Washington State Employee, January 2013

7/29/2019 Washington State Employee, January 2013

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The ofcial newspaper of the

WASHINGTON FEDERATION OF STATE

EMPLOYEES/AFSCME Council 28AFL-CIO

VOL. 41 NO. 1

JANUARY 2013

WASHINGTON

StateEmployee

Taking the mystery out of the 2013

legislative session. See pages 2-6.INSIDE:

...to Middle Class Heroes whove saved the state?

Is this the year to restore a fair helping of decency...

likeyou!

Weve taken a 3percent cut and nocosts of living...This is difcult. As a

single parent, I ndthat basically meansI have to work twojobs.

Carol Spencer-Coons,

Local 304, Seattle CC

We have lost a lotof dynamic Com-munity Correctionsofcers probation

ofcers....When is enoughenough?

Billy Smith, Local 53,

Corrections, Tacoma

We have donemany, many thingsto save the statemoney (on interpret-

er services)....Now were workingon making the sys-tem (perform evenbetter).

Louise Morehead,

Local 1671, Interpreters

The impact on thestudents I work withhas been reallyhard.

To lawmakers: Justquit beating up onme and dont treatus as scapegoats.

Jerry Owens,

Local 304, Shoreline CC

Ive given a lot....And then just thestress of layoffs andwondering if Im go-

ing to be next on thelist....(We need) fullfunding...for Wash-ington State Parks.

Rick Oakley,

Local 1466, State Parks

Our clients havesuffered in waysbecause the turn-over (of staff) is so

high....Its very disruptivein their life.

David Greenman,

Local 341, Fircrest School

(which cares for develop-

mentally disabled citizens)

Health

care

matters

Health care grievance aired

The WFSE/AFSCME-ledcoalition of state employeeunions on Jan. 8 argued itscase to recoup millions inhealth benets money theunions charge was transferredlast year to pay other stateexpenses.

It was the rst hearingon the group grievance ledJuly 19. It took place before

$118 millionswept away bystate should be

for benets only,unions charge

the LaborRelationsDivision ofthe Ofce

of FinancialManage-ment inOlympia.

TheFedera-tion and itscoalition

partners charge that the statetransferred $118 million fromthe health fund to the statesGeneral Fund in the supple-mental budget that went intoeffect July 1.

That effectively reduced

the states contractual obliga-tion to contribute its full 85percent share for health ben-ets, the grievance says.

There was no similarreduction in the 15 percentshare paid by employees.

The moneys put in for ben-

ets you dont get to manip-ulate it for other purposes,Federation Executive DirectorGreg Devereux said after themeeting with the states repre-sentatives.

In the end, the employerswept $118 million for thingsother than benets.

At press time, the state

had not responded yet.The grievance asks that

affected employees be madewhole, to specically include

but not limited to that thestate pay each employee eli-gible for insurance their pro-portionate share of the $118million subject to transfer, to-gether with interest at the rateapplicable to judgments.

This was formally Step1 of the grievance proce-dure in the Health BenetsAgreement covering all statebargaining unit employees.The procedure also allows (ifneeded) mediation (Step 2)and arbitration (Step 3).

www.d

iscoverpass.w

a.g

ov

Now good on either

of two vehicles!


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Page 2 WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee January 2013

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 with

the 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 con-

[email protected], or write: WFSE/AFSCME, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501.

Split Legislature, new challengesTaking the mystery out of

the 2013 legislative session !

Federation Executive

Director Greg Devereux saysits time for legislators torecognize the sacrices madeby Federation members thepast two years that saved thestate. That means fundingthe newly negotiated con-tracts.

We think its importantto make sure our contractsare funded, Devereux said.That puts more money ineverybodys pocket, makescommunities stronger.

The Federation will alsoseek legislation to address

I would like to see the Legislaturere-evaluate tax exemptions andloopholes on a merit basis sayingwhat is our return on investment....I think we need more oversight andaccountability when it comes to thestuff that were giving away.

