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. 

In August, Teamsters at King County had the opportunity to vote on a tentative COLA agreement that had been negotiated by the King County Coalition of Unions. 

The agreement was fully recommended by your Local 117 bargaining committee.   The vote was conducted by a mail-in ballot, and votes were tabulated by members at the Union Hall in Tukwila on August 13.

In all, ten of eleven Local 117 bargaining units voted to approve the agreement. 

The agreement includes a 2% cost-of-living increase for all impacted County employees in 2015 and a 2.25% increase in 2016.  It also includes a flat lump sum bonus of $500 per employee payable to Coalition bargaining unit members only. 

Under the agreement, the County is required to pay eligible members their $500 bonus on or before December 31.  As soon as we hear when the County will be dispersing your bonus, we will let you know.  Thank you for exercising your right to vote on your contract!

As you know, the King County Coalition of Unions bargained a tentative agreement that includes cost-of-living increases for all impacted County employees in 2015 and 2016.  The agreement also includes a flat lump sum bonus of $500 per employee payable to Coalition bargaining unit members only.  This agreement is fully recommended by your Union's bargaining committee.

In July and August, we will be holding four lunchtime meetings to discuss the agreement.  At the meetings, we will present and review the agreement and answer your questions.  You can review the tentative agreement and a FAQ document before the meeting.    

Please make an effort to attend and make your voice heard!  To RSVP, click on the date of the meeting you want to attend:

Each bargaining unit will have an opportunity to vote on the agreement before August 14.  

If you have any questions, please contact your Business Representative. As always, thank you for your incredible service to the residents of King County!