TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED ON RE-NEGOTIATED HIGHER EDUCATION COALITION CONTRACT

The Federation’s Higher Education Coalition Bargaining Team Friday night reached tentative agreement on a re-negotiated contract brought on by these tough economic times.

It has a few provisions similar to the General Government contract agreement reached Thursday. But it has several gains. And it retains all the non-economic gains negotiated the first time around and ratified by those members last fall.

The Higher Education Coalition covers about 3,000 workers at 12 Community Colleges, Central Washington University, The Evergreen State College and Western Washington University.

We will summarize the agreement here. The detailed articles and FAQs are being prepared and will be available as soon as possible.

A health care article will wait until the Legislature approves language in the budget. If the Legislature adjourns as scheduled April 26, then the Super Coalition of all state employee unions led by the Federation will convene, probably sometime in May, to negotiate the health care article.

Ratification, when Higher Education Coalition members get to vote on all the changes, will take place after that. If ratified, the contract will take effect July 1.

As with General Government, the re-negotiated Higher Education Coalition contract has no economics. But it preserves important protections negotiated and ratified last fall, makes some important gains in non-economic articles and provides a process for re-visiting economic issues if the economy improves during the term of the 2009-2011 contract.

Here then is a summary of the Higher Education Coalition agreement reached at 8:05 p.m., Friday, April 3:

• PRESERVED GAINS MADE LAST FALL

The Higher Education Coalition Bargaining Team preserved important gains made in the first round of negotiations that ended Sept. 16, 2008, including: one new personal leave day, with the caveat that it has to be cost-neutral for positions requiring backfill; and the new article on Workplace Behavior that came from your campaign against bullying.

• ECONOMIC PROCESS

The parties acknowledged that the economic terms agreed to in September 2008, including across-the-board raises and salary survey adjustments, are not funded based upon the state budget director’s December 2008 finding that those terms were not economically feasible. However, under a memorandum of understanding, if the economy improves during the 2009-2011 biennium, the Federation and state can re-visit the economic terms of the Higher Education Coalition contract agreed to in September 2008.

• HEALTH CARE

As with General Government, health care is now in the Legislature’s court. Once lawmakers approve a budget, the Super Coalition of state employee unions led by the Federation will negotiate a health care article. Right now, the current split where the state picks up 88 percent of health premium costs and employees pay 12 percent looks good in the budget deliberations. And we have to keep it that way. So call 1-800-562-6000 and urge your legislators to support the 88/12 split in employer-employee premium share costs in the two budget proposals, SB 5600 and HB 1244.

GAINS:

• LAYOFF AND RECALL

• A three-year layoff list for Community Colleges and The Evergreen State College.
• Enhanced outplacement services for Western Washington University and Central Washington University.
• Seattle and Spokane community college districts added district-wide options.
• Widens the layoff unit for supervisors at many colleges.

• WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR

The re-negotiated Higher Education Coalition agreement includes new language adding additional people an employee can complain to about inappropriate behavior. Specifically, a manager in the employee’s chain of command.

• TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES

This article enhanced the grievance procedure for hourly employees by allowing access outside a college or university, namely the pre-arbitration review meeting (PARM) overseen by the state Labor Relations Office.

• WORK RELATED INJURY OR ILLNESS

This article was changed to reflect a 2007 law allowing use of sick leave and time-loss benefits at the same time without a buy-back requirement.

• SHARED SERVICES

Under a new article, the union can suggest ways that one agency may expand operations to provide services to other state agencies, colleges and universities—a way to mitigate budgetary constraints.

• ALSO:

• For TESC employees, allows employee-requested schedule changes to participate in wellness activities.
• A memorandum of understanding for WWU to work out police services 7(k) schedule issues by May 1.


AND AT THE END OF THE DAY…

…After months of controversy—and pending ratification—those covered by the Higher Education Coalition contract will have a contract come July 1. That is vitally important, especially when it comes to the contract provisions on layoffs and grievance procedure. That ultimately is the best outcome of these negotiations.