Michael Heavey, Local 443,Department of Licensing, Olympia

Funding contracts at top of the list for 2013 sessionunintended consequences of

the health benets exchangesin this state required by thefederal Affordable Care Actand to extend collective bar-gaining rights to Labor andIndustries contract interpret-ers.

And the union will seeklegislation to shed light onthe often out-of-sight, out-of-mind network of for-protcommunity care facilitiesfunded with Medicaid dol-lars.

Many, many operatorsare getting wealthy off of

Medicaid and the money

that goes to them from thestate is not going to qual-ity care for the clients theyserve...We want quality inall of those facilities.

See more of Devereuxsoverview and promises andchallenges in the upcomingsession on this monthsOur View on the Fed-erations YouTube channel:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6ORMi2c5NQWFSE/AFSCME member lobbyists wasted no time getting their message to

lawmakers. This delegation was on hand for opening day of the 2013 legisla-

tive session Jan. 14 in Olympia.

Other hot issues

Rep. Paul Harris, R-17th Dist., greets Local 1253 Corrections memberShawn

Bren at WFSE/AFSCME Lobby Training Jan. 5 in Seattle. Harris and several

other House members took part in several real-time practice sessions to help

members get their message across quickly when they visit legislators in Olym-

pia or when lawmakers return home.

More than a dozen members of Interpreters Local 1671 turned out for the Jan.

5 Lobby Training, one of the largest delegations to attend.

Practice makes perfect at Lobby Training

Closing tax loopholes only fair

As WFSE/AFSCME members wait for the stateSupreme Courts ruling on whether the 2/3 re-quirement to close tax loopholes and raise rev-enue is unconstitutional, members still stress theinequity of our tax system to middle class families.

Philosophical Coalition majority leader targets pensions for cuts

A so-called Philosophical Coalition

of all 23 Republicans and two pro-

business Democrats took formal

control of the Senate on opening day

Jan. 14. Their designated majorityleader, Democratic Sen. Rodney

Tom, will try to fnish what they

couldnt get done in a similar coup

last year. Tom told The Olympian

Jan. 13 cutting pensions is one of

his highest priorities. He wants to

bring in 401(k)-type plans to replace

the current

pension structure.

And in the

frst budget

hearing of the

Matt Zuvich urged legislators to

adopt outgoing Gov. Chris Gregoires

recommendations to end the 3

percent pay cut as negotiated in new

contracts, and fund health care andpensions.

We would hope that these

things make it into your budget, too,

and that we stop the hemorrhaging,

Zuvich told the House Appropriations

Committee Jan. 14.

The Washington

State Labor Council

likened Tom to the

Wizard of Oz.

session, Federation Lobbyist

Among the hot issuesWFSE/AFSCME will focuson in the 2013 legislative

session:

Fund all negotiatedcontracts. Adequate funding level

for health care. Resist additional cuts to

human services, publicsafety and Corrections,natural resources, HigherEducation. Boost General Fund

monies to save stateparks. Ensure funding forhighway maintenance.

Increase revenue,including closing taxloopholes. Improve supplementaland agency-specic

bargaining, including inCorrections. Reform the Public SafetyEmployees RetirementSystem (PSERS) to

allow in other high-riskinstitutions job classes. Interest arbitration forCorrections and campus

police. Health BenetExchange. Procurement reform,accountability measuresfor interpreters. Accountability for for-

prot community careproviders. Workload, tort reform

and other Correctionsissues. Improved training forLiquor Control Board

members. Payroll deduction forcommute trip reduction

federal tax benet.

H E H E

H E H E


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WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeJanuary 2013 Page 3

Your issues explained -- on 1 page

The number of state workers has dropped sharplywhile the demand for services has continued to rise.

FUND THE NEW CONTRACTS End the 3% pay cuts in GeneralGovernment and Community Col-

leges. Dont block those contractsat 4-year higher education institu-tions with innovative compensationpackages.

