AFSCME's Secretary-Treasurer William Lucy to be honored by Local CBTU Chapter

The Puget Sound Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) will honor William Lucy, who is retiring after 38 years as AFSCME’s secretary-treasurer, June 19 in Seattle.

Lucy is also CBTU president.

The CBTU’s first Juneteenth Banquet will be 6 p.m., Saturday, June 19, at the Machinists Lodge 751, 9125 15th Place S., Seattle, Wash.  98108. The price is $50 a person, or $25 for seniors, children and students. 

For more information, call Jacquie Jones-Walsh at (206) 772-2079.

General Government team takes high road in first bargaining session on bargaining for agency-specific (supplemental issues); management refuses

Your General Government Bargaining Team, representing some 30,000 state agency members, led off negotiations Wednesday with a determined but reasonable proposal to once and for all deal with negotiations on agency-specific, day-to-day workplace issues.
 
These are the so-called “supplemental” issues – like personal safety and equipment -- that affect certain segments of Federation membership. The union believes these issues should logically and legally be bargained at the agency level away from the central table.
 
Certain segments of members need more refined language that addresses their sometimes-unique working conditions that can’t be covered adequately by a sometimes “one size fits all” contract.
 
In the past, management has used these issues to run out the clock at the central table to force shorter negotiations on economic and other workplace issues affecting most members. Or they have used talks on larger issues to push aside these issues important to smaller groups of members.
 
The 2002 full-scope collective bargaining law allows for supplemental bargaining. The union believes it’s an obligation and a right. Management interprets the “supplemental bargaining” clause differently. They believe they have no obligation to bargain these issues at the agency level.
 
The union made it clear it will seek clarification of the supplemental bargaining clause from the Public Employment Relations Commission and/or the courts.
 
That difference of opinion came out in the open at the first day of General Government negotiations Wednesday at the Thurston County Fairgrounds in Lacey.
 
Up to then, management has refused to agency-level negotiations except in 24-hour care institutions—but to date has not scheduled those supplemental negotiations.
 
Wednesday, the Federation presented supplemental articles specific to the Department of Transportation and Parks and Recreation, two areas the state had earlier indicated they were willing to negotiate on at the agency level. The DOT and Parks Supplemental Bargaining Teams joined the General Government team at the table.
 
The Department of Corrections Supplemental Bargaining Team was scheduled Thursday to present their agency-specific items.
 
But the General Government team stood with members in DOT, Parks, DOC and the six or so other agency areas that have elected supplemental bargaining teams.

The full team told the state that if management is not willing to negotiate on these issues important to smaller groups of members at the agency level, then they’d negotiate them at the main table. These members’ voices will be heard.
 
The union team several times asked management to propose any reasonable alternatives. The Federation team sought collaboration and cooperation, not confrontation. But the union also made it clear it would not back down on this principle. 

Management, needless to say, was not pleased. After a few go-rounds and caucuses, at the end of the day state negotiators told the Federation team they refuse to bargain supplemental issues—those agency-specific issues important to significant segments of our membership. The state’s team said they needed to see all of the union’s contract proposals before they could see how any supplemental proposals fit in. That of course makes no sense. Business as usual is not an option. 

With that refusal, management stayed home Thursday while the Federation team continued the hard work necessary for a successful contract. They perfected language in their initial proposal. The DOC Supplemental Team joined them.

The team agreed that the long-overdue showdown on supplemental bargaining is a principle worth fighting for. If management gets its way, then they’ll continue to use bureaucratic procedures at the bargaining table to throw significant segments of our membership under the bus.

This is a fight about inclusion and solidarity—and basic common sense.

It’s just not in this union’s genes to do anything but stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all of our members, no matter where they work.
 
The fact is, agency-level bargaining on supplemental issues is an efficient, economical and legal way to resolve differences. AFSCME councils in other states routinely bargain supplemental issues with their management. In these tough economic times, supplemental bargaining saves time and resources.
 
