ABOUT 65 employees in central and western Washington have joined Council 2 recently.
Details:

• In Kelso, 15 staff members of the Cowlitz Wastewater Distribution District have joined the union.
  
  They were members of an existing employees’ association who had a contract in place. But, facing major hurdles in negotiating a new agreement, they wanted to join a professional labor organization and obtain a fair contract.
  
  The employees, who are wastewater treatment plant operators and technicians, were voluntarily recognized and are now members of Local 334-W.
  
  The new officers are: President – Steve Doyle; Vice President – Gordy Nelson; Secretary-Treasurer – Patrick Crocker; Stewards – Maury Corbia and Tony Schmidt; Trustees – Jim Enbusk and Rob Jacobsen; and Safety Committee – Mike Sitton.
• About 40 employees of Aging and Adult Care in Wenatchee, Moses Lake and Omak became members of Council 2 on January 7.
  
  They had sufficient cards to exceed the 70 percent threshold required for a "card check."
  
  They were certified on January 15 as a new bargaining unit.
  
  The main reason they joined Council 2 was that they wanted to have a voice in decisions relating to their working conditions. The employees felt they had no say on policies and procedures concerning their wages and benefits as well as discipline and discharge procedures.
  
  The employees, whose work covers five counties, assist the elderly to be independent and provide them with health care. They fill positions from nurse to case manager to information technician, and undertake duties ranging from housing and transportation to health care.
• A group of 10 information technology workers in the Seattle Public Library joined Council 2 on October 15.
  
  They were voluntarily recognized by the Seattle Public Library management and have now been absorbed into the Local 2083 bargaining unit.
  
  Their decision to join Council 2 was prompted by concerns about the future. The Library is faced with significant budget cuts and the employees felt they did not have any protection. Because there is a good relationship between the Library and Council 2, many believe that the cuts can be accomplished without any layoffs and the IT workers wanted to be part of that relationship.