HOLD THE LINE ON HEALTH-CARE Let negotiation on thenew health care agreement proceedwith the new administration. Makeadequate increases in overall statecontribution to benets, which wascut to $800/month last year.

FIGHT AGAINST ATTACKS ONPUBLIC WORKERS The stateneeds a qualied, trained workforceto support the vital jobs we performfor our communities. We cant keepcutting the vital programs and po-sitions that Washington familiesdepend on to stay strong.

Over the past four years, public employees havesacrificed more than $1.5 billion in pay and

benefits to address budget shortfalls.

Weve been placed on furlough, taken pay cuts,and agreed to pay a greater share of our healthcare costs.

In addition, weve taken the brunt of budget cuts

and agency consolidations through layoffs, jobchanges, and heavier workloads.

YOUR SACRIFICES SAVED THE STATE

DURING THE GREAT RECESSIONITS TIME TO RESTORE -- BECAUSE DEMAND FOR

QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES CONTINUES TO RISE

Taking the mystery out of


Weve boiled your issues down to make it easier

to get your story and message across to legisla-

tors:

LEGISLATORS NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE SACRIFICES OF

THE STATE EMPLOYEE PUBLIC SERVANTS WHOVE SAVED THE STATE

WAGES State workers agreed to a 3% pay cut andfurloughs. This was in addition to the 5% cutstaken by 1/3 of the workers in the middle on2010 and no cost-of-living adjustments in2008.

BENEFITS Health premiums rose by 25% and out-of-pockets costs rose 100%, all while the state

cut its share of contributions. Over the past 2years, state employees have paid nearly 18%more for pensions, while the state has divert-ed $300 million in pension payments.

PROGRAM

CUTS

Vital funding for programs has been reducedand entire programs have been eliminated.Since 2008, more than 10,000 employeeshave been cut. Workloads have skyrocketed,mandatory overtime has increased signif-cantly, and several institutions have beenclosed (Pine Lodge, Ahtanum View, MapleLane School, Frances Haddon Morgan Cen-ter).

ATTACKS ON

WORKERS

RIGHTS

Child welfare privatization, elimination ofearly retirement factors (ERFs), Consolidat-ed Technology Services collective bargainingrights eliminated, Workers Compensationweakened

HONOR THE SACRIFICES MADE

BY PUBLIC SERVANTS

things the Legislature can do to en-

sure there is no further erosion of

benefts:31.

2.

3.

ALSO IN THIS SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION:

Meet the legislators who need to hear from you. See 4&5.

A bonus page of more helpful information to take the mys-

tery out of the 2013 legislative session. See 6.


4/6

Bonus page -- cool stuff to knowTaking the mystery out of


Your story counts. Here are examples from 5 of our Middle Class Heroes:

Brad Samples is astate worker who keepsdisabled citizens safe,sound and productivemembers of society.

I didnt get into thiswork to get rich. I gotinto it to make a differ-ence.

But I get angry whenthe selsh and privileged

few attack honest, hard-working middle classstate workers. We pro-vide vital services. Yetthe state protects big oilcompanies like BP withgenerous tax giveaways.1

SAFEGUARDING DIGNITY

FOR VULNERABLE CITIZENS

Ive made tremendous

sacrices economically.Yet in recent years, thestate could still afford togive away more than $3billion when they cre-ated more than 150 newtax loopholes.2

Joyce Murphy is a state worker who protects vulner-able children from abuse and neglect. She sees thingsmost of us could never imagine.

Weve sacriced our fair share and taken on addi-tional workload when the state cut 10,000 positions. 3

I want to leave behind a better world for the at-riskchildren Ive dedicated my life to.

But cuts to vital services and attacks on state work-ers have harmed the entire states middle class andcost the loss of 45,000 jobs in our economy.4

STANDING UP FOR ABUSED

AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN

Judy Kuschelis a state worker who protects thepublic from domestic violence offenders and otherdangerous offenders released from our prisons.

