HOTLINE 1/31/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 31. Moment of Silence tomorrowTomorrow, 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… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/30/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 30. CORRECTION: We got our pension bills mixed up in our last Hotline message. The bill that passed the House Monday on a vote of 66-29 with 3 excused was the PERS 2 default bill, SHB 1560. The PSERS bill, HB 1558, is still in the House Appropriations Committee where it has until Feb. 6 to pass committee. We apologize for any confusion this caused. AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) urges passage of bill to protect privacy of state employee victims of sexual harassmentAFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) on Tuesday (Jan. 30) urged a House… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/29/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 29. Our priority #MeToo campaign sparks poignant House hearingThanks to the increased awareness from the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the effort to expand the mission to purge Washington’s worksites of non-sexual harassment as well sparked a poignant hearing Monday (Jan. 29) in the House Labor and Workplace Standards Committee. House Bill 2888 addresses workplace bullying by making it an unfair labor practice to subject an… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/26/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 26. “Resist the gravitational pull of politics” and restore Affirmative Action, WFSE/AFSCME leader tells senatorsAFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) Executive Board member Kevin Allen -- on behalf of all of us – Friday (Jan. 26) called on legislators to pass legislation to repeal Initiative 200, the 1998 ballot measure that ended Affirmative Action. “Let’s resist the gravitational pull of politics and let’s rise above that,” Allen told a packed hearing room of supporters at Friday morning’s hearing of the Senate State Government… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/25/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 25. Today, a couple of big non-legislative news events affecting AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) members: UW and Harborview members speak truth to power on proposed closure of UW Laundry and costly new laundering requirements for HMC custodial staffAFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) workers from the University of Washington (UW) Consolidated Laundry and workers from Harborview Medical Center (HMC) Thursday morning (Jan. 25) called on the Harborview Board of Trustees to uphold the values of King County and support workers on laundry jobs and… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/24/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 24. Bill to bring back state Productivity Board, employee suggestion program takes a big stepThe bill to restart the program that generated millions of dollars in taxpayer savings thanks to employees’ “Brainstorm” ideas cleared the Senate State Government Committee Wednesday morning (Jan. 24). SSB 6332 now goes to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. It has until Feb. 5 to clear that committee. The bill would restart… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/23/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 23. Affordable housing bill needed for state employees because high rents “are making it difficult for them to survive”AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) members and our allies countered opponents and made a strong case today for our priority affordable housing bill as a matter of survival for many state employees. “The price of housing in Seattle has skyrocketed and because of that it’s impacting a lot of state workers because their cost of living is not equal to wages,” Local 304 member Tommy Fuglestad testified on HB 2583 before the… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/19/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 19. Finally! Capital Construction Budget passed, on way to governor’s deskIt took 287 days, but the state Capital Construction Budget is no longer a hostage. It came on just Day 11 of the new Senate majority. The state Legislature on Thursday night (Jan. 18) passed the long-stalled Capital Construction Budget (SSB 6090), 49-0 in the Senate, 95-1 in the House. It went to the governor to be signed into law. It frees up billions of dollars for infrastructure and ends layoffs of state employees whose positions are… more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/18/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 18. The state Senate did not vote on the state Capital Construction Budget (SB 6090) Wednesday night. The Senate will be in session Thursday night. Here’s what else happened today on our priority issues in the Legislature: Bill would help relieve Children’s social workers of student debtOn the airwaves and in the halls of the Legislature, WFSE/AFSCME social worker members beat the drum for a program to help these dedicated workers pay off the crushing student loan debt they took on to get the specialized degrees. … more… | ||
HOTLINE 1/17/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 17. PSERS bill before House Appropriations1/17/18 AFSCME Council 28 (WFSE) President Sue Henricksen and Western State Hospital Local 793 member Rick Hertzog today (Jan. 17) urged the House Appropriations Committee to move the bill to add high-risk state institutions workers into the Public Safety Employees Retirement System (PSERS). HB 1558 would… more… | ||
HOTLINE News 1/16/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 16. Capital Construction Budget takes major step in the SenateThe state Capital Construction Budget (SB 6090) this morning was moved to the full Senate for a vote of all senators. That could come as early as Wednesday (Jan. 17). The House version, 2SHB … more… | ||
HOTLINE News 1/12/18BULLETIN: AFSCME ISSUES MERITS BRIEF IN JANUS V. AFSCMEPress release from AFSCME: AFSCME submitted today its brief on the merits of the corporate-backed Supreme Court Case, Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) submitted today its brief on the merits of the corporate-backed Supreme Court Case, Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. Oral arguments are scheduled for Feb. 26. | ||
HOTLINE News 1/9/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 9. Supplemental budget debate centers on public safety net In the first legislative airing of the governor’s proposed supplemental budget, the Federation praised its attention to Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities but said it should act on Community Corrections and Children’s caseloads and parks funding. “We’re still trying to dig our way out of the massive cuts made during the Great Recession,” the Federation’s Dennis Eagle told the House Appropriations Committee Monday (Jan. 8). …more… | ||
HOTLINE News 1/8/18This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 8. On today’s sad news out of Pierce CountyOur thoughts and prayers go to the family, colleagues and friends of Deputy Daniel A. McCartney, gunned down and killed in the line of duty this morning while responding to a burglary call in south Pierce County. Our hearts break whenever a public servant anywhere gives their life in the line of duty. Gov. Jay Inslee spoke for all of us when he said we “are saddened and praying for the deputy’s young family as they grieve the loss of their husband and father.” WFSE/AFSCME…more… | ||
HOTLINE News 1/5/17This is the Federation Hotline updated Jan. 5, 2018 Thanks for joining us! Yes! We did record this as 2017 in our text message. We won't fix until the those receiving the text have a chance to use the link. A big week ahead. But first this bulletin: BULLETIN: Bellevue College agrees to $12,500 settlement for outsourcing members’ workLocal 304 members at Bellevue College have won an admission of bad-faith bargaining and a cash settlement after the college contracted out their work last year. The Federation… more… | ||
Join our email list to stay in the loop!