Our King County Coalition of Unions bargaining team was back at the table with the County on May 11 to continue total compensation contract negotiations for the 2017-2018 biennium.

Nine months into bargaining, progress has been slow, but we are still hopeful we can reach an agreement by our June deadline.

For the first hour of this session, our Union team met in caucus to finalize our economic counterproposal. 

We focused on the highest priorities of the membership based on the contract survey results. These include an across-the-board wage increase in both years of the contract, adequate protection for our health and welfare benefits without premium share, and recognition for years of service to the County.

Our proposal addressed these economic issues on a coalition-wide basis while preserving an important degree of economic bargaining autonomy for each individual bargaining unit. We also established a timeframe for negotiating additional economic and non-economic items after an anticipated ratification vote this summer. 

We presented our proposal to the County, and after a short discussion, both parties returned to caucus. 

At that time, we revisited the County’s proposal for some common contract provisions in what they are calling a “Joint Labor Agreement.”

We have expressed significant resistance to that idea conceptually, but we decided to conduct a careful article by article analysis of their proposal to cull out provisions that might be acceptable with modification from completely unworkable ones.

We are scheduled to meet again with the County on May 25. At that meeting, we hope to move closer to an agreement on language and economic items so that we can present an offer to you for your review and a ratification vote this summer.

To view short video updates from Cynthia Adams and Jennifer Broadus, two Local 117 members on our bargaining team, please visit our Union's Facebook page.

If you have questions, please contact your bargaining committee member or your Business Representative, Suzette Dickerson, at 206-441-4860 ext. 1232.

Thank you to the members of your Union Bargaining Committee and thank you for your service to the residents of King County.

Your Union Bargaining Committee:

  • Lisa Huntley, Solid Waste Division – Professional & Technical and Administrative Contract
  • Dan Fernandez, Legal Secretary, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office - PAO Contract
  • Debbie Valle, Legal Administrative Specialist, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office - PAO Contract
  • Robert Stalnaker, Security Screener, King County Sheriff’s Office - Security Screeners Contract
  • Lisa Ohlen, Customer Service Specialist III, RALS - PT&A Contract
  • Cheryl Besmer, Customer Service Specialist IV, RALS - PT&A Contract
  • Jennifer Broadus, Administrative Specialist III, Solid Waste Division - PT&A Contract
  • Cynthia Adams, Assistant Accountant, Solid Waste Division - PT&A Contract
  • Cheryl Ann Gunderson, Manager, KCIT - KCIT Managers & Supervisors Contract
  • Lisa Parriott, Supervisor, DOT - DOT Managers & Supervisors Contract
  • Brian Pinney, Inventory Purchasing Specialist III, Solid Waste Division/Cedar Hills - Joint Units Agreement
  • Stan Johnson, Utilities, Roads/Renton - Joint Units Agreement
  • Mari Jane Friel, Utilities, Roads/Fall City - Joint Units Agreement
  • Chad Clay, Supervisor II, Wastewater - Wastewater Managers & Supervisors Contract