Were the rst line of defense keeping our communi-ties safe for hard-working middle class families.

Middle class state workers didnt cause the stateseconomic crisis. Yet state workers like me have givenup more than 10 percent of our pay to save the state.5

We need to pull together, not tear down middle classworkers.

PROTECTING PUBLIC SAFETY

Kelly Graysonis a stateworker who helps col-lege students get the

services they need tosucceed in school.

Our pay has takenmany hits over thelast four years. A lot ofpeople dont know that.Our health insurancecosts and pensions costshave gone up while ourpay has gone down.5

We provide vital servic-es every day. Those vitalservices fuel economic

growth.6

HELPING STUDENTS SUCCEED

The public needs toknow we make a dif-ference. Lets stop theattacks on middle class

state workers.

Wendy Irish is a state worker providing services atone of our quality state colleges.

Tuition for students our kids is going up 12 per-cent. State workers have taken a 3 percent cut in payalone. Yet at our college, the president is getting a 12percent pay hike and other administrators and man-agers are getting $3,000 in raises.7

The rest of us are falling behind. Eighty-two percentof state workers make less than market rate. So were

not getting rich.8

Weve saved the state with our sacrices.

SACRIFICING FOR OUR FUTURE

SOURCES: 1. Revenues to Rebuild Washingtons Economy: A Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan for Washington, Economic Opportunity Institute, October 2011; 2. Washington State Department of Revenue; 3. Shared Sacrices of State Employees, Ofce of the Governor, November 2011; 4. Washington News Service, Nov. 21, 2011; 5.

Shared Sacrice: Overall Compensation for Average State Employee is Falling, OFM, March 2011; 6. Three years into recovery, just how much has state and local austerity hurt job growth? Economic Policy Institute, July 6, 2012, http://www.epi.org/blog/years-recovery-state-local-austerity-hurt/; 7. College pay always low for select few,Spokane Spokesman-Review, July 20, 2012; 8. 2010 Salary Survey Summary, Washington State Department of Personnel (now Washington State Human Resources), June 4, 2010, http://www.dop.wa.gov/CompClass/Compensation/Pages/TotalCompensationSurvey.aspx


Daze & amaze legislators (and co-workers) with all the info you can load on your PC, tablet, smart phone

Text F4WR to

69866

Get text updates on

your smart phone.

NOTE: F4WR stands

for Fight for Work-

ers Rights

Look for the BLUE BAR.

Go to your website at www.wfse.

org. Look under the BLUE BAR for

quick updates, news and talking

points you can use. You can turn

each item into a pdf to print, post or

hand out.

Look for FLASH updates at the top of wfse.org! Sign up for HOTLINE e-mail

updates!

Look for the blue oval at the top of wfse.org!

And while youre there, click on the icons to

friend us on Facebook, join our Twitter net-

work, watch members in action on YouTube

and photos on Flickr.

Yup.A smart phone is all you need to get up-to-date

information on the legislative session and the rest

of the union.

Go to wfse.org on your smartphone. You can get

recent posts or click to view the full site.

And you can use your smartphone -- or any phone

-- to call for regular HOTLINE updates:

1-800-562-6102


5/6

WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeJanuary 2013 Page 7

MEMBERS IN ACTION

SHARED LEAVE

REQUESTS

The following could use a

donation of eligible unused

annual leave or sick leave or

all or part of your personalholiday:

Rhonda Corrick, a nancialservices specialist with DSHS

in Wenatchee and a memberof Local 1299, is caring for

her son, Cary Corrick, whowill be in Harborview MedicalCenter in Seattle for several

months recovering from burnssuffered during a propane ex-

plosion at his Peshastin homeJan. 4. Contact: your human

resource ofce.

Terri (Tee) Hall, a workers

compensation adjudicator 3 atthe Department of Labor and

Industries in Tumwater and amember of Local 443, is still in

need of shared leave as sherecovers from injuries sufferedafter a recent fall. Contact:

your human resource ofce.

