Council 2 Newspaper Spring 1996
Letter From The President Collective bargaining remains best answer
As imperfect as our system of bargaining a contract in this state at times can be, it doesn't take too many comparisons to see that it has served us well. Since 1966 when RCW 41.56 was enacted by the legislature local governments and our membership have sat down and hammered out over 120 separate contracts every three years across the state. In negotiating these agreements overall our membership enjoys some of the most competitive wages and benefits in the work force.

Some employers may not wish to admit it, but this is exactly the reason local governments provide the most essential services in the most efficient manner. Those who do know it, realize that maintaining a well trained career work force means good service.

Across our state there are certainly exceptions to this rule, but when you look at the vast majority of our jurisdictions the collective bargaining process has not only kept the best employees from leaving, but also created one of the best means of solving day-to-day issues that left unresolved make life unbearable for the employees.

In all of our agreements a grievance procedure provides a real remedy to our membership and if viewed correctly by management should be seen as an aid to correcting what might otherwise be an unknown or issue. Labor-management committees now formally outlined in many of our contracts also provide a valuable tool for solving issues that create a better working atmosphere.

True, contract ratification votes are never 100 percent. But, over the years, gains have been made and the good employer who wants to please the taxpayer with good services should be as pleased with those gains as our membership!

Session 96: Small gains, nothing lost

Call it a stalemate. No real harm was done to labor during the short session of the Washington state legislature. But little progress was made either.

At least the session held this compensation: It could have been worse. Dozens of anti-labor bills were approved by the House, but almost all were killed in the Senate.

Since the session continued from last year, all the bills introduced last year technically were alive this year, too, explains Pat Thompson, Council 2's Legislation/Political Action Director. But nothing of consequence made it through the Senate.

The mass of anti-labor legislation is a result of the 1994 elections in which the Republicans took control of the House, Thompson explains. "The Democrats in the Senate saved our bacon. If it had not been for them, it would have been much worse." The Democrats control the Senate by one vote.

The key for the future is to change our current mix of lawmakers in the Fall elections, Thompson says. "We simply need more labor-friendly legislators to move our agenda forward, both Democratic and Republican."

Even though no real harm was done this session, public employees should not settle for standing still, Thompson adds.

Clinton might speak at AFSCME convention

President Bill Clinton is scheduled to speak at this year's 32nd AFSCME international convention in Chicago.

Although the schedule is tentative right now, chances are considered good that the president will attend. Should he do so, he will be the first incumbent president to address the convention in many years. Clinton addressed the convention four years ago, but then he was a candidate, not an incumbent.

More than 4,000 delegates are expected to attend the convention, which will be held from June 17 through 21. Together, they will represent some 1.3 million American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees members nationwide, including those of Council 2.

Along with the usual floor action on resolutions and changes to AFSCME's international constitution, many extremely worthwhile workshops will be held for the delegates. The workshops will inform them on relevant issues and train them on handling grievances and negotiating contracts.

During this year's convention, elections will be held for the international vice presidents who constitute the international executive board. Among the vice presidents to be chosen will be one for the Northwest region, of which Washington state is part. In addition, President Gerald McEntee and Secretary-Treasurer Bill Lucy will be seeking new four-year terms in office. Council 2 has endorsed both. Local union credentials have been mailed and should have been received by local officers. Any member can seek election as a delegate from any local union and attend. Local unions are allotted delegates on the basis of membership.

Through its travel and convention fund, Council 2 will contribute up to $350 for the cost of airfare to Chicago for duly elected delegates. Every local is encouraged to send a full delegation.

Let's celebrate

Council 2 will celebrate its 50th anniversary in Chicago during the AFSCME International Convention in June. All Council 2 delegates who attend the convention will be invited to the party, of course. International President Gerald McEntee and other special guests also will be there.

When the waters rose, AFSCME was there to provide...
FLOOD RELIEF

When floods struck many parts of Washington state in early February, members of Council 2 were among those who suffered extensive damage. The damage ranged from ruined carpets and flooded basements to the near-destruction of complete houses.

Now Council 2, with the help of AFSCME, is reaching out to aid them. Financial assistance is being provided to 23 people who applied for help. The move to assist union members began with Council 2 President and Executive Director Chris Dugovich, who talked to AFSCME officials in Washington, D.C. Soon after that, he sent a letter to local presidents, asking those who needed assistance to apply. Most of those who applied for assistance should receive their money by the end of April, Council 2 Organizer Clem Edwards said. The money is being sent from AFSCME International in Washington, D.C., through its Community Action Department.

