Employee walkouts are spreading like a plague

With all the walkouts and strikes going on, is there anyone still working?

Employees of Everett Community College and about 70 other state work sites stopped working at noon on Wednesday &#8212 totaling about 40,000 employees.

Related: Jason Rantz suffering from protest fatigue

The workers are demanding a 4.8 percent raise. The walkout was led by the Washington Federation of State Employees to call on the Legislature to end a stalemate on state workers’ negotiated pay raises.

The walkout follows the Monday march held by Seattle educators, who want more funding for education and cost-of-living adjustments.

“They’re seeing teachers getting a lot of attention,” KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson said. The walkouts on Wednesday had nothing to do with the teacher walkouts on Monday. “It’s for themselves, so they can get more money, too.”

There’s a way to stop people from walking out: Fire them if they do. That would happen if anyone in the private sector walked out on the job, Dori pointed out.

“They play by a different set of rules in the government,” he added.

Lawmakers also might not be setting the best example, either. Democrats walked out of a bill hearing on Monday that, if it was approved, would keep educators from being paid during a walkout or a strike.

“Are we getting a little tired of all the walkouts?” Dori asked. “And the protest?

“Everybody’s walking off … who is working anymore?”