Last year, Teamsters 117 as a part of a Coalition of King County Unions negotiated a one-year extension agreement with the County, which locked in a 5.5% general wage increase for all Teamsters effective January 2025. Over the last couple of weeks, the unions have started the process of bargaining over a new Coalition Labor Agreement that will take effect at the beginning of next year. 

Our Coalition bargaining team consists of 25 unions representing thousands of County employees. We have approximately one hundred rank-and-file leaders and Union staff on the committee, including 32 members of Teamsters 117.

Our overarching goal in these negotiations is to ensure that all Coalition members are fairly compensated given the persistent increases in the cost of living in our region and that you are respected and recognized for the excellent services you provide the residents of the County.

NEGOTIATIONS GET UNDERWAY ON FEB. 11

Our Union team gathered for the first time on January 23 for a negotiations training and to establish priorities for bargaining based on your feedback from the demands meetings we held back in December and from our contract surveys. On February 11 and 13, we met across the table from the County for the first time. 

In our February 11 bargaining session, the County presented their financial projections for the coming budget cycle, and we had the opportunity to ask clarifying questions. The County estimates a $150 million budget shortfall in the General Fund for 2026-2027, which they attribute in large part to the 1% cap on annual increases to property taxes. In that session, the County also passed a comprehensive proposal, which included economic provisions in the contract.

On February 13, we carefully reviewed all provisions of the County's proposal, and we presented our own comprehensive proposal.

We will be back at the negotiations table on February 25 and 27 to continue advocating on your behalf. As negotiations progress, we will provide regular updates. You can watch a short video recap on the first negotiations sessions from Elijah Barnes, a Utility Workers II, Shop Steward, and member of the JUA bargaining unit: