washington state employee, 8/2013

7/27/2019 Washington State Employee, 8/2013

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The ofcial newspaper of theWASHINGTON FEDERATION OF STATE

EMPLOYEES/AFSCME Council 28AFL-CIO

VOL. 41 NO. 6

AUGUST 2013

WASHINGTON

StateEmployee

Health premiums roughly level in 2014 - 2

Digging out from the long legislative session - 3

www.d

iscoverpass.w

a.g

ov

Now good on either

of two vehicles!

50-year giveawaychops 73% of ranger,maintenance, otherWFSE/AFSCMEmembers jobs at PortTownsend state park

Signed,sealed,

delivered

OUR CONTRACTS

Gov. Jay Inslee hands pen he used to sign theWFSE/AFSCME Language Access Providerscontract to Interpreters Local 1671 PresidentLeroy Mould July 3. Moments before, he signedthe new 2013-2015 General Government agree-ment.

INSIDE: All about ournew contracts. 4 Looking aheadto 2015-2017bargaining. 5

Faces of our futureWFSE/AFSCMEs 2013scholarship recipients (Part I).

See page 8.

WFSE/AFSCME Next Wave members of 35-and-under activists playeda major role at Julys Washington State Labor Council Convention inVancouver. They delivered the resolution passed by delegates in sup-port of comprehensive immigration reform to the district ofce of U.S.Rep. Jamie Herrera-Beutler of the 3rd District. Making the delivery were(from left): Ryan Harris, Local 443; Jennifer Brown, Local 53; WFSE/AFSCME Secretary Judy Kuschel; and Imelda Ang, Local 443. Kus-chel accompanied the Next Wavers.

IMMIGRATION

Next Wave members deliver powerful

message at labor convention

The state Parks Commission hasrebuffed solid evidence and commonsense and instead virtually handedover Fort Worden State Park to a PortTownsend group under a 50-year leasethat kills jobs at the historic site.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to OKa 50-year lease that could lead to

Parks Commission OKs job-killing Fort Worden leasenearly three-quarters of the parksstaff there losing their jobs. The ac-tion came Aug. 8 at the commissionmeeting in Anacortes.

They awarded the lease to theFort Worden Public DevelopmentAuthority (PDA). The City of PortTownsend established the PDA un-

der charter.The unanimous vote came inthe face of years of concerns raisedby the Federation, local groups andneighbors.

You have a chance to step upto review and to represent citizens,who you are accountable for, said

Local 1466 memberTerri McCullough addresses Parks Commission before Fort Worden leasevote Aug. 8 in Anacortes. See FORT WORDEN, page 7

Beleaguered WFSE/AF-SCME Local 1488 members call center workers at thePatient Access Center (PAC)in downtown Seattle havepicked up a powerful ally inthe long ght for the basicdignity and contract rights af-ter they were displaced fromHarborview Medical Centerin Seattle.

The Metropolitan KingCounty Council in May andagain this summer urged theUniversity of Washington to

work proactively with WFSEto comply with the PERC

Fight for workers rights at UW call center

heats up as King County Council intervenesThe Faithful 5 KingCounty Councilmembers(from left): Larry Gossett,Rod Dembowski, JoeMcDermott, Larry Phillipsand Reagan Dunn.

order and to return to the bar-gaining table with WFSE.

King County owns Har-borview but leases it to theUW under a contract thatcomes up for review and re-newal every 15 years.

The PERC order refers

to a series of decisions by thePublic Employment RelationsCommission in favor of thebargaining rights and em-ployees at the call center. Oneof those orders is still underappeal by the UW: the court

decision in favor of the union

and call center employeesthat the UW had commit-ted an unfair labor practicewhen it moved the call centerworkers from Harborview toa downtown Seattle location

See UW, page 7


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Page 2 WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee August 2013

UNION NEWS

StateEmployeeWashington State Employee(USPS 981-

200) is published monthly, except Februaryand July, for $5.08 per year by the Washing-ton Federation of State Employees/AFSCMECouncil 28 AFL-CIO, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E.Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501. Afliated withthe American Federation of State, Countyand Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and theWashington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Periodicals postage paid at Olympia, WAand at additional ofces. Circulation:42,000.

POSTMASTER:Send address changes toWashington State Employee, 1212 JeffersonSt SE Suite 300 Olympia WA 98501- 7501

Carol Dotlich, President

Greg Devereux, Executive Director

Editor Tim Welche-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.wfse.orgMember, ILCA

WASHINGTON

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OPTION. If youd like to save paper and postage, you can receive this newspaper electronically. Go to www.wfse.org and hoverover NEWS & INFO, located in the top menu bar. Select from the drop-down list: WASHINGTON STATE EMPLOYEE - Newspaper. Use the formon this page to register for the electronic version. Or e-mail us at [email protected], or write: WFSE/AFSCME, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300,Olympia, WA 98501. If youre a represented non-member fee payer and you dont wish to receive this publication in any format, e-mail us at [email protected], or write: WFSE/AFSCME, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501.

Your health insurancepremium rates would changelittle in calendar year 2014and thered be no changesto dental, life insurance andlong-term disability benets.

The Public EmployeesBenets Board on July 17approved the 2014 healthinsurance premium rates.

Premium rates for GroupHealth Classic, Kaiser CDHP

Premium rates for 2014 OKd

(thehealthsavingsaccountoption),UniformMedicaland UMP CDHP wouldincrease only slightly. Premium rates for GroupHealth Value and Group

Health CDHP woulddecrease. Kaiser Classic is the onlyplan with larger increases, forinstance from the current $280

a month for full family to $329a month.

All the rates wereapproved on identical 7-0votes.

See chart below fordetails.

Open enrollment when

you can make switch healthplans will be in November.

NOTE: Effective July 1, 2014,the following surcharges

will be applied to someemployees: The rst surcharge is relatedto tobacco use. Subscriberscovering themselves and/or afamily member who is usingtobacco, will be assessed a $25per month surcharge. Subscribers that are

covering a spouse who havewaived other employer-sponsored coverage fromanother source will have a$50 per month surcharge.