Danny Alderman, anattendant counselor 1 at

Lakeland Village in MedicalLake and a member of Local573, recently underwent

emergency surgery and is inneed of shared leave. He will

need about eight weeks torecover. Contact: your human

resource ofce.

Angel Lynne, a truck driver

1 in Seattle with DSHS anda member of Local 843, has

been approved for sharedleave. She is caring for

a family member who isrecovering from complicationsbrought on by cancer surgery.

Angel has exhausted all herleave. Contact: Veronica

Jones, (360) 664-5267, or

Financial WellnessA MEMBERS ONLY BENEFIT for

WFSE/AFSCME members and their families!

Happy holidays from all of us at WSECU!

Identity thet is traditionally on the rise during the holiday season, but here are three simple tips that will help

prevent you rom becoming a victim:

1. Retain all your receipts and compare them to your statements.

2. I you havent reviewed your credit report this year, request it or ree rom AnnualCreditReport.com.

3. Report any unusual account activity to your fnancial institution(s) immediately.

Want to learn more? Check out our identity thet webinars and New Day Northwest videos at wsecu.org.

wsecu.org | 800.562.0999

Identity theft:A holiday surprise you can do without

A surprise you can do without!

Bright Now! Dental benefts apply to individuals receiving general dental care in these ofces only and not to services reerred to specialists.Pricing is subject to the limitations o your plan. Specialty services are not oered in all locations. Fees will vary or specialty care.

1-888-BRIGHT NOW www.brightnow.com

Going to the dentistshouldnt be scary!

22 WashingtonArea Oices

At Bright Now! Dental yourcomort is our top priority.

Serving union members and their families for over 30 years.

We understand that going to the dentist canbe stressful sometimes downright scary particularly if you havent been in awhile.

So your frst appointment at Bright Now! Dental is allabout getting to know one another. Our proessionalsta will evaluate your dental health and recommenda treatment plan that is easy on your nerves AND

your budget.

Call to schedule your appointmenttoday! We promise you will leaveour ofce eeling better!

A MEMBERS ONLY BENEFIT for WFSE/AFSCME members and their families!

Questions? Contact your Bright Now! Dental Account Representative:

[email protected] 253-405-4547

F . :

your human resource ofce.

Roy Berry, a social servicespecialist 3 with DSHS in

Mount Vernon and a memberof Local 1060, is in need

of shared leave to care forhis daughter. Contact: your

human resource ofce.

Kari Jones, a social worker

3 with DSHS in Bellinghamand a member of Local 1060,

has been approved for sharedleave. Contact: your humanresource ofce.

Benjohn Magcalas, a

customer services specialist2 with DSHS Home and

Community Services inSeattle and a member ofLocal 843, has been approved

for shared leave. Contact:your human resource ofce.

Denise Roth, a social

services specialist 3 withDSHS in Seattle and amember of Local 843, has

been approved for sharedleave. Contact: your human

resource ofce.

Sheryl Tiffany, a supportenforcement ofcer 2 forDSHS in Tacoma and a

member of Local 53, is inneed of shared leave because

of an ongoing medicalcondition and complications

from it. Contact: your humanresource ofce.

Margaret Silva-Perry, asecretary senior with the

Health Care Authority inOlympia, is recuperating from

a serious illness and is inneed of shared leave throughMarch 11. Contact: Tracy

Wynder, (360) 725-1027.

Stewards are the backbone andfront lines of this union. At WFSE/AFSCME Local 304s Third Annual

Shop Steward Conference, Dec.8, at Seatac, about 25 Local 304stewards attended to discuss a plan

of action for their local a mix ofhigher education and general gov-ernment members. They discussed

bargaining priorities, legislativestrategy, scheduling lobby days andimproving local communicationsthrough use of the Local 304 websiteand e-mailing lists. They also dis-cussed developing a Member ActionTeam structure and holding regular

lunch n learns.

