MORE THAN 5,300 RETURNED SURVEYS POWERFUL TOOL FOR GENERAL GOVERNMENT BARGAINING TEAM

The Federation General Government Bargaining Team held its latest negotiations with management Tuesday and Wednesday (May 28 and 29) in Lacey.

During caucus time, a subcommittee reviewed the results of the bargaining priorities survey members completed and mailed back.

The results were amazing.

• The team expected to get the standard response of about 1 percent to 2 percent returns. Instead, nearly 20 percent of General Government members took the time to mark their top priorities—a total of 5,375.

• Of those, several thousand took the additional time to write out other comments and suggestions on everything from bullying to workload to salary survey to problems with bad management. Those thousands of comments will be especially helpful to the team as they get into bargaining the tough issues.

• In addition, dozens more surveys came in from worksite meetings and from the Federation website.

The team wanted to pass along to all members who participated in the survey their strong appreciation for the guidance you’ve provided with these surveys and the comments you’ve provided.

Apparently, many of you feel the same way. Here’s what one DSHS survey taker wrote:

“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this (the survey) and I’ve been with WFSE for 23 years. I really appreciate it. Thanks!”

Watch your mail in a week or so for a special bargaining update with more details on the survey and what you said to the team through your comments.

The team found that 199 of you included comments about your retirement benefits. But under law, retirement benefits are one area that can’t be bargained. They remain a legislative budget issue. However, Federation President Carol Dotlich told the bargaining team yesterday she is forwarding those comments and suggestions to the union’s Retirement Committee for review and possible action. So your suggestions can’t be on the bargaining table, but they may end up as legislative proposals.

As a reminder, the General Government Bargaining Team has a contractual obligation under Article 39.12 to honor confidentiality in negotiations. But overall, bargaining is moving along. Good progress is still being made. Your team is working hard. They caucused until 10 o’clock Tuesday night. They will be spending even more time in caucus outside of scheduled bargaining dates to work on counterproposals to bring back to management.

In addition to the surveys, the other big help you’re providing is job actions:

•Local 1326 staged job actions in Yakima Tuesday with L&I, Agriculture and Ecology members and Wednesday in Sunnyside.

• Local 443 brought more support directly to the bargaining team Thursday.

• And Local 843 held its latest job action Monday in Seattle.

That’s when a group of Seattle DSHS Local 843 members took to the streets around Seattle’s Key Arena May 27 to build support for a strong contract.

Local 843 member Romy Garcia told co-workers that their bargaining team was working hard for a fair contract, decent pay and affordable health care.

Not so long ago, he said, state employees couldn’t bargain for these things.

“It was like begging in the sense that we have to wait for the crumbs to fall off the table,” Garcia told his co-workers.

Another Local 843 member, John Birnel, who sat on the first General Government Bargaining Team in 2004, explained how bargaining works and urged his co-workers to support the team “so if they need us in a big way we’re here to help.”