The HCAs Michelle Georgereports: And PEBB Programstaff (not the PEB Board)will determine how tooperationalize the surcharges,based on the law passed bythe Legislature. That budgetproviso was passed in June.

WFSE/AFSCME Howard Ocobock Memorial

FAMILY CAMPOUT

Sept. 13-15, 2013

Cornet Bay Environmental Learning/Retreat Center

at Deception Pass State Park

Check-in begins on Friday at 1pm.

Cabins have been reserved. WFSE/AFSCME will pay the $11 per night camp fee for mem-bers; members pay for any family or guests. Cornet Bay has 14 cabins that sleep 10, onethat sleeps four, one that sleeps nine, the duplex that sleeps 28.

Lodge and recreation hall with fully equipped kitchen available for meals. Bring your ownfood for breakfast and lunch.

Saturday night BBQ with hotdogs, hamburgers, condiments and chips provided. Eachfamily should bring one main dish to serve eight, plus a salad or dessert.

What is not provided: sleeping bags or bedding materials; kitchen linens and dishwashingsupplies; rewood; rst aid equipment; recreational equipment.

Activities: shing on lakes; kayaking and canoeing; hiking; horseshoes; golf course andrie range nearby; interpretive center; lighthouse and gun batteries at Fort Casey StatePark located 15 miles away; sail the San Juans on a Washington State Ferry from nearbyAnacortes.

No pets are permitted.

Boat ramps: The park provides ve saltwater and two freshwater boat ramps, plus 710feet of saltwater dock and 450 feet of freshwater dock. All motors are prohibited on PassLake, and only electric motors al lowed on Cranberry Lake. Watercraft launching permitsfor $7 and a trailer dumping permit for $5 may be purchased at the park.

Hiking

Fishing on lakes

Horseshoes

Street City State Zip

( ) ( )

Home phone Cell Phone Home e-mail address

LOCAL#:

Deadline to register: Aug. 30, 2013This campout requires a minimum number of campers. In the event the minimum isnt reached, you will be refunded your money.

NAME

How many family members or guests will yoube bringing? ____________I just wish to attend the BBQ Saturday night,Sept. 14 ______________ How many?______

What activities are you interested in?

Birdwatching

Interpretive Center

Kayaking and canoeing

Please enclose $11 for each family member or guest youll be bringing. Make checks out to WFSE/AFSCME.

Mail this form to: WFSE/AFSCME Campouts, 1212 Jefferson St SE #300, Olympia WA 98501

Washington Federation of State Employees AFSCME Council 28 AFL-CIO www.wfse.org

REMINDER! CAMPOUT FORMS DUE AUG. 30!

QUESTIONS? Contact TavieSmith at 1-800-562-6002

[email protected]

Register online at WFSE.org >

Member Resources > FamilyCampouts

Members of WFSE/AFSCMEsLGBTQI Committee played a majorrole in this summers Pride paradesand events around the state, includ-ing in Olympia, June 22 (near right)

and Tacoma, July 13 (far right, with Congressman Derek Kilmer,second from right).

Pride!

MORE ONLINE

8Join WFSE/AFSCMEs LGBTQI Commu-nity: http://www.wfse.org/get-involved/lgbtqi-community/

PERC upholds bargaining rights in En-

terprise Services. The Public Employ-ment Relations Commission on July

30 ruled in favor of WFSE/AFSCMEmembers and in support of bargainingrights for employees in the Contracts

and Legal Services Division at theDepartment of Enterprise Services.The agency had challenged the PERC

directors earlier decision to accreteappropriate positions into the WFSE/AFSCME bargaining unit.


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WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeAugust 2013 Page 3

LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP

Members made the difference in marathon legislative sessionSession that crossed three seasons endedwith threat of a shutdown; but most anti-

state employee proposals stopped

It almost happened...In the last week of June, when it looked like legislators might not pass a budget by July 1, WFSE/AFSCME members fought back with a Pink Slip social media job action warning of the harm of ashutdown. Meanwhile, members went on mainstream media to protest the budget foot-dragging,including (from left): Thornton Alberg (Local 443), Kim Conine (Local 443), DeFrance Clarke (Lo-cal 443) and James Robinson (Local 793).

wfse.org: See members as they spoke out in themedia during the threatened shutdown (Media featuresmembers speaking out on the layoff notices), wfse.org >

GET INFORMED > OTHER NEWS > IN THE NEWS (or directlyat http://www.wfse.org/media-features-members-speaking-out-on-the-layoff-notices/)

MORE ONLINE8

The marathon 2013 legis-lative session came down tothe wire. A shutdown loomed.

Notices of temporary layoffswent out. But in the end,lawmakers wrapped up workJune 29, the governor signedthe new budget June 30 andthe state was open for busi-ness July 1.

In signing the budgetbill, 3ESSB 5034, the governoraverted a shutdown of stateservices and the temporarylayoffs of some 25,000 stateemployees.

The budget could havebeen worse, it could havebeen better and it poses con-tinuing challenges for WFSE/

AFSCME members.But through it all, WFSE/

AFSCME members madethe difference, breaking all

records for grassroots contactwith legislators.

In the regular session

alone, from Jan. 14 to April28, members from 34 localsmade 840 visits to legislatorsin all 49 districts on 62 outof the possible 75 weekdaysduring session, according toApril Sims, WFSE/AFSCMElegislative and political actioneld coordinator. That doesntinclude the thousands of e-mails and phone calls sent tolawmakers.

As long as the sessionwas, our members hard workgot the new contracts in place,with signicant economicgains and/or wage re-opener

language, and stopped nu-merous bad proposals, includ-ing the bad idea to strip part-time workers of their state

health benets, said WFSE/AFSCME Executive DirectorGreg Devereux.

And the union has pub-licly credited Gov. Jay Insleefor his leadership in stoppingthe bad things.

We want to thank youvery much for fending off the401(k), the temporary healthcare and all the other (bad)things -- You did a superbjob, Devereux said July 3during the contract-signingceremony in Inslees ofce.