Bargaining is scheduled to resume June 9 and 10. Obviously, a lot is going to happen between now and then. Watch for details and stay tuned for actions you can take to support this fight for principles, fairness and common sense.
 
That’s it for now. Call Tuesday for the next message.

Bargaining steps up several notches this week

The General Government Bargaining Team sits down across the table from management for the first time Wednesday and Thursday at a pavilion at the Thurston County Fairgrounds in Lacey. Tough bargaining on both sides is expected.

The Washington State University Bargaining Team continues negotiations Wednesday in Pullman.

And the Western Washington University Bargaining Team holds its first pre-negotiations meetings Wednesday and Thursday.

• Keep track of all bargaining developments online at WFSE.org and click on “Bargaining Center.”

General Administration members march in advance of demand-to-bargain meeting over layoffs

Dozens of General Administration members, Local 443 allies and others braved a spring downpour and marched in front of GA headquarters in Olympia Tuesday before the official demand-to-bargain meeting over layoffs and contracting out. About 20 GA trades workers have been laid off, while work obviously still existed based on the agency’s contracting out of a lot of work.

We’ll keep you updated on the outcome.

Furlough fight heats up as WFSE/AFSCME files demand to bargain

The fight over the new furlough law—which could potentially force state employees to take up to 10 unpaid layoff days—kicked into even higher gear Tuesday as the Federation filed a formal demand to bargain with the state.

The demand to bargain was filed with Diane Leigh, director of the Office of Labor Relations, the governor’s negotiating office.



In it, Federation Executive Director Greg Devereux said that furloughs are a mandatory subject of bargaining under the contract and the 2002 collective bargaining law.



“The Washington Federation of State Employees, as the exclusive bargaining representative of specific state employees, has not been advised of, nor negotiated over, any and all actions the state intends to take, or has taken, as a result of the passage of ESSB 6503 (the furlough bill). With this letter, the WFSE is invoking the right to demand negotiations on this matter.”



The demand to bargain comes as word continues to leak out that several agencies have already prepared furlough plans without negotiations. Some apparently are being pressured to furlough employees even when they could save money with other compensation-reducing options.



We’ll keep you posted. And continue to forward tips about what your agency is saying about furloughs. E-mail us at info@wfse.org.

Salary survey out today - and the numbers don't lie (and by the way, we now know wrong numbers fed attack on step increases)

SALARY SURVEY OUT TODAY

They say numbers don't lie. And the numbers say state employees still earn less, according to the state salary survey released today. The numbers also say the state as an employer lags behind the 59 percent of public employers who pay 100 percent of their employees' health premiums. Don't take our word for it. 

• Read story in today's The Olympian.



The salary survey is done every two years as required by law. It aims to show how big or small the pay gap is between state employees and their counterparts in the public and private sector.

And the latest salary survey shows a still-unacceptable pay gap.

Some 82 percent of state workers still earn below market rate, according to the salary survey. Nearly a third – 30 percent – fall more than 25 percent behind comparable counterparts.

For the first time, the state Department of Personnel hired an outside consultant to do the salary survey.

• You can view the complete salary survey and other summaries here.

DOP has opened a public comment period through May 28. The Federation will scour the voluminous data to find any out-of-whack calculations and the like. Feedback can be sent to ServiceCenter@dop.wa.gov. The DOP director will adopt the final salary survey results June 4.

The salary survey along with the June revenue forecast are two prime measures used in contract negotiations over your economic issues. The state has signaled there will be tough bargaining on economics in these down economic times, but even state negotiators have to concede the numbers show a smoldering problem that has to be acknowledged.

When the economy tanked in late 2008, the just-concluded 2009-2011 contracts had to be re-opened. One of the sacrifices exacted was a provision to bring those more than 25 percent behind on the salary survey up to no more than 25 percent behind.