One who received help is Lee Fowler, a member of Local 1262, which represents workers at the Cowlitz County Courthouse. Fowler was impressed with the speed and efficiency with which the AFSCME disaster advocates helped him. Their action was in strong contrast with the delay and frustration he received in dealing with the federal government agency and the telephone company, Fowler said.

It is not yet clear how much each person will receive, Edwards said. "We anticipate that they will receive between $100 and $500 each, depending on the severity of the damage."

Obviously, this is not enough to cover all their damages, but it is an indication of AFSCME and Council 2's concern for them. "It shows that the union is there for its members, whether it is a grievance or a disaster." said Edwards.

Applications for help were received from all over the state.

Three of the stories of those who applied for help are told on this page.

Flood hit a week after she moved in.
When Joanna Pottoroff awoke at 5 a.m. on Feb. 10 she looked out of the window of her Chehalis house to see that flood waters from a nearby creek were only a foot from her home. An hour later, the water was invading the house itself.

"Within a couple of hours, the house was filled with about 6 inches of water," Pottoroff recalls.

The ever-worsening disaster was even more distressing for Pottoroff than it might have been for someone else. The reason: She had lived in the house for only a week. She watched in horror as the water crept steadily upward. Helped by her neighbors-whom she had not yet even had a chance to meet-she tried to put her furniture on blocks to prevent it from being destroyed by the water.

As the water reached a height of 21.2 feet, a neighbor came to rescue her with a rowboat. When Pottoroff returned to survey the damage as the water receded in the next few days, she found that the foundation of her house had been ruined. She needed new flooring and wherever the water had touched the furniture, it had eaten away at the finish. The garage is totaled.

"I am still not living a normal life," Pottoroff says. "The house is clean, but there is not much in it." Pottoroff, a mother of two, is a member of Local 1341 and works for Lewis County Public service's engineering department.

"I am grateful for any help I can get from the union," she adds.

Pottoroff is pleased about one thing: She found her family pictures and put them up in the attic where the water could not reach them.

The water just kept coming
As floodwaters reached the front steps of his home in Dayton, John Eaton started sandbagging his house to try to stop the water from invading it. But the water kept coming. By Wednesday, Feb. 7, Eaton and his family had to leave their home, about 30 miles northeast of Walla Walla. They stayed at a friend's house. On Thursday morning, with the waters receding, Eaton returned to survey the damage. He started cleaning out the foot-thick mud that covered his garage floor.

But the flood was not over yet. "Early Friday, the police woke us at 1 a.m. and warned us the water was rising," Eaton says. "We watched it closely and at 5 a.m. we went to our friend's house again." Eaton, a member of Local 1191-CD, returned to his work as a shop serviceman for Columbia County on Friday.

When he was able to return to the house on Friday evening, he found carpets destroyed, especially those in the basement. "We are not done with the damage yet," Eaton says. "We don't have any lawn at all."

Flooded out-- twice
Brian Suffia was flooded out twice. Once in November last year and once in February this year. Each time the water severely damaged the skirting of his mobile home in Maple Valley. Suffia, who is a maintenance worker for the City of Renton Parks Department, said his trailer was totally surrounded by water each time.

"Both times I had to leave and stay with friends," he says. "The first time it was 10 days; the second time it was about six or seven days." Suffia was not able to recover between the two floods. The second destroyed temporary plastic skirting that he put around his house. He has put more plastic around it, but is hoping to repair it with aluminum again. Suffia needs also to replace gravel under the trailer that was washed away.

"I really appreciate the help I am being given by the union," he says.

Members of Local 275 pose for a picture with Lynn Kessler (D), 24th District, during the Legislative Weekend held in Olympia during February. From left, are Rick Hickerson, Trina Young, Kessler, Gloria Day and Mary Townsend. Gov. Mike Lowry, front, signs a bill that provides added protection to fire marshals. With him are, from left, Pierce County Fire Marshal Bob Skaggs, Council 2's Legislation/Political Action Director Pat Thompson, and Kathy Lambert (R), 45th District.

Visit us on our new web site

Council 2 is on the Internet. That means that anyone interested in knowing more about the Washington State Council of County and City Employees now can do so by calling up the union's home page on the World Wide Web.

The page contains information on Council 2, the text and pictures from the most recent issues of this newspaper, and a list of members of the 1996 state legislature. The page also includes links to other sites of interest to members. Among the links are those to the AFL-CIO page and the AFSCME page. The Internet address is: http://www.seanet.com/~council2

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Scholarship applications open

Applications are now open for the 1996 Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship for the children of AFSCME members. Council 2 is a member of AFSCME. The scholarship will be awarded to one student who is currently a sophomore majoring in political science and who has a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The winner, who will be selected by lottery from the eligible applicants, will receive $10,000 a year for the junior and senior years of study and an opportunity to intern with the International Union's Political Action Department.