Its hard sometimes torealize victory means youstop other bad things fromhappening, Inslee said. Butthat is victory, right? We

didnt get to Disneyland, butwe kept our homes. So thatsgood. We will continue thoseefforts.

Here are some major highlightsand those bad things WFSE/AFSC-ME members stopped:

New contracts ratied by Legisla-ture (see related stories on page 4).

Stopped contracting out in theDepartment of Enterprise Ser-

This photo of the Capitol at the end of the rainbow was snapped

by WFSE/AFSCME Lobbyist Matt Zuvich during the tense nalweek of the legislative session in June. There was no pot of gold

at the end of this rainbow -- but there was funding of new con-

tracts with some economic gains after years of sacrice.

Some hope at

the end of the

rainbow...

Session highlights vices (bad part amended out of ESSB5891).

Stopped the proposed shift ofpart-timers to the health exchanges,which would have stripped them ofstate health benets (ESSB 5905 DID

NOT PASS).

Stopped the plan to take away bar-

gaining over wellness issues (ESSB5811 DID NOT PASS).

Stopped a new 401(k) plan thatwould have harmed the healthy pen-sion system (ESSB 5851 DID NOTPASS).

Stopped the pension spiking billthat would have attacked legitimateuse of overtime (SSB 5916 DID NOTPASS);

Stopped the bad workers compchanges (ESSB 5127 DID NOTPASS).

Challenges include: the surchargesenacted on health care for smokersand some spouses; and the good butnot ideal funding for parks.

WFSE/AFSCME hasweighed in on key changesfor civil commitment andoutpatient treatment at statemental hospitals.

Under a new law criminaldefendants who have hadfelony charges dismissed

because of incompetencyto stand trial, must haveany evaluations for ling acivil commitment to a mentalhealth facility conducted at astate hospital.

Western State Hospital isa good place for those evalu-

ations to be done, said Local793 member Dr. David Ole-gar, a psychologist 4 at WSH.We are a specialized mentalhealth facility.

The testimony came July29 at a special House Judi-ciary Committee hearing near

Western State Hospital.WFSE/AFSCME Lobby-

ist Matt Zuvich said the stateneeds a continuum of care inmental health and a continu-ity of care so we dont havetragedies that slip through thecracks.

Olegar

Local 793 member leads WFSE/AFSCME testimonyon mental health changes in wake of tragedies


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get a 1 percent salary increaseon 7/1/14 if certain economicbenchmarks are met.

In General Government and

Community Colleges, thosewho qualied for Step M sawtheir paychecks increaseJuly 25 by a total 5.5% (therestored 3% in pay and the2.5% M Step increase).

The Evergreen State College

Classied StaffStep M, 1 per-cent salary increase 7/1/14and personal leave day. Wagere-opener negotiations beingscheduled.

Western Washington University


OUR 2013-2015 CONTRACTS

Local 1381 members at Western

Washington University in Bellinghamwrapped up negotiations July 24 on awage re-opener under the new, 2013-2015 contract.

Western Washington University wage re-opener negotiatedLump sum payments inAugust 2013, Decem-ber 2014

The WWU Bargaining Teamreached agreement on a 2.2 percentlump-sum bonus coming in Aug. 25,2013, paychecks and another 1 percentlump-sum bonus in Dec. 10, 2014, pay-checks.

They also negotiated a me-tooclause that says if the economic criteriaset out in the General Government

contract are met and General Govern-ment members do get the resulting 1percent across-the-board raise on July1, 2014, then WWU members wouldget it as well.

The WWU re-opener has simi-lar me-too language connected tothe Public School Employees unit atWWU.

MORE ONLINE8

On wfse.org: You can see theWWU re-opener memorandum

of agreement on the Federa-tion website at www.wfse.org >OUR CONTRACTS > WWU.

New contracts on the books!New pacts beginslow recovery af-ter years of sacri-ces

Gov. Jay Inslee signs new General Government contract July 3. Standing (from left): Shane Esquibel (Labor Relations Division); Rick Hertzog, Local 793, WFSE/AFSCME E-Board; WFSE/AFSCME Executive DirectorGreg Devereux;Jeff Paulsen, Local 443, bargaining team member; Federation Lobbyist Matt Zuvich;WFSE/AFSCME President Carol Dotlich, bargaining team member; Dennis Eagle, WFSE/AFSCME director of legislative and political action; WFSE/AFSCMEVP Sue Henricksen, Local 53, bargaining team member; and Leroy Mould, president of Interpreters Local 1671. Inslee also signed the new Language AccessProviders (Interpreters) contract at the same ceremony.

Gov. Jay Inslee on July 3formally signed the 2013-2015contracts for General Govern-ment and Language AccessProviders (Interpreters) in abrief ceremony in his ofce.

For General Government,that meant July 25 paycheckswere 3 percent larger becausethe new contract ended thetwo-year pay cut.

Thousands more got anadditional 2.5 percent becausethey qualied for the new Mstep (for those whod been atthe previous Step L for at least

six years).Members of the respective

bargaining teams, ofcers, Ex-ecutive Board members andFederation lobbyists lookedon as the governor signed thetwo agreements in his Capitolofce.

(Other Federation con-tracts didnt require thegovernors signature. For aroundup, see related storybelow.)

Inslee congratulated theFederation for working withhim to preserve this in this

legislative session.What you guys did hashelped everybody, Insleesaid. This is a team effortand succeeded. And I knowwere not done....As soon asI sign this, it will remind methat we have more work to doin the next biennium.

Governor shakes hand of General Government Bargaining Team member JeffPaulsen.

ON SOCIAL MEDIA...8

On facebook:Go to https://www.facebook.com/wfsec28 >7/3/13 contract signings for more photos.

WFSE/AFSCME ExecutiveDirector Greg Devereuxsigns the contract as thegovernor looks on.

General Government The 3%snapback ending the two-

year pay cut. The new StepM for those whove beenat the previous top step,Step L, for six years. Gen-eral Government memberswould also get a 1 percentsalary increase on 7/1/14if certain economic bench-marks are met. In GeneralGovernment, continuationof the personal leave day --and extended to institutionsworkers -- in addition topersonal holiday.

