snowplow service and fewer State Patrol officers¹⁷.

The JTC report said WSF's loss of about 6% of its operational workforce was nearly double the 3.2% rate for state employees⁴. In OFM's January 12, 2022 report, WSDOT's vaccine verification rate was 95.43%, close to the statewide 95.98%³.

Other agencies lost large numbers too. The Auburn Reporter wrote that the Department of Corrections let go 410 people, nearly 5% of its staff, and that the State Patrol shed 127, about 6%²¹. It said the Department of Social and Health Services lost 269 to firing and 42 to resignation or retirement, nearly 2%²¹.

OFM's headcounts leave out the employees who separated, so its tables cannot be used to compute a loss rate directly¹².

WSF's Gray Notebook counted 106 crew-related cancellations in April to June 2021, before the deadline⁵. In July to September 2021, 341 of 619 cancellations were crew-related⁵. WSF named a global shortage of mariners, numerous retirements and the coming mandate as causes⁵.

To get ahead of the losses, WSF built an alternate schedule that took one boat off several routes⁵. The cut began the Saturday before the deadline, removing a boat from nearly every run, KIRO 7 reported¹. On October 8, 2021, WSF had canceled 150 sailings, more than a third of service³³.

In October to December 2021, crew-related cancellations reached 615 of 1,073⁵. The JTC report said monthly cancellations peaked at 559 in October 2021⁴.

Crew cancellations stayed high for two years. They were 481 in October to December 2022 and 647 in July to September 2023, 60.5% of all cancellations that quarter⁵. They were 112 in January to March 2024, 579 in July to September 2024 and 95 in October to December 2024⁵.

Governor Bob Ferguson announced in March 2025 that WSF would run full service by summer 2025, with 18 boats on routes for the first time since 2019⁸. WSF canceled 147 sailings in the first two months of 2023 and 42 in the first two months of 2025, assistant secretary Steve Nevey said⁸.

Overtime was rising before the mandate. The JTC report said WSF overtime spending grew from $5.4 million in fiscal 2013 to $11.3 million in fiscal 2019⁴. It rebounded almost to pre-pandemic levels in fiscal 2021⁴.

The JTC's December 2021 presentation said preliminary data for July and August 2021 showed overtime above prior summers⁹. It listed the labor shortage and departures sped up by the mandate among the causes⁹. It said canceled sailings do not save overtime, because crew on duty are paid either way⁹.

The engineers' union said at a press conference reported by FOX 13 that engineers were working upwards of 100 extra hours a month³⁴. No cached source gives WSF overtime totals after fiscal 2021⁴.

WSF hired more than 100 new employees in 2021 as of October 8³³. Separations in July to October 2021 were more than four times those of July to October 2020, the JTC's December 2021 presentation said⁹.

Attrition cut WSF's net gain in employees to 61 in 2022, the Gray Notebook said⁵. As of March 31, 2023, WSF had 1,022 crew members for 1,148 deck positions⁵. WSF hired nearly 180 new employees in 2023, McIntosh said³⁰.

WSF began advancing existing crew to higher positions and paying for an 18-month maritime course for new crew, programs staff had previously paid for themselves, KUOW reported in 2025⁸.

The 2025-27 budget recommendation for WSF from OFM includes $16.5 million for additional deck and engine crew and $13.9 million for overtime and break-in training when crew move to a new vessel or terminal³⁵.

OFM put total 2025 policy compensation changes for WSF at $28.6 million³⁵. No cached source ties any of these amounts, or any budget overrun, to the vaccine mandate.

When the requirement ended, Inslee's office said fired or resigned workers could reapply for state jobs¹³. The governor's office said there would be no outreach effort to rehire them, a Washington Policy Center column reported¹⁵. The Seattle Times reported in June 2023 that former workers got no special priority¹⁴.

WSDOT's communications director told the Washington Policy Center that WSF set up a 45-day reinstatement window, August 1 to September 15, under an agreement with MEBA¹⁵. WSDOT later told the group that three people were hired in that window¹⁵.

In June 2024, the Queen Anne News reported it was unclear how many fired ferry workers had reapplied or gotten their jobs back³⁰. At the Department of Fish and Wildlife, arbitrators reinstated three fired employees with back pay, The Seattle Times reported¹⁴.

More than 90 public employees, including ferry workers, sued in Walla Walla County Superior Court in September 2021 to overturn the mandate³⁶. On September 27, 2021, the Walla Walla court sent a similar challenge, the Cleary case, to Thurston County³⁷.

In a separate case, a Department of Corrections employee sued in Franklin County. In that case, Johnson v. Inslee, the state Supreme Court ruled on October 22, 2021 that Thurston County was the required venue and did not reach the merits^37,38.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Rice denied a temporary restraining order sought by firefighters, troopers and others on October 25, 2021³⁹. In Pilz v. Inslee, decided December 22, 2023, the Ninth Circuit held the proclamation did not on its face violate the Free Exercise Clause, while ruling that claims for reinstatement and damages were not moot⁴⁰.

