Workers from new city join Council 2

TWENTY-SEVEN workers have joined Council 2 from the new City of Spokane Valley.

The new members are employees of the City, minus police and fire workers. They contacted Council 2 about a year ago, inquiring about organizing.

Council 2 set the process going and on August 3, Council 2 won the election, which was a card check, indicating enough support for the union to make a formal ballot unnecessary.
The new Local is being set up and negotiations on a first-time contract will start soon.

Many who went to work for the new city—formed about two years ago and covering a population of 80,000 residents—formerly worked for the City of Spokane or the Spokane County government. As such they were Council 2 members and could decide to join again.

All the new city’s workers—with the exception of police, road and fire positions, whose jobs have been contracted out—are eligible to become union members, providing the potential for a substantial Local in the future.