Step M, 2 more personal leavedays; wage re-opener negoti-ated July 24 (see story above).

Eastern Washington University

Step M, 1 percent raise 7/1/13and 1 percent 7/1/14.

Central Washington Univer-

sity Step M, 1 percent raise7/1/14; possible lump-sumpayments of up to 3 percentin 11/13 and 11/14 if certainstudent success initiativebenchmarks are met.

University of Washington Raisesof 2 percent on 7/1/13 and 2percent on 7/1/14; additionalpremium pay, preceptor pay

and professional develop-ment increases; me-tooclause if another UW uniongets higher raises.

Washington State UniversityA new Step M (for whichappropriations were made).Wage reopener negotiationsare being scheduled to ad-dress other compensation.

Language Access Providers

(Interpreters) Rate increase of50 cents an hour 7/1/13 andanother 50 cents an hourincrease on 7/1/14; fundingalso provided to accom-modate a change to the no-show payment rules.

2013-2015 contract

highlights:

Community College CoalitionThe 3% snapback ending theone-year pay cut. The newStep M for those whove beenat the previous top step, StepL, for six years. CommunityCollege members would also

Log onto wfse.org >


5/8

Elected byinstitution,with number

of representa-tives basedon how many bargaining unitemployees represented at eachcommunity college, with at leastone at-large representative whois a part-time/hourly employee;additional appointments to llvacancies may occur.


BARGAINING FOR THE FUTURE: 2015-2017

Meet your next bargaining teamsBallots for open seats on all of WFSE/AFSCMEs

bargaining teams (the oldest teams, under the 2002Personnel System Reform Act) were counted June 21.

Here are the results of the elections for the respective2015-2017 bargaining teams. The list includes nomi-nees elected, nominees elected by acclamation (wherethere were no other nominees) and several team mem-bers appointed by the union president to ll vacancies(as required by the bargaining structure). List current

as of Aug. 12, 2013.This is for the next contract that would take effect

July 1, 2015. Some teams begin training this month.

Negotiations with management would begin in early2014.

Corrections:

Bill Copland, Local 1253,Kennewick

Employment Security:

Phil Huber, Local 443, Olympia

Human Services:

Ken Blair, Local 53, TacomaSteve Fossum, Local 443, OlympiaCynthia English, Local 53, TacomaPatricia Loving, Local 313,Vancouver

GENERAL GOVERNMENT Labor and Industries:Rick Beutler, Local 976, SeattleDeFrance Clarke, Local 443, Tumwater

Miscellaneous:

Jeff Paulsen, Local 443, Consolidated Technology Services,OlympiaDeanna Sundby, Local 53, Department of Early Learning,TacomaMichael Weisman, Local 443, Department of Health, Olympia

Natural Resources:

Steve Fraidenburg, Local 443, Department of Natural

Resources, OlympiaScott Mallery, Local 1221, Department of Ecology, Spokane

Transportation:

Ken Fisher, Local 504, SpokaneKathryn Rogers, Local 1060, Coupeville

By Local 1488 constitution, the UW Police ManagementBargaining Team has at least two members.Tawan Pratt-Wieburg, Doug Shulz

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

Bargaining team members elected inaccordance with the UW Local 1488constitution.

Raeno Alforque, Joe

Davenport, Kelly Durand,James Grady, Paula Lukaszek,Shannon Milam, John Miller,

Richard Monk, Doug Nielson,Kristine Paul, Alan Presley,Phal Prom, Claude Theard,

Ray Trice and Jake Whitesh(all Local 1488).

UW POLICE MANAGEMENT

COMMUNITY

COLLEGE COALITION

Centralia Community College:

Cheryl Kimbel, Local 862

Community Colleges of Spokane:

Rick Halverson, Local 1221

Everett Community College:Laura Little, Local 1020Max Phipps, Local 1020

Green River Community College:

Todd Henderson, Local 304Richard Getchman, Local 304

Lower Columbia College:

Vicki Echerd, Local 1400Tracy Stanley, Local 1400

Peninsula Community College:

Tom Cline, Local 1463

Seattle Community College:

Rodolfo Franco, Local 304

Kelly Grayson, Local 304Orson Williamson, Local 304

Shoreline Community College:

Jerome Owens, Local 304

Tacoma Community College:

Angie Simpson, Local 53

Whatcom Community College:

Patricia Gentile, Local 1381

Part-time/Hourly:

Joe Andersen, Lower Colum-bia, Local 1400

Vacancies for seats represent-ing Bellevue College and SouthPuget Sound Community Col-lege.

Lana Brewster, Erik Carlson,

Laura Carpenter, Lin Crow-ley, Steve Johnson, Kirk Tal-madge, Doug Shanafelt andAllie Van Nostran (all Local443).

THE EVERGREEN

STATE COLLEGE

CLASSIFIED STAFF

May have up to nine bargain-ing team members for theirinstitution-wide bargainingteam, with one reserved for apart-time/hourly employee.

Will Blanchard, Local 1066, WSU PullmanBrett Clubbe, Local 53, WSU PuyallupJane Graydon, Local 1221, WSU SpokaneDebra Haupt, Local 1066, WSU PullmanEric Needham, Local 1066, WSU PullmanDean Neppel, Local 1066, WSU PullmanMichael Reitemeier, Local 1221, WSU Spokane

WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITYMay have up to nine bargaining team membersfor their institution-wide bargaining team, with onereserved for a part-time/hourly employee.

May have up to nine bargaining team members for their institution-widebargaining team, with one reserved for a part-time/hourly employee.

Laurence Berner, Pat Devlin, W. Christopher Everett, John Fukuzawa,Skip Jensen, Jeff St. John and Chris Stebbins (all Local 330).

CENTRAL WASHINGTON

UNIVERSITY

May have up to nine bargaining team membersfor their institution-wide bargaining team, withone reserved for a part-time/hourly employee.

Quincy Burns, Nita Holbert, Ken Reidt, Eric Rux, Robert

Schmitter, Kathy Van Meer, Craig Walker, Lance Walker andKathleen Warren (all Local 931).