Sixty former WSDOT employees sued in federal court on May 9, 2023¹⁴. The Western District of Washington granted the state's motion to dismiss in part, throwing out the federal constitutional claims against the agency without prejudice and those against individual defendants with prejudice, Bloomberg Law reported⁴¹. By June 2023 the state faced more than a dozen suits involving at least 180 former employees¹⁴.

Pacifica Law Group, which defends state and local governments, said that in more than 50 challenges to pandemic public health measures, including vaccination requirements, no challenger had won relief against its clients⁴².

HB 1029, prefiled December 12, 2022, would have entitled executive-branch employees fired solely for declining the vaccine to be rehired¹⁶. It would have required the attorney general to sue agencies that refused¹⁶.

HB 1814, first read February 10, 2023, would have added 10 percent to the passing exam scores of workers separated over vaccination status in 2020, 2021 or 2022¹⁷. It would also have given up to five years of retirement service credit to those who left voluntarily or involuntarily over an employer vaccine mandate¹⁷.

HB 1871, prefiled December 5, 2023, would have barred WSF from requiring vaccination of new hires¹⁸. Workers who left between August 5, 2021 and May 11, 2023 could ask to have their vaccination status removed from their files when rehired¹⁸. The Washington Policy Center expected it to get no hearing⁴³.

Proclamation 21-14.1 said widespread vaccination was the state's main way to protect its health care system and avoid a return to stricter public health measures²⁰. Inslee spokesperson Mike Faulk said the requirements were legal and needed to save lives³⁶.

On the eve of the deadline, Inslee said he was confident state services would continue with minimal disruption²¹. When the requirement ended, he said the measures the state took had helped it reach one of the lowest COVID-19 death rates in the nation²⁷.

State Rep. Andrew Barkis, the ranking Republican on the JTC, said on October 8, 2021 that the day's ferry cancellations were a direct result of the mandate³¹. WSF engineer Rick Hamiter called it "a slap in the face" in an email to ferry employees²³.

The September 2021 lawsuit called the penalties for not complying overly severe, punitive and unconscionable³⁶. The Washington Policy Center, an advocacy group, argued the mandate harmed careers and finances for no demonstrable public health benefit⁴⁴.

KIRO radio host Dave Ross argued in August 2022 that WSF should offer to rehire the 121 separated workers, saying even 10 or 20 returning would mean fewer canceled runs⁴⁵.

Before the deadline, union leaders disputed that the mandate was behind the shortages. In August 2021, Twohig called that month's staff shortages an anomaly with no evidence of a link to the vaccine rule, and WSF and union representatives said they had seen no evidence that a spike in absences was tied to the mandate²³.

WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling said in November 2022 that the requirement was one factor, alongside a worldwide shortage of mariners⁶. The JTC report said Washington's maritime sector lost 711 workers from 2019 to 2021, a 34% decline⁴.

Fleet condition also limited service. John Vezina, WSF's director of planning, customer and government relations, said in June 2024 that WSF runs about 15 of its 20 boats most of the time because past maintenance was not done³⁰. MEBA's Eric Winge told FOX 13 that engineers' wages had not kept pace with the cost of living, leading to burnout and turnover³⁴.

WSDOT total. WSDOT itself said 402¹. OFM's October 2021 table and several newspapers said 462^2,46. OFM's January 2022 table gave 416 as of December 31, 2021³.

Ferry total. WSDOT gave 132¹. The JTC's final report gives 120 in one passage and 132 in another⁴. The JTC presentation adds to 129, and Maritime Direct estimated 200 without a source^10,11.

Statewide total. OFM reported 1,887 departures as of October 18, 2021 in its October report². Its January 2022 report lists 1,785 for that same date³.

Cause of the cancellations. Barkis blamed the mandate directly³¹. MEBA said short-staffed engine rooms caused at least half of canceled sailings, and blamed pay³⁴. WSF has called the mandate one factor among several⁶.

JTC report figures. The report's staffing table counts 142 engineers and 154 oilers and wipers against 350 and 362 needed, while its text says 177 engineers and 166 oilers and wipers against 350 and 326⁴.

• How many WSDOT employees outside the ferry system left, by division (highway maintenance, engineering, other)? A records request to WSDOT human resources would answer it.

• What has WSF spent on overtime since the mandate, and how much of it went to covering vacant engine room and deck jobs?

• How many of the replacement crew hired after the mandate are still with WSF?

• Did WSF ever split its crew-related cancellations by cause? Its public reports do not.

