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The official newspaper of the

WASHINGTON FEDERATION OF STATE

EMPLOYEES/AFSCME Council 28AFL-CIO

State Convention Oct. 2-4, SeaTacDetails: www.wfse.org > Convention 2009

VOL. 37 NO. 7

SEPTEMBER 2009

Members-only benefits update -- 7Family Fun Page -- 8

Shared leave requests -- 2

INSIDE:If youre a represented non-memberfee payer and you dont wish toreceive this publication, e-mail usat wfse@wfse.org, or write: WFSE/AFSCME, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E.,Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501

WASHINGTON

StateEmployee

Gaining back some of the $1 billion ineconomic sacrifices to be major focus

of next round of bargaining in 2010

The latest contract hasjust kicked in, but prepara-tion for negotiations on thenext, 2011-2013 contracts has

begun with a focus on regain-ing some of the more than $1

billion in economic sacrificesmade by WFSE/AFSCMEmembers in 2009.

The union will alsoadvocate for supplemental

bargaining. The procedure ad-opted by the WFSE/AFSCME

Executive Board Aug. 30 setsthat foundation.

And for the first timemembers can directly submitideas for the new collective

bargaining agreement.WFSE/AFSCME mem-

bers will be able to submitcontract proposal ideasdirectly to the union. Locals,

See 2011-2013, page 4

policy committees, the State-wide Executive Board and theunion executive director canstill submit proposals.

Contract proposal formsand statewide bargainingteam nomination forms wereto be mailed out Sept. 10.

Contract proposals mustbe in by Oct. 31. Nominationsfor the respective bargaining

teams must be in by Oct. 5.Ballots listing nomineesfor the respective bargainingteams will go in the mail theweek of Oct. 22.

The bargaining structure

Smaller groups of members (like Parks, above) could enter into agency-specif-

ic supplemental bargaining under the unions 2011-2013 bargaining structure.

Union advocates sup-plemental bargaining

For first time, members

can directly submitcontract proposals

FACTS & MYTHS ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM

And what you

can do

to make it

happen.

Details, page 6.

ALSO INSIDE:

See page 5.

She gets it--why doesnt management?

The daughter of a Western State Hospital Local 793 member joins in the Aug.

13 rally against a new round of ward closures, layoffs and contracting out.

Details, page 2.

The supplemental bar-gaining process has startedfor Department of Correc-

tions members over someagency-specific issues thatcouldnt be negotiated in thecurrent, 2009-2011 contract.

This springs unsuc-cessful decertification effort

froze bargaining on DOC-specific issues

The DOC Supplemental

Bargaining Team met Aug.27 and was set to meet againSept. 17.

Stay up to date at www.wfse.org > WFSE Blogs > Cor-rections BU.

Supplemental bargaining moves in DOC

The legal wheels con-tinue to move on the unionslawsuit to overturn theLegislatures 2007 decisionto end gainsharing for PERS3 and PERS 1 retirement

system members.A summary judgment

hearing has been scheduledfor Oct. 30 in King CountySuperior Court.

Gainsharing lawsuit hearing set for Oct. 30

See SUIT, page 8

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Page 2 WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee September 2009

UNION NEWS

StateEmployeeWashington State Employee(USPS 981-200) is published monthly, except Februaryand July, for $5.08 per year by the Washing-ton Federation of State Employees/AFSCMECouncil 28 AFL-CIO, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E.

Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501. Afliated with

the American Federation of State, Countyand Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and theWashington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Periodicals postage paid at Olympia, WAand at additional ofces. Circulation:

40,000.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toWashington State Employee, 1212 Jefferson

St SE Suite 300 Olympia WA 98501-7501

Carol Dotlich, President

Greg Devereux, Executive Director

Editor Tim Welche-mail: tim@wfse.org Internet: www.wfse.orgMember, ILCA

WASHINGTON

SHARED LEAVE

REQUESTS

If youve been approved to receive

shared leave by your agency or institu-tion, you can place a notice here. Once

youve been approved by your agencyor institution, WFSE/AFSCME can place

your shared leave request here and on-line. E-mail the editor at tim@wfse.org.

Or call 1-800-562-6002.

The following could use a donationof eligible unused annual leave or sick

leave or all or part of your personalholiday:

Robert Steele, an information technol-ogy specialist 3 with DSHS in Olympia

and a member of Local 443, is sufferingfrom Mortons Neuroma, a condition that

prevents him from walking without pain.He has used up all his leave. Contact:

Gayle Hateld at hatga@dshs.wa.govor Judi Rogers at rogerja3@dshs.wa.gov.

Gary Jefferson, a truck driver 2 at theUniversity of Washington and a memberof Local 1488, is undergoing treatmentfor stomach cancer. He is on extended

leave for surgery and continued radiationand chemotherapy treatments. He will be

off the job at least six months. Contact:JoAnn Wutschik at (206) 543-2805.