EASTERN WASHINGTON

UNIVERSITY

May have up to nine bargaining team members for their insti-

tution-wide bargaining team, with one reserved for a part-time/hourly employee.

Sonia Baker, David Garcia, Tim Harvey, Cheryl Mathison,Hub McCaulley, Stephanie Scott, Sarah Neugebauer andSteve Vanko (all Local 1381).

WESTERN

WASHINGTON

UNIVERSITY

MORE ONLINE8

On wfse.org: Keep up todate on bargaining yournext contract: www.

wfse.org > COLLECTIVEBARGAINING.

Institutions:

Craig Gibelyou, Local 793, Western State Hospital, LakewoodRick Hertzog, Local 793, Western State Hospital, Lakewood

Julianne Moore, Local 1326, Yakima Valley School, SelahMonica Verrall, Local 341, SOLA, King County General Government Bargaining Team elected by policy group,

with number of representatives based on how many bargainingunit employees represented by the respective policy group.


6/8

WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeePage 6 August 2013

UNION NEWS

SHARED LEAVE

REQUESTSIf youve been approved to receive

shared leave by your agency or institu-

tion, you can place a notice here. Once

youve been approved by your agency

or institution, WFSE/AFSCME can place

your shared leave request here and

online. Please include a contact in your

agency, usually in human resources, for

donors to call. E-mail the editor at tim@

wfse.org. Or call 1-800-562-6002.

The following could use a donation

of eligible unused annual leave or sick

leave or all or part of your personal

holiday:

Silvia Huszar, a WorkSource specialist3 with the Employment Security Depart-ment in White Salmon and a memberof Local 716, is in need of shared leave

to care for her husband, who is battlingcancer. Contact: your human resource

ofce.

Rachel Saunders, a health servicesconsultant 3 at the Department of Health

in Tumwater and a member of Local

443, is in need of shared leave becauseof a serious health condition. She hasexhausted all leave. Contact: Kim Kend-eresi, (360) 236-4058.

Kathy Basher, an ofce assistant 3

with DSHS in Tacoma and a member of

Local 53, will need to be off work for fourweeks to recover from a serious medicalcondition. She has exhausted all leave.Contact: your human resource ofce.

Diana Martin, a nancial services spe-

cialist 3 at the Alderwood CommunityServices Ofce in Snohomish Countyand a member of Local 948, has been

approved or shared leave. Contact: your

human resource ofce.

Debbie Gallagher, a social servicesspecialist 3 for DSHS Home and Com-munity Services in King County, is recov-ering from a traumatic head injury and isin need of shared leave. Contact: your


Laurie Lombardo, a nancial services

specialist 3 at the DSHS Sky Valley CSO

in Arlington and a member of Local 948,

is still in need of shared leave because

of a serious health condition. She hasexhausted all leave. Contact: your hu-man resource ofce.

Denise (Dee) Jones, a nancial ser-vices specialist 3 with the Contact Cen-ter South Sound, has been approved forand is in need of shared leave. Contact:

your human resource ofce.

Daphnee Thompson, a secretary seniorwith DSHS in Kent and a member of Lo-cal 843, has been approved for sharedleave as she undergoes treatment forcervical and lumbar degenerative discdisease. She has exhausted all leaveand is now on leave without pay status.Contact: Shearun Faison at (206) 760-

2468 or your human resource ofce.

Tamara Marshall, nancial services

specialist 3 at the DSHS Puyallup Val-ley Community Service Ofce and a

member of Local 53, has been approvedfor shared leave because of a seriousmedical condition. She will soon exhaustall leave. Contact: your human resource

ofce.

Michelle McGurk, a nancial services

specialist 4 with DSHS in Spokane and

a member of Local 1221, has been ap-proved for shared leave. Contact: your


Cindy Lang, a nancial services spe-cialist 4 at the DSHS Federal Way Com-munity Service Ofce and a member of

Local 843, is still at home recovering and

not able to come back to work. She hasrun out of all shared leave that has beengenerously donated to her; she requestsmore to help her get by with enoughleave to keep her PEBB-eligible. Con-tact: your human resource ofce.

Colleen Hankins, a WorkSource spe-cialist 6 at the Employment Security De-partment in Kelso and a member of Lo-cal 1400, has been approved for shared

leave. Contact: Kraig Cutsforth at (360)

407-1345.

Two members are in need of sharedleave, one member having back surgeryand one who is his wife who is caringfor him. Christopher Cook is a securityguard 2 at the DSHS Special Commit-ment Center on McNeil Island and a

member of Local 793. He is having back

surgery. His wife, LaRee Cook, is an

information technology technician 1 withthe state Health Care Authority in Olym-pia and a member of Local 443; she is

in need of shared leave to care for herhusband, Chris. If you can help either

or both, contact: your human resource

ofce.

Marcella Barber, a medical assistancespecialist 3 with the state Health Care

Authority in Olympia and a memberof Local 443, has been approved for

shared leave through Dec. 27, 2013.Contact: your human resource ofce.

Kendra Hogenson, a medical assis-tance specialist 3 with the state Health

Care Authority in Olympia and a member

of Local 443, has been approved for

shared leave through Jan. 7, 2014. Con-tact: your human resource ofce.

Reggie Lemire, an attendant counselor2 with State-Operated Living Alternatives(Developmental Disabilities) in Seattleand a member of Local 341, is recover-ing from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary

Disease (COPD), a serious lung disease

that usually causes breathing to getworse over time. Hes also recovering

from other related major complications.He has exhausted all his leave. Contact:

Lisa Bonorden, (425) 339-3987.

Sharon Gray, a secretary supervisorwith the Department of Corrections inTacoma and a member of Local 53, hasbeen approved for shared leave becauseof a medical condition. Contact: Diana

White, (360) 413-5407.

Ralph Talarico, a nancial services

specialist 5 with DSHS in Seattle and

a member of Local 843, is in need of

shared leave. His wife is Venus Talarico,

a Local 435 member at Employment Se-curity in Seattle. To help Ralph, contact:

your human resource ofce.

