Letter from the President

Chris Dugovich
Council 2 President/Executive Director

In the past almost 10 years the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, has now better than doubled in size. We’ve grown because our members, our officers and our staff work hard to provide the best possible services.

Over this brief time span our growth is a real testimony to our success, with a vast majority of our new units joining our Union based on an initial personal recommendation. These recommendations mean a lot and we intend to continue devoting the type of attention to your issues that makes you feel good about the job we’re doing!

All of this really hinges on our ability to aid you and keep the excellent local officers and activists involved so the local unions are strong and active. It’s no mystery that the issues that every member pays attention to are certainly their wages, their benefits and their working conditions, as outlined in their collective bargaining agreement.

Our collective bargaining agreements and their settlements do not become the best or better every year or three years without the involvment of members. This year, in a little more than 50 different local government jurisdictions, members have selected bargaining teams, drawn up proposals and headed to the table with their employer.

These local officers and bargaining teams will need your attention and your support if you want a reasonable wage and benefit package. The process is not set up so that a small group of people go to the bargaining table and decide what is the end result. It’s set up so that the strongest, most active groups receive the best results.

In the State of Washington in the past several years there have been many high-profile strikes that have affected all of us. To date, they have ended in success due to an extremely high level of involvement by the membership. The latest example is the Seattle Newspaper Guild strike.

While this type of activity is certainly a last resort, there is one key element that holds true whether or not a job action is involved. Every member needs to be an active, informed participant in whatever occurs during your negotiations, whether that involves a smooth early settlement or a more difficult lengthy process.

If this is your year to renegotiate your contract, go to your local meetings. Stay involved, read any material, and ask questions. The best job action is the one that didn’t happen! If your unit is active and attentive the employer will notice and you just might be pleased with the results.

The Best to All in 2001!

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