Local presidents meet

Union leaders study grievance procedures and learn about political campaining

WHEN LOCAL presidents met in Wenatchee recently, they spent much of their time examining successful grievance cases brought by Council 2.

Under the guidance of Council 2’s Legal Counsel Audrey Eide, they took an in-depth look at the cases and learned how to determine which grievance issues are winnable. Eide also discussed arbitration issues.

The discussions formed a major part of the annual Fall Local Presidents Conference, which was attended by about 100 Local presidents and other union leaders on October 29 and 30.

“The conference was highly successful,” says Council 2 President/Executive Director Chris Dugovich. “We will repeat it next fall in a location yet to be determined. Everyone will have plenty of advance notice.”

Council 2 pays the conference expenses of the Local presidents or their designees.

Among the other presentations at the conference were those from Council 2 Deputy Director Pat Thompson and political consultant Christian Sinderman. They outlined their views of the current political situation in Washington State as it relates to union issues and advised the Local leaders on how to get out the vote for the November 2 election.

Another presenter was Ron Dotzauer, Q13 TV political analyst who ran the highly successful 1982 campaign to re-elect Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson to the U.S. Senate.

Dotzauer also was involved in the 1984 election of Booth Gardner as Washington State governor and Maria Cantwell’s 2000 race for the U.S. Senate.