A DECADE AGO, workers were fighting for higher wages to keep pace with inflation. About three years ago, they were more concerned about benefits, and particularly health benefits.

Now the pendulum has swung again and workers are placing a higher priority on having a say in their working conditions and, above anything else, retaining their jobs.

The new mood, of course, reflects the changing economic climate and particularly budget cuts, which have reduced the rolls of county and city employees.

Workers see Council 2 as a major force in helping them to retain their positions.

Three recent elections in which nearly 160 employees in Western Washington became new members of Council 2 reflect the changing trend.

Details:

ANGELINE's WOMEN'S SHELTER

Job preservation was important when 35 crisis intervention specialists at the Angelines Women’s Shelter, run by the Seattle-King County-Snohomish County YWCA, voted to join Council 2.

They were deeply concerned about their futures at the non-profit organization’s day shelter for homeless women.
One of the reasons for their fears was that shortly after the workers began discussing organizing, their supervisor, who was well liked by the employees and had held the position for eight years, was told she was being laid off and was given 10 minutes’ notice to vacate her office.

The YWCA executives cited budgetary reasons for the dismissal, but few employees believed that was the real reason.
Employees were so shocked and upset that many signed authorization cards to join Council 2 immediately.

“They realized how insecure their jobs were,” Keenan says.
The Director of the shelter resigned following the supervisor’s termination, leaving the shelter leaderless.

“The YWCA ran a vicious anti-union campaign,” Keenan says. “They called in the employees one by one, asking them: Are you for us or against us?

“They called mandatory group meetings, hired a $250-an-hour attorneys’ firm to run an anti-union campaign and repeatedly sent letters to employees’ homes.”

Now that Council 2 is representing the workers, Keenan says he hopes that the YWCA will cooperate on negotiating the first-time contract.

“If they do not, we are prepared to do whatever it takes politically to let the community know the true attitude of the YWCA and what they are really all about,” Keenan adds.
Council 2 hired Mary Robinson, a former YWCA employee who was laid off in January, to assist in the organizing of this group. She should be given full credit for the success of the organizing committee, Keenan says. “She is now working to organize the rest of the YWCA’s 200 employees.”

CITY OF LYNNWOOD

On May 13 clerical, technical and professional employees of the City of Lynnwood voted to join the union, adding 100 people to the Council 2 ranks.

“Above all else, their major issues were concern about having input in their working conditions and about their future positions under the City of Lynnwood budget,” says Bill Keenan, Council 2’s Director of Organizing.

“Without being organized, they felt they were at the whim of the city council and the administration for changes that could take place in wages and conditions of employment.”

Keenan commended the organizing committee for working extremely hard and doing “an incredible job.”

Procedural foot-dragging on the part of the City meant that the election process took an extraordinary amount of time.

Council 2 filed a petition for the election in January, but it was not held until May.

The new members of Council 2 are now working with Joe Devlaeminck, Council 2’s new staff representative who has been specially assigned to negotiate first-time contracts. They are putting together a constitution for the election of their officers and contract bargaining has begun.

The organizing committee members are: Linda Alvar, Sue Bolles, John Clay, Judy Franck, Diane Hodgson, Michelle Hope, Tom Leidholdt, Cristy McKeown, John Olsen, Jane Purtee, Debi Stevens, Calvin Thielman, Peter VanGiesen, Sandra Wallenfelsz, Jane Watkins and Debbie Hodgson.

SKAGIT COUNTY

The 24-strong Skagit County Prosecuting Attorneys’ Support Staff, based in Mount Vernon, voted to join Council 2 on May 28.
Council 2 filed the petition to hold the election on May 1, 2002. The County challenged their right to be unionized.

The challenge was heard by the Public Employees Relations Commission, which ruled that all the employees had the right to belong to a union.

The new members of Council 2 are now working to put together a contract.

Dugovich re-elected Council 2 president