NEW LEADERS AT CWU LOCAL 330. Local 330 at Central WashingtonUniversity in Ellensburg has elected its new Executive Board to meet thechallenges on the job, at the bargaining table and for students.Local 330 ofcers and Executive Board (from left): Chris Stebbins (President);

Laury Berner(E-Board); John Fukuzawa (E-Board); Chris Everett(E-Board); Skip Jensen (VP); Gini Letson (Secretary); and Pat Devlin(Treasurer).

AT KTSS: Dec. 20 Scrooge ofthe Year Award presentation fromJobs with Justice to KTSS CEO

Mike Closser, in Bremerton.

Local 304 stewards map action plans

Kudos to John ONeill, aLocal 1381 member at WhatcomCommunity College in Bellingham,who donated $20 to the fund to helpworkers red for their union activities

at Kitsap Tenant Support Services.

Locals or members who want todonate to the KTSS Fired Workers

Fund, make checks out to the

Foundation for Working Families andsend to: KTSS Workers Relief Fund,

c/o WFSE Organizing Department,

1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300,Olympia, WA 98501 ATTN: Irene

Smith.


6/6


THIS UNION WORKS FOR ME!

There were a lot of thumbs up in Diane

Blowers-Kohouts 20 years as a WFSE/AF-

SCME organizer. The pace picked up in 2004

as thousands of state employees rushed to join

the union to gain contract protections under the

new collective bargaining law. She is pictured

above in July 2004 after non-supervisory

employees in the Department of Fish and Wild-

lifes Business Services Program and Public

Affairs Ofce voted for the union. With her are

DFW members Jennifer Quartano and Chuck

Bolland. The journey organizer retired Jan. 15.

RETIRED: Veteran Emergency Management

Division (Military Department) memberRob

Harperretired in December.

He was feted at a Dec. 20 celebra-

tion at Camp Murray. Hed been lead public

information ofcer for Emergency Manage-

ment since 1996. In that position, he was lead

PIO for such disasters as the 2001 Nisqually

RETIRED: After 20 years with WFSE/AFSCME and eight years before thatwith the AFSCME Area Ofce, DianeBlowers-Kohout, journey organizer.

She was a veteran of successfulorganizing drives at Washington StateUniversity, numerous state agencieswhere thousands of workers clamoredfor new collective bargaining rights, tointerpreters and other public servicesector workers.

Blowers-Kohout retired Jan. 15after co-workers celebrated her careerat a reception at union headquarters inOlympia.

The modest journey organizer al-ways put members and their quest forfair treatment rst.

WFSE/AFSCME Organizing Di-rector Megan Parke said Diane spentmost of her organizing career out inthe eld, driving from home to home,day and night talking to workersabout their right to organize, encour-aging them to unite for power anddream about a better day.

She has spent countless hoursat kitchen tables listening to workersstruggles and sorrows, inspiring them

Earthquake, the 2007 Lewis County oods,

winter disasters in 2006 and 2008 and this past

summers Taylor Bridge Wildre.

He was instrumental in the organizing

drive that in May 2005 brought non-supervisory

employees in EMD into the union. In 2010, he

served on the General Government Bargaining

Team for the 2011-2013 contract.

Rob Harper

to believe in themselves, to not be

afraid, to stand up for justice and per-sonal dignity.She has touched thousands of

lives and hearts in her union work.

She has planted seeds of activism andhope in thousands of people through-out Washington.

Diane Blowers-Kohout

Diane Blowers-Kohout retires after 20 years with WFSE/AFSCME

Wenatchee Employment Security members have

settled a grievance that restores leave they were forced totake because of unhealthy, smoky conditions in their ofcebuilding during last summers wildres.

WFSE/AFSCME Council Representative Jacqui Tuckercredits new Local 1299 ESD Shop Steward Lori Brundagewith making such a strong case at a grievance hearing thatmanagement agreed to a settlement.