Sharon Gray, a secretary supervisorwith the Department of Corrections

at RAP/Lincoln Park Work Release inTacoma and a member of Local 53, is

continuing cancer treatments followingrecent surgery. Contact: Tracy Wynder at(360) 486-2218.

Shawnte Papac, a scal analyst 1 withDSHS in Olympia and a member ofLocal 443, is battling a sudden medical

condition and she needs shared leaveto support her family as a single parent.She will be off the job at least anotherthree months. Contact: Liz Fuller at (360)

664-5926.

Dorothy Brown, an attendant counselor1 at Fircrest School in Shoreline and a

member of Local 341, is on extendedmedical leave and is in need of sharedleave. Contact: Theresa McHale at (206)361-3015.

Daphnee Thompson, a secretary seniorat the DSHS Kent South Division of Chil-dren and Family Services and a member

of Local 843, has an ongoing medical

condition and has exhausted all leave.She is in dire need of shared leave. Con-tact: Marilyn Nichol at (425) 590-3048.

Luana Gilley, an unemployment insur-ance specialist 3 with the Employment

Security Department at the King CountyTelecenter in Seattle and a member ofLocal 435, has been hospitalized andwill be having surgeries and then recov-ery. Contact: Kathleen Young at (360)902-9413.

Rodney Shaw, a psychiatric securityattendant at Western State Hospital in

Lakewood and a member of Local 793,has been approved for shared leave.Contact: Dave Wiggen at (253) 761-3366.

Allison Curry, a program coordinatorat Eastern Washington University inCheney and a member of Local 931, is

still in need of shared leave because ofmigraines and is caring for her husbandwho is awaiting a kidney transplant.Contact: The EWU payroll ofce at (509)

359-4810.

The grassroots effort totake charge against the targetson their backs stopped atWestern State Hospital Aug.13.

More than 100 peopleattended a rally there tosupport employees facinglayoffs. WSH managers haveannounced layoffs in responseto the governors directive toagencies to cut 2 percent thatwill affect about 65 jobs. Em-ployees, through their localunion, Local 793, have offeredsuggestions of how to cutcosts without cutting jobs.

The entire physical ther-apy clinic and all recreationand athletics specialists (RAS)1 and 2 are at risk. Recreationand athletics 3 and 4 will beretained, but the cuts meanmore time left idle, saidGordon Monk (RAS2).

This cut will impact pa-tients quality of care direct-ly, Monk said. Recreationallows for positive outlets andimproves skills - progress ismeasurable through testing.The direct contact helps revealthe patients needs and fears.More idle time will increase

Second in a series

At Western State

Hospital, members

march against layoffs

the danger to self and others.Arthur Wayne Simonson

has been employed for 35

years, and is currently safefrom the threat of layoff asan RAS3, but he has concernsabout the impact to patients.Its a safety issue, Simonsonsaid. Less hands at the train-ing session, means we can doless for patients.

This will leave a singlestaffer with 15-20 in a groupsession, added Dee Foster, a25-year veteran. As an RAS2,she is directly impacted by thelayoff. Whether its arts andcrafts, a walk or organized ex-ercise, the direct contact andability to address individual

issues is impaired. Im afraidthe solution will involve TVand DVDs and less interac-tion.

Rodney Stanley, atherapy assistant in thePhysical Therapy Clinic,said, closing the clinic wontremove WSHs obligation toprovide physical therapy. Itsrequired under Medicaid.Four employees currently

staff the clinic. A supervisorinformed us that they would

begin contracting out thework. Im not sure how thatis supposed to save the statemoney, Stanley added.

We need more mentalhealth services, not less, Sen.Mike Carrell, R-28th Dist., toldthe crowd.

Todays rally is aboutrespect, its about process,

and its about safety foremployees and for patients,said Sean Dannen, WFSE/AFSCME council representa-tive.

Another rally took placeSept. 2 on layoffsand a newproposal to bring in a privatecontractor to shared half thebuilding housing the Programfor Adaptive Living Skills(PALS).

State Sen. Mike Carrell supports

Local 793 picketers.

Members march past the administration building at Western State Hospital in Lakewood Aug. 13.

Child Welfare steering

committee meets key

lawmaker

The unions steeringcommittee on privatizationpilot projects in DSHS ChildWelfare Services meet withRep. Ruth Kagi, D-32nd Dist.,Aug. 15 in SeaTac.

Kagi, chair of the HouseEarly Learning and ChildrensServices Committee, listenedto concerns about the legisla-

tively mandated move to setup two privatization pilots overthe next six years.

From left: Jeanine Livingston, WFSE/AFSCMEs director of contract compli-

ance; Kagi; Connie Drake, Local 1253, Tri-Cities; Joe Mienko, Local 53,

Tacoma; and Larry Crumet, Local 1221,Spokane.

The unions NaturalResources Task Force wasscheduled to meet Sept. 11 tocontinue its watchdog workas the state continues its leg-islatively mandated study ofconsolidating natural resourceservices.

The task force includesmembers from Ecology,Natural Resources, Fish andWildlife, Parks and Recreationand several other agenciesthat perform natural resourceservices.