Kathy Allen, a WorkFirst program spe-cialist with DSHS at the Ellensburg Com-munity Service Ofce and a member of

Local 1301, has a serious health condi-tion that required bypass surgery. Con-tact: your human resource ofce.

Retta Broadway, a nancial services

specialist 4 with the DSHS Customer

Service Contact Center, Phone TeamNorthwest in Mount Vernon and a mem-ber of Local 1060, is in need of shared

leave for knee replacement surgery. Con-tact: your human resource ofce.

Heather Tames, a social service spe-cialist 2 with DSHS at the Kennewick

Community Service Ofce and a mem-ber of Local 1253, has been approved

for shared leave because of a seriousmedical condition. Contact: your human

resource ofce.

Patricia Loving, a nancial services

specialist 3 at the DSHS Columbia RiverCommunity Service Ofce in Vancouver

and a member of Local 313, is in need

of shared leave because of a medicalcondition. Contact: your human resource

ofce.

Rick Bemis, a custodian 1 with the

Department of Enterprise Services inOlympia and member of Local 443, is

undergoing a lengthy treatment for a seri-ous medical condition. He has exhausted

all available leave. Contact: Lynn Ma-honey at (360) 407-8785, or your human

resource ofce.

Kendra Hogenson, a medical assistantspecialist 3 with the state Health Care

Authority in Olympia and a member of

Local 443, has been approved for shared

leave as she battles sickle cell anemia.She is need of shared leave to coverthe time she missed while still recover-ing from foot fusion surgery. She hasexhausted all her sick and annual leave.Contact: April Yancy at (360) 725-2134,

or your human resource ofce.

Jim Webb, a juvenile rehabilitation coun-selor assistant at Naselle Youth Camp

and a member of Local 2263, is in need

of shared leave because of a seriousillness. Contact: Joyce Kilponen, (360)

484-3223.

Jackie Hilton, an ofce assistant 1 for

DSHS in Kelso and a member of Lo-cal 1400, is recovering from three brain

surgeries to correct a life-threateningcondition. Contact: Daniel Lozano, (360)

533-9788.

Christina Hurley, an information tech-nology specialist 3 with the Departmentof Natural Resources in Olympia and

a member of Local 443, has been ap-proved for shared leave because of acomplication from her pregnancy. Con-tact: Debra Chamberlin at (360) 902-1228, or your human resource ofce.

Locals in action LOCAL 970

IN MEMORIAM: Thomas Brown, anofce assistant 3 with the Department

of Licensing in Olympia and a longtimemember of Local 443, diedJuly 7 from cancer. He was

62. Tom was like all Feder-ation members, a good guywho did his job for 24 years

in the mailroom at DOL who was soliked and respected that he was fondlycalled The Mail Stop Guru. According

to his ofcial obituary: He took prideand enjoyment in his job, often volun-teering to help others when the needarose. Tom was quick to offer sugges-tions for changes during staff meet-ings. Many of his ideas were utilizedin the work area. A celebration of lifetook place July 20, in Tumwater. The

family suggests memorial donations toyour favorite charity.

IN MEMORIAM: Dan

Lowe, a grounds and nurs-ery supervisor 3 at Rainier

School in Buckley and a member ofLocal 491, died July 14. He had beenbattling cancer. He was 54. A celebra-tion of life took place July 28. The fam-ily suggests memorial donations to theCancer Treatment Centers of America.

IN MEMORIAM: Atilano V. WeroMedrano Jr., an agriculture inspector4 with the Department of Agriculturefrom Quincy and a member of Local1299, died June 19 after suffering a

heart attack at home. He was 54. Acelebration of life took place June 26

in Quincy. According tohis ofcial obituary: Inhis spare time, you couldnd Wero on his trac-tor working on his farm,out at the lakes shing,road tripping with hiswife through the Pacic

Northwest, enjoying fun-lled familydinners with his children and grandchildor barbecuing with friends. Throughand through, Weros infectious laughand passion for life was present in allhe did.

IN MEMORIAM

WFSE/AFSCME President Carol Dotlich swears in new ofcers of Aberdeen-Grays Harbor Local 970 at the locals June banquet. New ofcers are : Presi-dent Connie McPherson,VP Jeannie Cornell, TreasurerCathey McMurry,Secretary Kevin McMurry and Sergeant-at-Arms Jessie Foscue.

WALLA WALLA STEWARDS

At Walla Walla Steward in Action training June 29-30.

LOCAL 443

More than 150 members from

Employment Security, DSHS andServices for the Blind turned out fora WFSE/AFSCME Lunch n LearnJuly 9 at Laceys Huntamer Park.More photos under Albums athttps://www.facebook.com/wfsec28CORRECTION: The June Washington State Employee omitted part of Sue

Henricksens title. She is vice president of WFSE/AFSCME.


7/8


UNION NEWS

Local 1466 member Terri Mc-

Cullough.And despite long-standing assurances aboutprotecting Federation Local1466 members jobs there,the lease would cut nearly 73percent of current positions. Aseparate demand-to-bargainover this impact has beenled; negotiations continue tomitigate this mass reductionfrom the current 27.06 fulltime equivalent positions to7.33 FTEs.

With the vote, WFSE/AF-

SCME now becomes a watch-

dog group to hold the PDAsfeet to the re if the expectedeecing of taxpayer dollarscomes to pass. And also toraise concerns if the Fort Wor-den lease is used as a tem-plate in similar schemes togive away other state parks.

We are deeply troubledabout the credibility of thisPDA and their ability to deliv-er and we urge you to pleaseproceed with caution, saidJeanine Livingston, WFSE/AFSCMEs contract compli-

ance manager.Livingston said e-mails

turned up in the Federationspublic information requestshowed deception after de-ception along the way to thenal lease agreement.

That included public as-surances to protect jobs thatturned out to be false.

Livingston said the com-mission in December requireda minimization of the lossof jobs.

What you see beforeyou is actually an increasein the loss of jobs, she said.We were going to retain 14maintenance and rangers andwere down to seven. Theydidnt minimize loss of jobs.

