HOTLINE 1/31/18

This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 31.

Moment of Silence tomorrow

Tomorrow, Feb. 1, the 44,000 members of the Washington Federation of State Employees/AFSCME will pause and join the nationwide moment of silence to honor the 50th anniversary of the tragic death of two Memphis sanitation workers, Echel Cole and Robert Walker.

Their deaths sparked the two-month strike that brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to stand with them. And there in Memphis, Dr. King gave his life for public workers.

Fifty years later, we pause. We remember. We demand safety and dignity for all workers. Wherever you are tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 1, join the moment of silence at two-twenty p.m.

Calls to action in advance of Thursday’s Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing

Two of our members’ priority bills come up for pivotal hearings tomorrow (Feb. 1) in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

  • SSB 6259, the social worker student loan repayment bill. Support our members who will testify for this good bill. Call 1-206-516-2072 and ask your state senator to support SSB 6259, the social worker student loan repayment bill.
  • SSB 6245, the Interpreter Services bill to expand the proven success of what our medical interpreter members have accomplished. Call 1-206-693-2926 and ask your state senator to support SSB 6245.

State employee privacy again boosted by Senate committee

The legislative tug-of-war over your dates of birth isn’t over yet. But the Senate State Government Committee this morning (Jan. 31) considered a compromise bill that like another bill would keep state employee dates of birth out of the hands of the Freedom Foundation and others.

The proposed Substitute Senate Bill 5418 would also keep state employee passport and visa numbers private as well.

AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) Lobbyist Matt Zuvich commended the compromise to the committee.

A committee vote is set for Friday (Feb. 2).

But members of the state Sunshine Committee and representatives of the media opposed this humane privacy bill that is about the safety and security of state employees and their families.

Media conglomerates (but not individual journalists) are starting to use their editorial pages to oppose another date-of-birth privacy bill, SB 6079, that is now in the Senate Rules Committee.

But the Seattle Times in its Jan. 29 editorial against SB 6079 failed to disclose an important fact. The Seattle Times Company just four days earlier sided with the Freedom Foundation in court. The Times joined other print and broadcast associations in filing “friend-of-the-court” briefs in support of the Freedom Foundation’s effort to have the state Supreme Court overturn a state Court of Appeals decision in favor of AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) members’ date-of-birth privacy.

Stay tuned.

Our shared leave bill passes House

Our latest shared leave bill, SHB 1434, passed the House today on a vote of 73-21 with 4 excused. It now moves to the Senate. This is the bill to expand the shared leave program to include pregnancy-related disability or illness, or for parental leave to bond with a new child.

Don’t think standing together as a union for affordable health care matters, consider this....

From the United States Supreme Court in Washington, DC, to the Freedom Foundation in this state, powerful special interests want to take away our ability to negotiate better wages and benefits to sustain our families and provide quality public services.

The aim of these “right-to-work” and other attacks is to cripple this movement and undo the progress we’ve made.

It’s not theoretical. We see examples of what might be if those special interests get their way.

Take House Bill 2869 that was introduced in our state House of Representatives earlier this month.

  • HB 2869 would make an end-run around our bargaining rights and impose higher health care costs.
  • HB 2869 would increase our health care premiums by a third, from the current 15 percent share to 20 percent.

The bill was introduced by three Republican representatives. It was sent to the House Appropriations Committee. No hearings have been scheduled. It likely is not going anywhere beyond the printed page because it would have to have a hearing and a committee vote by Feb. 6.

But it tipped the hand of what those special interests have in store for you if they cripple us as the union of 44,000 dedicated public servants.

Remember: Joining together, working people like us gain strength in numbers so we can create a voice at work about what we care about.

In memoriam: Bob Horner

Services have been set for Robert J. “Bob” Horner, a longtime WFSE/AFSCME shop steward at the Washington Soldiers Home in Orting.

Horner, who retired in 2012, passed away the weekend of Jan. 20-21. He was 70. He was a custodian at the Soldiers Home and a member of Local 53.

A memorial has been set for 9:30 a.m., this Friday, Feb. 2, at St. John of the Woods Catholic Church in the Midland area near Spanaway.

Bob devoted his life to his colleagues, members and the union. The entire Federation family sends its condolences to his family and co-workers.

Shared leave requests

IN NEED OF SHARED LEAVE: Laura Olexa, a health services consultant 3 with the Department of Health in Olympia and a member of Local 443, has been approved for shared leave. She had her right shoulder totally replaced on Nov. 28, and has developed complications. This development has extended her recovery time and the need for further doctor appointments and testing. She is extremely grateful for any donations. To help with a donation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday, contact Kim Kenderesi at (360) 236-4058 or your human resource office.

IN NEED OF SHARED LEAVE: Kellie Divine, a revenue agent 3 with the Department of Labor and Industries in Tumwater and a member of Local 443, is recovering from surgery Jan. 5, post-surgery complications and another surgery Jan. 26. She will be off work at least until April 4. To help with a donation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday, please contact Laura Cadwell at (360) 902-5488 or your human resource office.

That’s it for now.

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