Schedules: GENERAL GOVERNMENT

General Govern-
ment negotia-
Bargaining Update
tions:
Aug. 11, 2010 www.wfse.org
Aug. 18 & 19
Aug. 25 & 26
Sept. 1 & 2
Furlough agreement reached with important
Aug. 20 deadline for 4/10 & 9/80 employees
Health Care
Coalition negotia- Agreement covers employees in IMPORTANT: THOSE WITH 4/10 OR
tions: 22 agencies forced to take all 10 9/80 SCHEDULES WHO WANT TO
Aug. 24 furlough days REQUEST A CHANGE TO A FIVE
WFSE/AFSCME special provisions so DAY, EIGHT-HOUR SCHEDULE
DSHS Institutions and the state on those working 4/10 FOR FURLOUGH WEEKS MUST
Supplemental Aug. 9 reached and 9/80 schedules
DO SO BY AUG. 20. THIS IS TO
negotiations: agreement on a aren’t dinged for
Aug. 16 memorandum of more than eight COVER THE NEXT FURLOUGH
Aug. 23 understanding hours of pay on DAY ON SEPT. 7.
laying out several furlough days.
measures to mitigate
Other supple- the impacts of CONTINUED ON View and download a copy of the
mental negotia- furloughs, with NEXT SIDE agreement at www.wfse.org.
tions:
TBD 4/10 SCHEDULES is a pilot project in DFW and DSHS. Those
Under the agreement, employees agencies will determine the “administrative
Contact the team: represented by WFSE/AFSCME in 20 burden” of the schedule changes and
agencies who work 4/10 schedules can determine the “feasibility” of continuing the
info@wfse.org
switch to a 5/8 schedule on the week of a changes after the Sept. 7 furlough day.
Please put “Mes- furlough, PROVIDED THE EMPLOYEES
sage for the General 9/80 SCHEDULES
DECLARE THIS OPTION BY AUG. 20
Government Bar-
FOR ALL FURLOUGH DAYS STARTING Employees in all 22 of the agencies covered
gaining Team” in the
subject line. IN SEPTEMBER. Those 20 agencies by the agreement who work a 9/80 schedule
are: Early Learning; Health; Utilities and will be able to switch to an eight-hour
Transportation Commission; Recreation day on a furlough day in September and
Online at: and Conservation Office; Information October, and make arrangements to work
www.wfse.org > Services; Labor and Industries; Licensing; the additional hour necessary to meet their
Bargaining Center Commerce; Veterans Affairs; Health schedule. BUT EMPLOYEES WORKING
> General Govern- Care Authority; Washington State Patrol; A 9/80 SCHEDULE MUST MAKE A
Corrections; General Administration; REQUEST IN WRITING TO THEIR
ment Bargaining Workforce Training and Education IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR FOR THIS
Team Info & News Coordinating Board; Office of Minority and SCHEDULE CHANGE BY AUG. 20.
Women’s Business Enterprises; Human The 9/80 agreement is a two-month pilot.
Rights Commission; Criminal Justice Each agency will evaluate the feasibility of
Training Commission; Arts Commission; the 9/80 schedule change switch provision
WASHINGTON FEDERATION OF STATE EMPLOYEES
Employment Security; and Ecology. by Nov. 1.

FAIR
4/10 SCHEDULES TWO-AGENCY PILOT
Employees in the Department of Fish and
Wildlife and the Department of Social
CONTRACT and Health Services may switch from a
4/10 schedule to a 5/8 schedule during
OTHER ALTERNATE SCHEDULES
The agreement allows agencies to OK more
frequent schedule changes. And employees
on alternate work schedules other than 4/10
or 9/80 may request schedule changes

NOW
the week of the next furlough day, Sept. under the General Government contract.
7 PROVIDED THEY REQUEST THE
SCHEDULE CHANGE BY AUG. 20. This
WFSE / AFSCME Council 28 • AFL-CIO

CONTINUED FROM OTHER SIDE
Members in affected agencies should get information
on the Aug. 20 deadline from their management, too.
The agreement came after four days of tough
bargaining and one final team strategy meeting Aug. 4.
Your special furlough bargaining team held the line to help
those with other than the traditional five-day, eight-hour-a-
day schedule. And the team insisted on and got language
that does nothing to harm the union’s other challenges
against the furloughs. The union has filed a lawsuit,
unfair labor practice complaint and a grievance over the
furloughs.
In fact the agreement states: “Nothing in this
agreement will be construed to mean that the union agrees
with the employer’s decision to implement temporary layoff
days or that the union agrees that this decision complies
with the law or the collective bargaining agreement.”
WFSE/AFSCME Director of Negotiations Cecil
Tibbetts and Shane Esquibel of the state’s Office of
Labor Relations signed the 16-point memorandum of
understanding.
WHO’S AFFECTED BY THIS AGREEMENT?
This agreement generally covers those agencies that
did not submit an alternative plan for something other than
the 10 furlough days specified in the furlough law ESSB
6503.
If your agency is not listed here, it means it’s one
of the agencies that had an approved alternative plan
to the 10 furlough days. Generally, those agencies with
alternative plans are supposed to have agency-specific
negotiations. The attention given to this agreement
covering 22 agencies in no way minimizes the sacrifices of
HEALTH CARE BARGAINING. The WFSE/AFSCME-led
coalition of all state employee unions began bargaining
on the health care benefits funding article Aug. 10. But
there was no good news.The union initiated a proposal
that centers on the unions’ interest of keeping health
costs low in the face of recent and huge increases in
NONPROFIT
US POSTAGE
PAID
OLYMPIA WA
PERMIT NO. 238
OTHER KEY PARTS OF THE FURLOUGH AGREEMENT:
• The agreement has important protections for vacation
and sick leave accrual, retirement, periodic increment
dates, seniority dates and part-time employees.
Part-time employees will be able to modify their
schedule during a furlough week so their loss of pay is
proportionate to the percentage of their position relative
to a full-time position.
• The agreement also has a provision on workload. An
employee who believes a work deadline or workload
demand can’t be met because of a furlough day can
work with his or her supervisor to make appropriate
adjustments. Also, employees shall not be denied the
ability to schedule leave solely because of work left
undone because of furloughs.
• Employees not scheduled to work on a furlough day
will take the workday before or the workday after as the
furlough day.
• Overtime exempt employees become overtime
eligible during furlough weeks.
• Those earning less than $2,500 a month can use
vacation leave or shared leave on furlough days, as
outlined in the law.
employees in other agencies taking less than 10 days of
furloughs.
And it goes without saying this agreement affects
those who are not exempt from furlough days, in other
words, if you’re in a job class in one of the 22 agencies
listed below required to take furloughs, this agreement
applies to you.
out-of-pocket costs and premiums. Management did
not offer a counterproposal. They hinted strongly their
interest in raising your share of premium costs from the
current 12 percent and decreasing your level of benefits.
Both sides agreed to meet again Aug. 24.