For applications, write: Jerry Clark Memorial Scholarship, c/o AFSCME Education Department, 1625 L Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Applications must be postmarked no later than July 1, 1996.

s Scene at the rally Roger Moller (Local 109) and daughter Korey Kali Drake, 14, daughter of Dea Drake (21-K), and Christine Chen

Session produces victory for Council 2

The short session was not without its victories for Council 2. One of them was the passing of the "Fire Marshal Bill."

The measure was first introduced in 1989 as a result of an assault on a member of Council 2. Bob Skaggs, a Pierce County Fire Marshal, was investigating an arson fire when he was assaulted by the arsonist. When Skaggs took action against him, he came across a technical problem with the law.

The law protected certain workers, such as police and firefighters, by making simple assault a felony rather than a gross misdemeanor. But the wording protected those who were employees of a fire 'department,' but not those who worked in the fire marshal's 'office.'

The proposed change in the law to protect people like Skaggs was delayed because lawmakers were afraid of creating a lengthy list of covered employees. Indeed, little league coaches were almost included last year. But finally, this year, it was approved. The prime sponsor of the bill was Kathy Lambert (R), 45th District.

Lobbying averts threat to workers

Private contractors want your job. That's the reason the battle over public works projects continued during the short session of the Washington state legislature.

"The worst threat for us during the session was House Bill 2785," says Pat Thompson, Council 2's Legislation/Political Action Director. "The measure was approved by the House. But, by the time it was passed by the Senate, it was stripped of its worst provisions."

The measure sought to force counties to bid out work involving repair, remodeling or construction of county facilities. Current laws governing public works projects mandate that most be performed by the private sector, even though local governments could perform the work more efficiently and at a lower cost using public works.

Originally, it would have affected all counties in the state, but ultimately--because of a law suit brought by the Association of General Contractors against King County--it covered only that county. The law suit involved the use of public employees in a remodeling project.

So now the new law, which was originally aimed at all counties, applies only to King County. But the trend marked by the legislation is a worrying one. It sets a dollar limit above which all jobs must be contracted out. And that provides a benchmark for contracting out public employee jobs, Thompson says. "The privateers are attempting to get their snout in the public trough at the expense of our members and the taxpayers," Thompson adds.

Medical benefits are saved

Moves by the Senate prevented a reduction in health-care benefits sought by the House of Representatives. Indeed, the benefits actually were increased by 56 cents to $314.51 for classified school employees. The House had sought to reduce the benefit allocation by $9.85 a month. For the first time in recent years, school employees benefits were separated from state employees benefits.

Voter registration:

A chance to elect your boss
This Fall's elections are so important that it is essential that public employees stand up and be counted. The first step in this process is to register to vote.

Its simple to do.

Postcard registration forms are available at public schools, libraries, city halls and post offices. Or you can call us at 1-800-775-6418 and we will make sure you receive one. Once you have received the postcard, fill it out and drop it in the mail at least 30 days before the election.

The Primary this year is on Sept. 17, with the General Election on Nov. 5.

Voter's Checklist

Need Assistance? If you need voter registration information or assistance, contact your County Auditor or County Elections Department (under Government Listings in your telephone directory), or call the Secretary of State Voter Hotline: 1-800-448-4881
TTD Service for the hearing impaired 1-800-422-8683

Ten thousand workers gather to send a message to Olympia

Some 10,000 labor union members braved the rain and cold Feb. 19 to send a message to Olympia. Among the enthusiastic supporters of the President's Day rally were hundreds of members of Council 2. Called the "Stand Up for Working Families Rally," the gathering was an outstanding success. Members of the legislature could not help but take notice of the power represented in those who gathered.

The mass demonstration took aim at such issues as contracting out, which takes jobs away from public employees; the need for family-wage jobs; and the importance of real collective bargaining. Because the emphasis of the rally was on families, many demonstrating members of Council 2 were joined by members of their families. They helped to display banners and posters supporting the main issues of the rally.

CALENDAR

Among the crowd gathered in Olympia Feb. 19 are, from left, in the forefront, Brian Snipes, Lynette Fornia, Staff Rep. Randy Withrow, Dave Wagner, Doug Brock and Bill Todd. Except for Withrow, all are members of Local 270.

Council 2's growth continues

Council 2 continues to grow. Among the newest members are those who work for the City of Kent and for the King County Superior Court.
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