Employees concerns

about losing jobs were dis-counted as recently as Feb-ruary. Yet, Livingston said,here weare todayand theirconcernshave beenlegiti-mate.

On law

enforce-

ment, Liv-

ingston,parks members and unionreps met with a PDA ofcialwho told them a plan to farmout law enforcement to thePort Townsend Police wasoff the table, she said.

And yet today, Im look-

ing at an agreement that takeslaw enforcement away frompark rangers and puts it in thehands of Port Townsend Po-

lice, Livingston said.Todd Jensen, a park rang-er for 32 years, with 14 at FortWarden, warned the safetyand security now provided bypark rangers would basicallybe handed over to a nightconcierge service. Jensentook a day off to testify as aLocal 1466 member.

The Fort Worden lease cov-

ers about 90 acres of the parkwhile the state remains theunderlying owner of all ofthe park. The PDA wouldtake over visitor reservationservices for all structures anduses on campus and for thetwo campgrounds that remainunder state management.The PDA would skim off$8.50 for each campgroundreservation they process. Inreturn, state Parks would getjust 3.5 percent of the PDAsgross revenues starting in theeighth year of the lease. Theagreement also eliminatesState Parks operating respon-sibilities on the Fort Wordencampus after four years.

Commissioners themselvesclaimed the agreement wasnecessary to save Fort Wordenin the face of budget cuts.

The real risk is the sta-tus quo, said CommissionerMark Brown, the Federationsdeputy director from 1986 to1993.

Minimizing the loss ofemployment opportunitiesand impacts on the employeesis my biggest concern and mybiggest disappointment andIm disappointed we didntdo more, Brown said.

PDA supporters saytheyre staring into the abyssand this was the only way.

The Legislature gave usthe minimum the minimum

we need to keep the doorsopen on our current inventoryof parks, Brown said. Noenhancements. Nothing toput into some strategic invest-ments that we would like tomake. No money to hire backstaff that we had to lay off.Certainly not a dime that wecan target towards extraordi-nary or focused efforts at FortWorden.

Brown made the motionto adopt the lease.

Livingston

McCullough (left) takes notes while other opponents look on.

FORT WORDEN,from page 1

without negotiating in goodfaith and also that the UWwrongly considered themunrepresented without anycontract rights.

At the urging of WFSE/

AFSCME, the county councilstepped in because it has ul-timate control over the hospi-tal. The council appoints theHarborview Medical CenterBoard of Trustees.

That contract expires in2015. The council has alreadygrilled Harborview manage-ment once, at a June 10 brief-ing that focused on the UWspoor treatment of line staff.That brieng was the start ofthe discussion on whether thecounty will renew its contractwith the UW to run Harbor-view or instead partner with adifferent health care provider.

But the two letters from the

council to UW President Mi-

chael Young are unprecedent-ed. They show the councilscommitment to fair treatmentat the hospital owned by thepeople of King County.

Both letters were signedby a majority of the council:Larry Gossett, Rod Dembows-ki, Joe McDermott, Larry Phil-lips and Reagan Dunn. The

council is ofcially nonparti-san but Gossett, Dembowski,McDermott and Phillips havebeen identied as Democratsand Dunn as a Republican.A sixth council member, JuliePatterson, recused herself be-cause she sits on the board ofa UW Medicine competitor.

The councils letters to

Young showed a keen under-standing of the working con-ditions faced by the call centerworkers and their yearningto provide quality services.

We hear that employeesbelieve patient services havebeen compromised by manyof the practices instituted atthe new call center, the coun-

cil wrote UW President Youngon May 3. They believe theyare asked to handle too manycalls from too many differentclinics, and that they receiveinadequate training and sup-port from the administration.

As a public, rst-rate medi-

cal institution owned by the

people of King County, whowe are elected to represent,Harborview Medical Centermust be managed with thevalues of the community inmind. We believe that KingCounty residents, like us andlike you, believe in rst-ratepatient services, and in appro-priate training and supportfor employees.

We support workerscollective bargaining rightsand respect the role of unions,which ensure that men andwomen who work hard in our

community have access tomedical benets, living wagejobs, safe workplaces, andother worker protections. Weencourage you to work proac-

tively with WFSE to complywith the PERC order, and toreturn to the bargaining tablewith WFSE.

UW President Young re-

sponded through a labor rela-tions staffer who said that thetwo sides did have a bargain-ing session May 7, implying

that the two parties were nowin normal negotiations, thecouncil wrote June 12.

The Metropolitan KingCounty Council on June 12again wrote UW PresidentYoung to set the recordstraight.

WFSE has advised usthat the two sides did meet onMay 7th, but the UW has cho-sen to approach these negotia-tions as if there is no contractin place, the council wrote.

Rather than bargainingjust the effects of the consoli-

dation, as PERC ordered, theUW is asking WFSE to negoti-ate over items that were in thelabor contract before the UWclaimed that these workers

were no longer members ofWFSE. Based on this report,it would appear that the UWcontinues to refuse to complywith the PERC order.

We wish to make it clearhow seriously we view thismatter, the council wrote,and then reiterated its previ-ous commitment to workers

collective bargaining rightsand the directive to the UWto work proactively withthe Washington Federation ofState Employees to complywith the spirit and letter ofstate mandates, includingPERC orders.

Needless to say, KingCounty has high standardsfor how its employees aretreated. Their intervention inthe Harborview call centersaga shows those values dontstop at the Harborview lobbyjust because the UW runs the

hospital. As the letters andJune 10 brieng show, thatcould all change when thecurrent partnership expires in2015.

UW, from page 1

There they go again at UW Time after time this summer, the University of Washington has beenslapped for bad management behavior. When will they learn?

Special pay. An arbitra-tor on July 29 ordered theUniversity of Washingtonto pay eligible custodians,trades workers and othersanother 12 months-plus inback wages in the long battleover agreed-to special payprovisions that the unionnegotiated in 2008 -- whichthe UW unilaterally halted afew months later.

