Over the last several months, we have been testing a new method to increase membership involvement at King County through our Member Advisory Committees.

So far, we have formed working advisory committees, consisting of several Local 117 members, in the KC Department of Information Technology as well as the Solid Waste Division

WOW! In my last report, I had predicted that the Protected Fund Reserve would end 2014 with close to $30 million (up from its original $25 million in funding in 2012).  While that would have been an excellent outcome, I am pleased to report that the results are even better than expected.

• In 2014, the Protected Fund Reserve increased by $9 million to over $35 million. This represents a 34% increase in our safety net to protect against rising health and welfare costs.

• The new projections show that the Protected Fund Reserve will increase another $3 million this year, and at the end of 2016, the reserve is projected to close in on $40 million.   Therefore, the experts at Mercer are now projecting that the Fund for the JLMIC unions will be stable through 2018!

Let's welcome Suzette Dickerson, a new Teamsters Local 117 Business Representative for public sector members working at King County!

Before joining the staff of Teamsters 117, Suzette worked as an Intake Officer at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for 14 years.

For 10 of those years, Suzette served the Union as a Shop Steward. She was a member of the bargaining committee during three cycles of contract negotiations; she handled grievances; and she participated in Labor Management meetings to resolve issues in the workplace.

I am excited to give this report to King County employees for two reasons.

First, your JLMIC health benefits are great benefits.  The Gold plan is an 85% coverage plan, but the deductibles and out of pocket maximums (which are far more important in terms of their impact on your total out-of-pocket cost) are very low.  And, there’s no premium share.

Second, you are unlikely to see premium share, at least for the foreseeable future.

The following email was sent yesterday on behalf of Patti Cole-Tindall, King County Director of Labor Relations, to the King County Coalition of Unions in regards to the lump sum payment for coalition members:

Pam Bell in the Payroll Department at King County has distributed the following email regarding King County members who are eligible for the $500 lump sum payment under the recently ratified COLA agreement:

The new issue of the Local 117 newsletter for Teamsters at King County is now available!  

This issue has an update on the recent COLA agreement vote as well as a number of other articles that discuss the latest happenings pertaining to Local 117 members who work at the County  

Check it out!

When you work at an agency the size of King County, you may feel like you are in a perpetual state of flux.  There is constant reorganization, reclassification, hiring, layoffs, and other changes that affect you and your co-workers. 

As a Union member, you have a right to have your voice heard when changes in working conditions occur in the workplace. 

This summer, we conducted focus groups for 48 Local 117 members in the public sector, including several Teamsters at King County.  We wanted to hear from you about how to build a stronger Union that can more effectively fight for fair wages and good benefits for all members.  

King County employees spend their day providing outstanding service to our community.  They clear our streets, maintain our roads, clean up our parks, provide safe drinking water, protect our environment, treat our mentally ill, and keep our communities safe.