It's time to get loud...GG Bargaining Update #3

“Patience” was the word of the day yesterday at the General Government bargaining table. Our union contract is long and complicated, but at its core it’s about maintaining respect and fairness in the workplace.

Part of the respect includes management coming to the negotiating table ready to talk. Once again, they did not seem prepared.

We were able to tentatively agree to a variety of contract articles, but we’re 30% of the way through our scheduled negotiation dates and should be much farther along. 

Management clearly doesn’t feel any urgency. They’re banking on you not feeling any urgency either.

Watch the video update from Kym Adams, a GG bargaining team member who works at DSHS in the Home and Community Living Administration.

“All of us have been preparing and going back and forth and wordsmithing and trying to move things forward,” said Kym Adams. “And I'm not feeling like we're on the same road as management. We don’t feel respected.”

Here’s what we know at this point:

• Management is not going to do anything without us pushing hard. 
• The power of our numbers is going to be incredibly important. 

That's why it's essential that as many members as possible are out in their communities generating support on May 30th. 

The WSDOT SR520 bridge crew stands united for a fair contract!

Shake Things Loose with Community Support

Members at the DCYF office in Aberdeen are on board!

To say it’s a challenging economic year is an understatement. We need to be in the strongest possible position when we make our proposals related to our compensation after the state’s next revenue forecast comes out on June 9th.

Our May 30 community engagement events are a perfect opportunity to grab management’s attention and get things moving at the table.

RSVP for an event near you, or lead your own.

Find the materials we'll use and templates you can customize on our landing page here.

Bargaining for the common good

Department of Corrections workers in Yakima in WFSE Local 1326 now have their own separate contract, but they're still standing together with GG!

The more we remind the public and management that these negotiations are bigger than us, the better. We’re not just exchanging words. We’re trying to solve real problems for workers and for our communities.

Tell Us Who Your Job Helps

If you can’t canvass businesses on May 30 (and even if you can) fill out this form and tell us:

• Who depends on your job?
• Who does your job help?
• How would better pay and working conditions improve the work you do? 

The more we can frame these negotiations as workers trying to fulfill our agencies’ responsibilities to the public, the more successful we’ll be. 

WFSE Local 843 members at the Capitol Hill Community Services Office wearing green on bargaining day to support our contract fight.

Keep getting loud at your worksites!

Thank you to everyone who continues to spread the word about our contract fight at their worksites by wearing green, using our Teams backgrounds, and talking to their coworkers.

We hope to see you at a community engagement event on May 30th!