The City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Joint Labor Committee have been meeting on a regular basis to re-negotiate the entire Tacoma Joint Labor Committee Agreement.
Healthcare benefits continue to be the primary issue.
The City has proposed that employees pay more for premiums in order to receive a lower quality benefit. In addition, the City has proposed introducing a High Deductible Health Plan. Based on current trends and utilization, many of the proposed plan design changes are unnecessary. Therefore, the Tacoma Joint Labor Committee proposed a one-year contract roll-over with specific timelines to achieve goals on education, wellness and other components prior to determining what any plan design changes should look like. Management is due to respond to that proposal at our next session in two weeks.
In June, the Tacoma Joint Labor Committee filed an Unfair Labor Practice against the City related to their unilateral change to their compensation philosophy. We are scheduled for mediation on November 15, 2013 in an effort to see if we can resolve this matter prior to a hearing. That hearing is currently scheduled for November 22, 2013 and November 23, 2013. Our interest is protecting the integrity of the current healthcare plans and the other benefits as outlined in the Tacoma Joint Labor Committee Agreement, such as longevity pay and vacation time.
We thank you for your patience, perseverance, and solidarity as we continue to fight on your behalf.
Tacoma Joint Labor Committee
- Alice Philips, Chair - IBEW Local 483
- Matt Frank, Vice-Chair - Tacoma Firefighters IAFF, Local 31
- Jeff Clark, Secretary-Treasurer - Teamsters Local 117
- Terra Ament, Teamsters Local 313
- Roberta Burnett, IBEW 483
- Dylan Carlson, AFSCME Local 120
- Bobby Joe Murray, IAM District 160
- Patrick Silvernale, PTE Local 17
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