2009-11 Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement

After lengthy negotiations, your WAFWP contract bargaining team has reached a tentative contract settlement with the State of Washington.  Below is a synopsis of the contract highlights and changes, as well as the complete tentative contract.

Please take time to read and understand the changes to this tentative contract, and then complete the ballot that was mailed to you.

Due to the length of the negotiations we are on a short timeline for the ratification vote.  Ballots MUST be received by 3PM on Tuesday, 23 September, 2008.

2009-11 Contract CONTRACT SETTLEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

The Association and the State reached settlement on your 2009-2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.  Obviously given the State’s budgetary constraints compensation issues were hard fought, but we were successful for many of our members.  We will continue our efforts in the interim for those who are not slated to receive more than a cost of living adjustment in this contract.  As you are aware, we have been able to incrementally adjust different classification’s wages in each round of negotiations – for this round, we were able to achieve additional raises for the Biologist series based upon increased duties and recruitment and retention issues.  While it is not all we hoped for, it is the largest wage increase for these classes in almost ten years.

 The Association had three primary goals for negotiations:

1.               Increase work week flexibility

2.               Improve the exchange time approval process

3.               Enhance compensation

We believe that we made gains in each of these areas.  In addition, we were able to gain a substantial change in the promotional process for the Scientific Technician classification, by gaining Agency recognition as time in service as a Scientific Technician as “professional experience” for promotion.

 Compensation:

            Cost of living:

7/1/09            1.7%

            7/1/10            2% 

Other unions accepted the State offer of 2% on 9/1/09 and 2% on 9/1/10 but that would result in less money over this biennium than our accepted increase.  We will need to work during the next round of negotiations to capture the additional .3%, but decided it was in our best interests to get you as much money as possible during the biennium and it was through the acceptance of this proposal.  In addition we were able to preserve the integrity of the July increase and keep the separation between you and those who are not represented. 

Assignment Pay:

1.  Dive Pay:  Increased the dive pay from $7.50/hr to $10/hour.  While we tried to get $100 an hour, this was the first increase in this pay in a very long time.  The State, subsequent to agreeing to our proposal has offered this increase to the other unionized employees as well.

2.  Low level flight survey pay for Bios and Sci Techs of four ranges.  Currently the contract limits this assignment pay to the biologist classification but we were able to expand it to apply to Scientific Technicians as well.

3.  Vessel to vessel transfer in marine waters and in Columbia below Bonneville Dam of four ranges.  This is a new incentive pay which was justified by the hazards of these activities.

4.  Pesticide application pay of four ranges when performing duties for 1+ hours.  If you hold a pesticide certification you are eligible for this assignment pay.

          Recruitment and Retention Pay:

            7/1/09 Biologist 1, 2  - 2 ranges (5%)

                        Biologist 3, 4 – 4 ranges (10%) 

This pay was the result of the DOP reclassification process.  DOP determined that the biologist series should receive an additional 5% because of increased duties and that the Agency was experiencing recruitment and retention issues for the Bio 3 and 4 series and therefore should receive an additional 5% as an enhancement to promote retention. 

Benchmarking Analysis: We were able to get an MOU that will allow us to work with the Agency to determine impact of benchmarking on Sci Tech classifications and propose any necessary modifications through the DOP process.  This will allow us to attempt to adjust the benchmarking to improve our ability to push for additional wage adjustments for the Scientific Technician classification. 

We adjusted the contract language such that promotions eligible for up to a 10% increase.

 Hours of Work:

The Agency agreed to allow overtime to be approved by your immediate supervisor. 

The Agency to take into consideration trip commute reduction and employee needs in making alternative workweek determinations, and to have this provision go into effect in October, 2008.  In July, 2009 the first level WMS supervisor will make workweek adjustment decisions. 

Changed the contract requiring appointing authority approval for exchange time to the first level WMS supervisor. 

No requirement to flex within the pay period for overtime exempt employees – the decision whether to flex across the pay period is left with the employee. 

Exchange time over 40 hours – were able to keep, agency wanted over 80 in pay period prior to the accumulation of exchange time, but backed off this proposal. 

Miscellaneous:

          Agency to support legislation for aviation insurance improvements. 

          Agency to provide appropriate raingear to the position requirements. 

Scientific technician experience counts towards professional experience for movement into the Biologist series. 

Agency will purge supervisor files after annual evaluation. 

With supervisor approval you can park and agency vehicle at your home, if it meets OFM regulations, for less than 30 days; if more than 30 days requires AD approval. 

Employer to provide reliable means of communication for field staff (radio, cell phone, etc, whichever is appropriate for the position.) 

Grievance arbitrator list to be obtained through PERC instead of AAA.  This should expedite the setting of arbitration hearings. 

Codification of Domestic Violence Leave Act; Family Military Leave Act; Volunteer Firefighter Act and Government Service Leave. 

Kept annual association meeting and representative training – we are still the only union with this provision.  We also added contract training of 4 hours. 

Health Care Settlement

In addition to the other contract terms, the coalition of all General Government unions also settled health care for the 2009-2011 biennium.  The State will maintain an 88/12 premium cost-sharing with all employees.  The State has done an admirable job in managing the health care system and your actual premium costs should not be very large during the next contract term if the health care premium trends continue.