• How many separated workers have been rehired in total, across WSF and WSDOT, and what did the arbitration hearings for fired WSF workers decide?

• Did any of the three rehiring bills ever get a hearing or a vote?

• HB: House Bill
• MM&P: International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots
• OFM: Office of Financial Management
• WFSE: Washington Federation of State Employees
• WSDOT: Washington State Department of Transportation
• WSF: Washington State Ferries

1. KIRO 7: 402 state transportation workers leaving because of vaccine mandate. https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/402-state-transportation-workers-leaving-because-vaccine-mandate/TP45ZUG26NEB7HM5Z7YE6XTUDM/ (center)
2. OFM vaccination verification report, Oct. 19, 2021 (DocumentCloud copy). https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21089995/vaccinationreport_oct192021_final-1.pdf (primary)
3. OFM State Employee Vaccination Verification Report (Jan 12, 2022). https://ofm.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/default/files/public/shr/COVID19/VaccinationReport_Jan122022.pdf (primary)
4. JTC Final Report: WSF Overtime. https://leg.wa.gov/media/0oal3hwi/finalreport_wsfot.pdf (primary)
5. WSDOT Gray Notebook: Washington State Ferries - Cancellations. https://wsdot.wa.gov/about/data/gray-notebook/gnbhome/mobility/ferries/cancellations.htm (primary)
6. The Center Square: Washington Ferries won't rehire unvaxxed workers amid crew shortages (Nov 2022). https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/washington-ferries-wont-rehire-unvaxxed-workers-amid-crew-shortages (unknown)
7. WSF Service Restoration Plan Progress Report (Jan 3, 2023). https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/WSF-ServiceRestorationPlanProgressReport-3January2023.pdf (primary)
8. KUOW: Full ferry service returning, Ferguson says (Mar 2025). https://www.kuow.org/2025-03-06/full-ferry-service-returning-to-washington-gov-ferguson-says (center)
9. WSF Overtime Report Summary (JTC). https://leg.wa.gov/media/udfndb3l/wsf_ot_report_summary.pdf (primary)
10. JTC WSF Workforce Plan and Overtime Report Summary (Dec 14, 2021). https://leg.wa.gov/media/5nhhhkbx/wsf-workforce-plan_ot_report_summary_12_14_2021.pdf (primary)
11. Maritime Direct: WSF schedules suffer after vaccine mandate deadline. https://www.maritime.direct/wsf-schedules-suffer-after-vaccine-mandate-deadline-ended/1723864 (unknown)
12. OFM: State employee vaccination verification data, Jan. 12, 2022. https://ofm.wa.gov/news-publications/state-employee-vaccination-verification-data-jan-12-2022/ (primary)
13. KUOW: Washington ends COVID-19 vaccine requirements for state employees (May 10, 2023). https://kuow.org/stories/washington-ends-covid-19-vaccine-requirements-for-state-employees (center)
14. Seattle Times: WA faces spate of lawsuits from workers fired for refusing COVID vaccines (June 2023). https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/wa-faces-spate-of-lawsuits-from-workers-fired-for-refusing-covid-vaccines/ (center)
15. Washington Policy Center: State agencies can rehire workers terminated for lack of a COVID-19 vaccine. https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/state-agencies-can-rehire-workers-terminated-for-lack-of-a-covid-19-vaccine (advocacy)
16. HB 1029 (2023-24): reemployment of state workers dismissed due to vaccine mandates. https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1029.htm (primary)
17. HB 1814 (2023-24): vaccination mandate separations, hiring preference and pension credit. https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1814.htm (primary)
18. HB 1871 (2023-24): WSF vaccination status, rehiring and personnel records. https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/Biennium/2023-24/Htm/Bills/House%20Bills/1871.htm (primary)
19. Association of Washington Cities: Governor mandates vaccine for state employees and contractors (Aug 10, 2021). https://wacities.org/news/2021/08/10/governor-mandates-vaccine-for-state-employees-and-contractors (unknown)
20. Proclamation 21-14.1: COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement (Aug 20, 2021). https://governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/21-14.1%20-%20COVID-19%20Vax%20Washington%20Amendment.pdf (primary)
21. Auburn Reporter: Rather than get vaccine, nearly 1,900 state workers lose jobs (Oct 20, 2021). https://www.auburn-reporter.com/2021/10/20/rather-than-get-vaccine-nearly-2000-state-workers-lose-jobs/ (unknown)
22. Stokes Lawrence: Governor Inslee announces vaccination requirement for state workers. https://www.stokeslaw.com/news-insights/what-you-need-to-know-governor-inslee-announces-vaccination-requirement-for-state-workers-and-statewide-indoor-mask-mandate/ (unknown)