The salary survey also refutes attacks on your benefits and leave. According to The Olympian, most employers, public and private, pay 100 percent of employee health premiums; Washington pays 88 percent. Most other public employers also pay more than 80 percent for family coverage. That latter finding could be a new target to be attacked, so we have to get ready for that.

And most employers grant the same amount of (or possibly a little more) sick leave, vacation and holidays. Most public employers grant the same or similar pension benefits.


NUMBERS DON'T LIE 2: 
No one really wanted you to know the step increase attacks were based on bad numbers.

Shhh!! You might have missed it.

Way back in January, the state budget office re-did its figures and found that it was an earlier (whopping) math error that gave Sen. Joe Zarelli and others a soapbox to attack step increases.

But we now know that the $83 million price tag provided by the state Office of Financial Management ($38 million from the state General Fund) in December was a back-of-the-envelope calculation that was way off.

In January, after Zarelli and others in the GOP used step increases as a convenient scapegoat in guest editorials and floor speeches, OFM said, “Oops!”

It turns out the cost to the state of step increases is about $6.6 million in the next fiscal year from the General Fund and $9.5 million from other sources. In all, according to Crosscut.com, the cost was “a whopping 0.2 percent” of the budget deficit.

No one except Crosscut paid attention to the OFM mistake and recalculation because by then Zarelli and company had moved on to other targets that were less easy to refute with numbers.

But the incident backed up what Federation members have said all along. The bottom line is step increases are a standard actuarial tool to save the state money. The alternative is paying all new hires their full salary from the day they walk in the door. Step increases allow the state to offset compensation costs so as top-step employees leave state service, a replacement is hired at a lower salary that will be phased in over about six years or so. Step increases in fact cost far less than the $15.8 million to $35 million the state will spend to close Maple Lane School or Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women to supposedly “save” money.

• You can read the story at here.

AND IF YOU DIDN’T HEAR…

    The governor on Tuesday signed the state supplemental budgets and turned a deaf ear to your pleas. She left intact the three-year phased closure of Maple Lane School in south Thurston County and the closure of Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women in Medical Lake this month.

There’s still time to fight the Maple Lane closure.

But the governor and legislators left few options for Pine Lodge.

Some had hoped a partnership with Spokane County and City would have given it a reprieve, but that apparently is now no longer in the cards.

Tuesday afternoon’s meeting between Pine Lodge members and 9th District legislators Rep. Susan Fagan and Joe Schmick was a somber event. Fagan and Schmick said they may assist in any demands to bargain over issues related to the Pine Lodge closure. Federation President Carol Dotlich, Local 782 President Greg Davis, Federation Lobbyist Matt Zuvich and Federation Council Rep Dale Roberts were all on hand to help.

And they acknowledged what we all know: the Pine Lodge members did everything right in the campaign to save the facility, but they were undermined by politicians’ empty promises. And the Federation holds those politicians accountable for this wrong-headed move that really doesn’t save money, and harms the community, the prisoners and the employees.

FINALLY….
    Hundreds of members and other state employees stopped by the Local 443 booth at Olympia’s Public Service Recognition Week fair Wednesday to sign petitions against furloughs, any management attempts to bargain away your health care and in support of supplemental bargaining. They went away wearing “NO furloughs!” and “Support Supplemental Bargaining” buttons. Watch for these in your area for job actions in coming weeks.

Governor leaves closures intact

Gov. Gregoire today signed the supplemental operating and capital budgets. She did not veto out the closure of Maple Lane School or Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women. The Associated Press reported:

"But Gregoire noted that some 1,500 workers could be laid off because of budget cuts, and the state is closing or downsizing five youth- or adult-corrections facilities for the first time in years.

"Those measures, she said, allowed the Legislature to preserve priorities such as financial aid for college students and the Basic Health Plan for poorer Washingtonians.

"'In these tough times, we have had to prioritize services in state government like we never have done before,' Gregoire said."

Bargaining Updates

All teams are progressing well for the Federation’s nine bargaining teams.

