The votes are in! The tentative agreement was rejected by a vote of 98-95. The bargaining team appreciates the incredibly high turnout in this vote, and the wonderful comments made on the ballots. When we returned to negotiations on April 1st, we came with the intent of addressing the concerns members had about Section 17.3 (over half of the comments on the ballots identified confusion about this section as the reason they voted no, and this is the same comment the team heard at the last membership meeting). In addition to clarifying the language, we also persuaded management to agree to negotiate the terms of the BT Standards and to make them part of our contract during our next bargaining cycle (this means that management cannot unilaterally impose changes in our BT standards – once the standards are part of our contract, WTD would need to negotiate any proposed changes to the standards, regardless of any County-wide attendance policy that may be created). Remember, if we ratify the revised proposal, the new contract will be in effect only until June 30 of 2009. Yes, we’ll be back at the bargaining table next year! That’s what happens when it takes nearly 2 years to get a contract!
In addition to the original proposed settlement (which was rejected), we’ve added to this webpage three new documents:
- the document that outlines the retro pay available to members upon ratification
- the recently negotiated proposed changes to Section 17.3
- the Letter of Understanding regarding BT Standards
We expect to schedule the vote for the week of April 21: the tentative dates are Monday April 21 & Wednesday April 23. As usual, we’ll be voting in both of the plants (we’ll email members the exact location) each day, and the voting times for each day remain 5:30 AM – 7:00 AM and 11:30 AM – 12:00 Noon.
New Agreement Goes to
Membership Discussion March 13, Votes March 17 & 21After an extraordinarily long and tedious process, the SEIU 925 bargainng team members have reached agreement with management for a new contract. The contract is not final unless the members ratify it and the County Council passes an ordinance to make it official.
Members are in control of the decision as to whether or not this contract proposal should be formalized. We're holding a member meeting on Thursday evening, March 13th, at the Teamster Hall (14675 Interurban Ave S in Tukwila - Small Auditorium) beginning at 6 PM. Please come to learn more about the proposal before you vote.
Attached are several documents to help you make your decision. The 'redline' copy of the full agreement is management's version. It has an error in the expiration date; it should read to expire June 30 2009, not October 31 2009. Other than that, it accurately reflects the negotiated settlement.
Our votes will take place the following week, Monday the 17th and Friday the 21st. We'll vote at both plants from 5:30 AM to 7 AM both days, with an additional mid-day last-chance vote on Friday 11:30-noon.
Download the tentative agreement (with final changes).
Learn how the County Council adopts a union contract as final.