We won restored leave for the entire ofce, not just thegrievants who signed on, Tucker said. We have a total of14 members getting leave returned.

The settlement also includes tax ofce members, shesaid.

UPDATE ON EMPLOYMENT

SECURITY MEMBERS LAYOFF

RIGHTS: In November, wetold you the story ofJacquie

Thielen, the EmploymentSecurity Local 435 mem-ber in Seattle (pictured atright), who, with the helpof WFSE/AFSCME CouncilRepresentative Addley Toleupheld her rights on recallfrom a layoff.

Layoff rights are abig deal to ESD memberswhove faced reductionstied to budget cuts and theend of stimulus funding.

Grievance victories for Employment Security members!

Wenatchee ESD members clear the

air in wildfre-related settlement

Now, Employment Secu-rity members have won anotherkey victory Dec. 19 when anarbitrator upheld their layoff

rights.WFSE/AFSCME had

led a grievance after amember was laid off in De-

cember 2011.The agency failed tooffer the member all layoffoptions.

Specically, the arbitra-tor ruled that ESD violatedArticle 34.9 of the GeneralGovernment contract whenthe agency offered the mem-ber only one of three formallayoff options, instead of allthree.

Tole (left) and Thielen.

Well, there they go againat the University of Washing-ton.

Last month, we told youhow the union overturnedthe ring of a UW memberaccused of stealing his ownsoda pop.

Now comes the story ofanother UW custodian, whowas red for allegedly steal-ing an empty bottle of handsanitizer. An allegation anarbitrator later determinedwas never actually made andcertainly never proven.

The UW accused Local1488 member Anna Tsui oftaking the empty bottle whileout of her assigned work areain the UW Tower.

Tsui said she simply hadbeen doing her assigned workdown the stairs and stoppedoff at the tenth oor to ask aco-worker for pain medica-tion for a headache.

She was there for severalminutes while her co-workernished a task.

She did nd an emptybottle of hand sanitizer, butdenied ever taking it from avacant cubicle or box.

And what did she do withthe empty bottle?

Tsui simply re-used it in

the custodians lounge whereshe lled it with hand soapand placed in on a sink.

But in October 2011, theUW red Tsui.

The union led a griev-ance that ended up at arbitra-tion.

And on Dec. 12, an ar-bitrator overturned Tsuistermination, noting it is notclear just exactly what Ms.Tsui was discharged for.

In the end, the arbitratorfound no just cause for Tsuistermination, but reduced it toa two-week suspension tiedto her being outside her as-signed area.

Shell be made whole forthe rest of the time she was off

the job.WFSE/AFSCME Council

Representative James Dannenand Labor Advocate BanksEvans assisted her.

At the UW: This time it was a member red over anempty hand sanitizer bottle!

UW custodian Anna Tsui (center) with WFSE/AFSCME Labor Advocate

Banks Evans (left) and Council Representative James Dannen (right).

KUDOS TO Local 782 at Eastern

State Hospital in Medical Lake.Prompted by the fact that all toomany Federation members use foodbanks in this economic era of paycuts, the local made a big, $2,000donation to Second Harvest tobenet local food banks in MedicalLake, Airway Heights, Cheney andSpokane.The remarkable thing: They made

the donation Dec. 27 to expresslyhelp when the general publics tra-ditional holiday surge of donationsstarts to dry up. People are hungryyear round, not just at Thanksgivingand Christmas, Local 782 leadersreasoned.The donation will feed 65 families ateach of the four locations or 260overall.Local 782 is challenging other Fed-eration locals to make such worthypost-holidays donations. And let usknow!

Because of a

production error,

this photo of retired

KTSS caregiver

Jack Hopkins did

not appear in last

months story on the

Bainbridge Island

rally in support

of Kitsap Tenant

Support Services workers. We regret the

omission.

CORRECTION

Washington State Employee, January 2013

Documents

Transcript of Washington State Employee, January 2013