Michelle Woodrow, your Director of Corrections & Law Enforcement, met with the State in Olympia yesterday for preliminary discussions over a grievance your Union filed regarding surcharges added to your health care plan. 

The State is now assessing a $50 surcharge if your spouse has access to a comparable or better health care plan and declines to use it; a $25 surcharge is assessed if you or your spouse use tobacco products.  

Our contract establishes that the employer must pay 85% of your health care premium; we believe that surcharges should be covered at the 85% rate as well. 

The State has 21 days to respond to the grievance.  We will continue to keep you posted as soon as we have additional information.