• GENERAL GOVERNMENT. The General Government team meets May 11 to prepare for the formal start of negotiations May 19 and 20. Ballots for the supplemental teams are being tallied.

• COMMUNITY COLLEGE COALITION. The coalition of 12 Community Colleges wraps up its last two-day preparation today as the team heads into the start of their negotiations on June 2 and 3. They have other bargaining dates set for: June 23, 24, 29 and 30; July 20 and 21; Aug. 9, 10, 17 and 18; and Sept. 1, 2, 15 and 16.

• WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. The WWU Bargaining Team holds a pre-bargaining meeting May 19 and 20.

• THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE. TESC, like WWU, CWU and EWU, is now bargaining separately. Nomination forms for the six additional team members allowed under the union’s bargaining structure were mailed out April 30 and are due back May 14. If there are more than six nominees, an onsite election will take place May 20.

• CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. The CWU team will hold a pre-bargaining meeting June 8.

• EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY. The EWU team is making its plans for pre-bargaining meetings.

• WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY. The WSU Bargaining team negotiated with management April 29 and returns to the table May 11 and 12. The team raised a number of issues identified by WSU members as priorities, including extra holidays and personal days, holiday pay equivalent to scheduled shift (8 or 10 hours), return to former vacation days and having all hours worked and all paid leave (including sick leave) count toward overtime. Both sides agreed to existing language in Article 7 (Seniority) and Article 10 (Union/Management Meetings). And tentative agreement was reached on the Preamble and Article 2--Non-Discrimination.

• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. The UW Bargaining Team is planning another team meeting later this month to prepare for negotiations.

• UW POLICE MANAGEMENT. The UW Police Management Bargaining Team meets tonight (May 4) to prepare for its negotiations.

For more bargaining updates and information,  go to WFSE.org > Bargaining Center.

It's Public Service Recognition Week - tell management recognition begin with respect.

In Olympia tomorrow (May 5), Seattle and Richland May 6 and Spokane May 7, the state will sponsor Public Service Recognition Week observances. What better time to remind the state that recognition begins with respect.

So call the governor at (360) 902-4111 or 1-800-562-6000 and send a message on furloughs, health care and supplemental bargaining. 

Tell her:

• The new law allows but does not require employee furloughs.
  Let agencies have full flexibility to come up with alternate plans that avoid the temporary layoffs.
  BACKGROUND: We’re hearing rumors the administration is pressing agencies to impose furloughs to show how tough the state is on state employees—even if agencies can find other ways to save compensation costs.
• Don’t try to bargain away our health care.
  We already pay more for deductibles and co-pays. We also pay 12 percent of our premiums. And we’ve already sacrificed more than $1 billion in pay, benefits, pension contributions and layoffs. The state should not pressure its negotiators to come to the bargaining table asking us to pay more – even 20 percent or 30 percent – of our premium costs.
• Follow the law and promises on supplemental bargaining.
  Supplemental bargaining allows employees in an agency to negotiate on issues specific to their interests. Management should join the union to support this legal, economical and fair way to resolve differences.

And let us know of management memos or e-mails that talk about furlough plans. They must bargain. E-mail us at info@wfse.org.

• Download Flier
• Download Petition

Governor signs budgets today; Maple Lane members push for veto, Pine Lodge members strategize

The governor signs the major supplemental budgets today (May 4) at noon and Maple Lane School members will hold their breath wondering if she vetoes out the closure of their juvenile rehabilitation facility in south Thurston County.

About 100 Local 1926 members and supporters picketed the Capitol April 30 and then descended on the governor’s office to plead their case. They asked the governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff Jill Satran to urge the governor to stop the phased three-year closure of Maple Lane. The closure was inserted in the budget in the final hours of the legislative session and contradicted the conclusions of the Legislature’s own consultant who said closing Maple Lane “would be a bad idea.”

Meanwhile, Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women members meet Tuesday afternoon with area legislators to map strategy to deal with their targeted facility in Medical Lake.