Last Friday, our Coalition of Unions achieved a fully-recommended settlement agreement with King County on a new Coalition Labor Agreement (CLA) representing over 6,000 County workers. We have also reached agreement on the Joint Labor Management Insurance Committee (JLMIC), which administers your health and welfare benefits.

Reaching these agreements has been a long and challenging process that began in February. Over the past four months, our negotiations team—consisting of 25 unions with approximately 100 rank-and-file leaders and union staff—met biweekly with the County. Nearly 30 shop stewards from Local 117 participated at the table and informed every aspect of the bargaining process.

Some of the highlights of the CLA proposal include:

  • Healthy wage increases in all three years of the contract
    • 1/1/26 - 3.75% general wage increase
    • 1/1/27 - 3.75% general wage increase
    • 1/1/28 - 3-4% COLA
  • $1500 ratification bonus payable to all Coalition members
  • Bilingual pay premium for employees using additional languages at work
  • Wage study for our administrative support positions
  • Additional contributions to fund professional development opportunities
  • Significant increases to our boot allowance for members working in the field
  • Improved vacation accrual for new employees
  • Holiday pay improvements for employees on alternative work schedules

We secured three-year terms for both the CLA and JLMIC agreements, providing important financial security for County workers during uncertain economic times. We also successfully preserved our seniority rights and maintained existing telework language.

PRÓXIMOS PASOS

Over the next few months, all of the unions in the Coalition will be negotiating over the appendix agreements for their individual bargaining units. Our goal is to complete these negotiations by September 5 to ensure that the agreements can be successfully transmitted through Council.

All of the appendix agreements and the CLA are subject to membership ratification. We anticipate you will vote on your contract as a package later this summer. 

Thank you to the members on our negotiations team who worked long, often exhausting days to represent you with intelligence, passion, and professionalism at the bargaining table. Thank you also to all members who provided feedback in our surveys and at our demands meetings. Your input helped guide us to what I believe is an outstanding agreement that recognizes the hard work and sacrifices of County employees.

Please direct any questions you have to your negotiations team or your Union Representative, Cara Mattson or Rosanna Sim.

VIDEO UPDATE FROM NEGOTIATIONS