23. KUOW: At WA ferries, vaccine mandate looms amid worker shortages (2021). https://kuow.org/stories/at-wa-ferries-vaccine-mandate-looms-amidst-unprecedented-worker-shortages (center)
24. The Stand (WSLC): ferry unions and the mandate. https://www.thestand.org/?p=101807 (advocacy)
25. Proclamation 21-14.6: COVID Vaccination Requirement Rescission. https://www.governor.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/21-14.6%20-%20COVID%20Vaccination%20Requirement_Rescission_%28tmp%29.pdf (primary)
26. Washington Policy Center: State vaccine mandate leads to cuts in ferry service. https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/as-summer-travel-season-arrives-state-vaccine-mandate-leads-to-cuts-in-ferry-service (advocacy)
27. MyNorthwest: Inslee to end COVID vaccine mandate for state employees (May 2023). https://mynorthwest.com/local/inslee-end-covid-vaccine-mandate-state-employees/3887257 (unknown)
28. WFSE: Vaccine mandate rescinded, get the facts. https://wfse.org/content/36251 (advocacy)
29. Port Townsend Leader: Hundreds leave WSF, State Patrol and other agencies as mandate takes effect. https://www.ptleader.com/stories/hundreds-leave-wsf-state-patrol-and-other-agencies-as-vaccination-mandate-takes-effect,77834 (center)
30. Queen Anne News: Some progress, but ongoing vessel and crew issues (Jun 2024). https://queenannenews.com/news/2024/jun/26/some-progress-but-ongoing-vessel-and-crew-issues-plague-washington-state-ferries/ (unknown)
31. MyNorthwest: WSF staffing crisis ahead of mandate deadline (Oct 2021). https://mynorthwest.com/?p=3182577 (unknown)
32. M.E.B.A. Telex Times, October 21, 2021. https://mebaunion.org/assets/1/15/M.E.B.A._Telex_Times_for_October_21,_2021.pdf (advocacy)
33. HeraldNet: Ferry system cancels 1/3 of sailings due to crew shortages (Oct 8, 2021). https://www.heraldnet.com/2021/10/08/ferry-system-cancels-1-3-of-sailings-due-to-crew-shortages/ (center)
34. FOX 13: Understaffed WA ferries rely on overtime, union says. https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/understaffed-wa-ferries-overtime-union (center)
35. OFM 2025-27 Agency Recommendation Summary: WSF (405/X00). https://ofm.wa.gov/budget/state-budget-2025-27/proposed-biennial/agency-recommendation-summaries/405/X00/ (primary)
36. KUOW: State troopers and other public employees sue to overturn vaccine mandate (Sep 2021). https://www.kuow.org/stories/state-troopers-and-other-public-employees-file-lawsuit-to-overturn-inslee-vaccine-mandate (center)
37. Johnson v. Inslee, WA Supreme Court No. 100255-6, ruling granting stay (Oct 2021). https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicUpload/Supreme%20Court%20Orders/1002556%20Public%20Ruling%20Stay%20Case%20Ruling%20Granting%20Emergency%20Motion%20for%20Stay%20Pendig%20Review.pdf (primary)
38. Johnson v. Inslee, WA Supreme Court opinion (Oct 22, 2021). https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/1002556.pdf (primary)
39. KOMO: Federal judge rejects bid to stop Washington vaccine mandate (Oct 25, 2021). https://www.komonews.com/news/local/federal-judge-rejects-bid-to-stop-washington-vaccine-mandate (center)
40. Pilz v. Inslee, 9th Cir. No. 22-35508 memorandum (Dec 22, 2023). https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2023/12/22/22-35508.pdf (primary)
41. Bloomberg Law: Washington state agency defeats suit over COVID-19 vaccinations. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/washington-state-agency-defeats-suit-over-covid-19-vaccinations (unknown)
42. Pacifica Law Group: COVID-19 vaccine mandate wins for WA state agencies. https://www.pacificalawgroup.com/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-wins-wa-state-agencies/ (advocacy)
43. Washington Policy Center: State lawmakers should pass bill correcting wrong against state workers. http://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/state-lawmakers-should-pass-bill-correcting-wrong-against-state-workers-in-covid-19-times (advocacy)
44. Washington Policy Center: Inslee finally ends his COVID-19 vaccine mandate. https://www.washingtonpolicy.org/publications/detail/inslee-finally-ends-his-covid-19-vaccine-mandate (advocacy)
45. MyNorthwest (Dave Ross, opinion, Aug 2022): rehire unvaccinated WSF workers. https://mynorthwest.com/3606274/ross-to-rehire-unvaccinated-wsf-workers-saving-face-lives/ (unknown)
46. Peninsula Daily News: 1,887 state workers fired, leave jobs due to vaccine mandate. https://peninsuladailynews.com/news/1887-state-workers-fired-leave-jobs-due-to-vaccine-mandate (unknown)