The independent arbitra-tor ruled the UW owed theback pay from April 6, 2012through June 30, 2013, whenthe 2011-2013 UW collec-tive bargaining agreement

expired. The arbitrator didnot award interest on the backpay.

The special pay coverstwo agreements. One in-creased the shift differentialpaid to custodians, house-keepers and employees re-ceiving a shift differential ofless than $1 an hour to $1 anhour effective July 1, 2008.The UW unilaterally stoppedpaying those increases inJanuary 2009.

The other agreement inNovember 2008 increasedthe salaries of certain tradesclasses under the union

contract, such as plumbers/pipetters/steamtters andleads; carpenters and leads;and elevator mechanics andleads. But the UW, too, unilat-erally stopped paying thoseupgrades.

Discrimination. A state hearingexaminer on July 31 ruled thatthe University of Washingtondiscriminated against a Local1488 member for attending aunion-management meeting.The decision came on an un-fair labor practice complaintled by WFSE/AFSCME.

Specimen techs. The StateCourt of Appeals unanimous-ly ruled June 24 that the UWcommitted an unfair laborpractice when they insistedthey would only reallocateabout 35 specimen processingtechnicians at HarborviewMedical Center to a higher-paid job class if WFSE/AF-SCME agreed to their removalfrom a Federation bargainingunit into one represented bySEIU. The court said that wasillegal skimming of WFSE/AFSCME members work.

Withholding information.PERC afrmed June 24 thatthe UW committed an un-fair labor practice when itrefused to bargain by notproducing requested infor-mation during a grievancehearing. PERC condemnedthe UWs appeal of a hear-ing examiners decision asfrivolous. Yet, on July 5,the UW led a motion forreconsideration of PERCsruling.


8/8


FACES OF OUR FUTURE: 2013 WFSE/AFSCME Scholars

This years recipients of the $1,000 Norm Schut Scholarships (named after WFSE/AFSCMEs rst executive director):

This years recipient of the $2,500 Younglove & Coker Scholarship (funded through agenerous grant from our outside legal rm, Younglove & Coker):

To check for upcomingscholarships for nextyear, go to:wfse.org > MEMBER

RESOURCES > Scholarship Informa-tion (http://www.wfse.org/member-resources/scholarship-info/).

Norm Schut Scholars

uote: We are proud not just for the scholarship thatthe union has given Briana but also her motivationto make a difference. She volunteers her time to

help others and her career goal to go into psychology alsoreects the same desire. She knows the value and cost ofeducation and has taken steps to mitigate this by takingcollege classes in high school and working two summer

jobs.

Briana Macri (left), daughter of Laura Macri (right, outside Bell-ingham CSO), a WorkFirst program specialist at the DSHS Bell-ingham Community Service Ofce and a member of Local 1060.

Briana graduated from Bellingham High School, where she par-ticipated in the Running Start program at Whatcom CommunityCollege. Shell attend Washington State University to pursue adegree in psychology. This summer shes working as a construc-tion site agger and as a babysitter.

Briana Macri

IN THEIR OWN WORDS8

Yaoyi Xiao

Q

-- Laura (and husband Jeff) Macri on their daughtershonor.

uote:Im excited because people in the communitycare about my education.

-- Yaoyi Xiao on winning her scholarship.

Yaoyi Xiao (right, on the UW campus), daughter of Canming

Xiao, an environmental specialist 3 at the Department of Ecolo-

gy in Yakima and a member of Local 1326. Yaoyi, a 2012 gradu-ate of Eisenhower High School in Yakima, nished her freshmanyear at the University of Washington in June. Shes working fora degree in either biochemistry or chemical engineering. Thenits on to pharmacy school or medical school. Yaoyi had in inter-est in these elds from an early age, even taking an introductorycourse in nursing at a local community college so she couldshadow doctors and nurses.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS8

Q

Kambria Dumesnil

uote:A year ago, I wouldnt have thought aboutsetting a goal this big for myself....I am fortunate to

receive support from my union.-- Kambria Dumesnil, Local 970

Kambria Dumesnil (left, at Aberdeen L&I ofce), a customerservice specialist 2 with the Department of Labor and Industries

in Aberdeen and a member of Local 970. She graduated fromGrays Harbors College in June with her associate degree inbusiness and will begin online courses with Washington StateUniversity this month. Her aim is a degree in business manage-ment and operations and then a masters in business adminis-tration. She is 2013s member recipient of a Schut Scholarship.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS8

Q

Younglove & Coker Scholar

Sahej Walia (right), daughterof Romi Walia (left, outsidetheir Fife home), an ofce as-sistant 3 with the Departmentof Licensing in Olympia and amember of Local 443.

Sahej, a 2013 graduate ofFife High School, will attend

the University of Washingtonto pursue a career in neuro-science.

Her family came to Washing-ton three years ago from Qa-tar, where her father workedin the U.S. embassy.

Sahej strove to push herselfin the Land of Opportunity,enrolling in challenging class-es and accumulating a 3.99grade point average.

My parents feel proud of myaccomplishments, she says.

uote: When Sahej got the scholarship, I was reallyhappy it came from my union. I was especially proud

because state employees dont make very much of asalary. And I was very proud it came from my union.-- Romi Walia, on daughter Sahejs union scholarshiphonor.

Sahej Walia

IN THEIR OWN WORDS8

Q

Union Plus ScholarAnd one of WFSE/AFSCMEs own wonone of the national AFL-CIO Union PlusScholarships for $500:

Miranda Wilson

Miranda Wilson (left), daughter of Gwyn Wilson (right, outsideLower Columbia Colleges Head Start/ECEAP center), a programassistant at LCC in Longview and a member of Local 1400. Mi-randa, a 2010 graduate of R.A. Long High School in Longview,

has been attending Lower Columbia and has applied to the nurs-ing program.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS8

Quote:Its always an honor to win any scholarshipand I like that its part of my moms union.

-- Miranda Wilson on winning Union Plus

MORE ONLINE8Next month:Well meet the recipient ofthis years $5,000 AltheaLute Memorial Scholarship.

washington state employee, 8/2013

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