UPDATE: DOC TEAMSTERS WIN INTEREST ARBITRATION!

Thank you to Cheryl Steele, a Classification Counselor 2 at Airway Heights Corrections Center (AHCC) for sharing her experiences at the DOC Day of Action event on January 10. Her article is published in its entirety below:

A bill currently before the Washington State Legislature would put public sector employees’ retirement security at risk.

SB5851 would create a defined contribution retirement plan (401k) that could eventually supplant public employees’ pension plans altogether. SB5851 would harm existing PERS plans by driving up plan costs. Each new member of the proposed plan would increase the risk to the State Investment Board’s ability to make sound, long term investments. The bill would put the State’s entire pension system in jeopardy!

The Washington State House of Representatives released its Operating Budget on Wednesday at a news conference in Olympia.

In contrast to the Senate’s budget released last week, the House budget closes 15 tax loopholes and preserves important social services for pre-K children and the working poor. The House budget also provides an additional $1.9 billion for K-12 education as the State struggles to meet a Supreme Court mandate to boost school funding.

The Teamster Action Truck is headed out to Eastern Washington this week where we will be making stops at the Washington State Penitentiary (WSP) in Walla Walla and at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center (CRCC) in Connell.

Members of Teamsters 117 at Seattle Cold Storage facilites in Algona and Tacoma will be working under a different ownership group now that the company has sold two local warehouses to California-based Lineage Logistics.

On Wednesday, April 3, the Washington State Senate released its 2013-2015 operating budget at a news conference in Olympia. The Senate’s version of the budget can be viewed here. Later, in the afternoon of April 3, there was a public hearing on the Senate budget proposal. (We will include a link to video of the hearing as soon as it is available on TVW.)

The Senate budget provides for $1.8 billion for corrections and other criminal justice initiatives. The proposal represents a 0.5 percent spending decrease from the 2011-2013 biennium.

If you care about working family issues, you should be outraged at the way the Port of Seattle and many elected officials are turning a blind eye to the unsafe and inhumane working conditions for short-haul truck drivers who transport loads from Seattle's waterfront to nearby rail terminals.

Rods, customs, classics, and choppers all welcome for your Local Union’s first annual Car & Bike Show on Saturday, June 22, 2013. There will be prizes, goodie bags, a 50/50 raffle, and cheap eats for purchase.

This event is sponsored by the Local 117 caucuses to benefit your Union’s Solidarity Scholarship for continuing education.