Unidos estamos: El trabajo de la coalición da resultados en el condado de King

Shop Steward Dan Fernandez (l) and Union Representative Brian Perreira after Total Comp bargaining session on March 22.

Nuestra Coalición de Sindicatos ha estado trabajando horas extras en nombre de Teamsters en el Condado de King, y los resultados hablan por sí mismos.

Last year, the Coalition achieved a first-ever Master Labor Agreement (MLA), which was overwhelmingly ratified by all participating Teamster bargaining units. Our Coalition team bargained a 3.25% wage increase for 2018, one of many improvements in the MLA.

With MLA bargaining wrapping up last fall, the Coalition has already launched into a new round of negotiations with the County, which started earlier this month. “Total Comp” negotiations considers all compensable elements of your contract.

“Total compensation has everything to do with your overall compensation package,” explained Brian Pinney, a bargaining committee member who works in the County’s Solid Waste Division. “A general wage increase, your medical coverage, a lot of other benefits - they’re all covered under Total Comp.”

Negotiations kicked off on March 1 with our Union and the County establishing ground rules for bargaining. Yesterday, the Coalition met independently from the County to map out our priorities for negotiations and to develop a comprehensive initial proposal.

“We’re collaboratively, as a group, discussing what will be in our proposal versus topics that don’t have the same level of importance,” Pinney said. “The benefit of working in a coalition is to elevate people and bring people up. That’s what we’re focused on.”

“We had a lively discussion about our initial proposal, which we hope to make to the County soon,” added Dan Fernandez, a shop steward who works in the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

At the next session, scheduled for March 29 at the Teamsters hall in Tukwila, the County’s Budget Director, Dwight Dively, will present the employer’s data on the financial state of the County. That meeting will give us some insight into what the County may be planning for these negotiations.

If you have questions about Total Comp, please talk to a bargaining committee member or your union representative.