The Legislature this yearordered the governor to con-vene a workgroup to recom-mend consolidations.

The WFSE/AFSCMENatural Resources Task Forcewill meet to review the statesresearch, develop a strategyto get member feedback andcraft any sensible alternatives.

The chair is Scott Mallery,an Ecology member from Spo-kane Local 1221, who chairsthe unions Natural ResourcesPolicy Committee.

Natural Resources Task Force meets

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Page 3WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeSeptember 2009

PRE-BARGAINING 2011-2013WASHINGTON FEDERATION OF STATE EMPLOYEES

AFSCME COUNCIL 28, AFL-CIO

BARGAINING STRUCTURE FOR2011-2013 NEGOTIATIONS

STATE OF WASHINGTON

(General Government and Institutions of Higher Education)

The Washington Federation of State Employees Executive Board has establishedthe following structure for bargaining and ratication of master agreements withthe State of Washington and the Institutions of Higher Education. The ExecutiveBoard has the specic power to call a strike, following a strike authorization vote,and to order a return to work from a strike.

BARGAINING TEAMS

Only WFSE members in the appropriate bargaining units will be eligible to nomi-nate and/or vote in the election of any bargaining team member. Members mustbe current state employees and members in good standing of WFSE to serve onany bargaining team.

Responsibilities: The bargaining teams will develop the initial bargaining proposal

to be presented to the employer, and then negotiate with the State of Washingtonor the respective Institution of Higher Education. The bargaining teams approvenal contract language for membership ratication or recommend rejection of thetentative agreement or nal employer offer. The bargaining teams at the tablehave the power to alter, modify, change, or concede on all issues to obtain thebest possible language, and reach a tentative agreement, or declare that the teamhas reached an impasse. The bargaining teams have the power to refer specicissues to supplemental committees. The responsibilities of the bargaining teammembers are to be accountable, be committed to the process, be open-mindedand realistic, be available, and to identify experts or specialists in specic agencyissues, contracting, classications, and other subject matters.

Voting on the bargaining teams will be one (1) vote for each bargaining teammember present.

The four (4) Council ofcers will be automatic members of their respectivebargaining team, with a voice and a vote. The Council ofcers may attend

bargaining sessions of any other bargaining team, as the Council Presidentdeems necessary.

The Council President may remove any bargaining team member who, aftercareful investigation, is determined to have violated the bargaining teams rulesof conduct or the AFSCME International Constitution (see Article X, Section 2),or who has acted inappropriately as a bargaining team member. Any bargainingteam member removed from a bargaining team may appeal the decision of theCouncil President to the Council Executive Committee plus one bargaining teammember chosen by the appellants bargaining team.

ELECTION OF BARGAINING TEAM MEMBERS

Higher Education: WFSE members in all WFSE bargaining units in each In-stitution of Higher Education bargaining in a coalition will elect bargaining teammembers to the coalition bargaining team(s) based on the number of bargainingunit employees in each institution as follows:

Number of Bargaining Number of TeamUnit Employees Members

1-100 1101-300 2

Over 300 3

WFSE members in all WFSE bargaining units in each of the other Institutionsof Higher Education, except the University of Washington, will elect up to nine(9) bargaining team members to their institution-wide bargaining team. WFSEmembers in bargaining units at the University of Washington will elect theirbargaining team in accordance with the Local 1488 constitution.

Each institution should have at least one representative at the table. The CouncilPresident may appoint bargaining team members to any Higher Educationbargaining team from any bargaining unit within that Higher Education institution

not represented on the elected team or to ll vacant seats.

In preparation for supplemental bargaining, members from each Higher EducationInstitution or appropriate sub-unit will nominate and elect up to 6 representativesfrom each bargaining unit or appropriate sub-unit to serve as supplementalbargaining team members. Any Institutions who have representatives on thecoalition or institution-wide bargaining team will be part of the supplemental teamas well.

General Government: WFSE Members of all WFSE General Government bar-gaining units will elect bargaining team members to the statewide General Gov-ernment bargaining team from each General Government Policy Group, based onas follows:

Number of Bargaining Number of TeamUnit Employees Members

1-1,999 12,000-3,999 24,000-5,999 3

6,000 or more 4

In preparation for supplemental bargaining, members from each general govern-ment bargaining unit or appropriate sub-unit will nominate and elect representa-tives from each bargaining unit or appropriate sub-unit to serve as supplemental

bargaining team members. Any agencies who have representatives on thebargaining team will be part of the supplemental team as well.

Team members will be nominated and elected by the WFSE members in thebargaining unit(s) encompassed by each Policy Group. For the Miscellaneousand Natural Resources Policy Groups, not more than one team member will beelected for any one agency. For the Institutions Policy Group, not more than oneteam member will be elected for any one institution or group (i.e. SOLA). Tieswill be decided by run off. Election of the team members will be completed nolater than January 15, 2010. The Council President may appoint additionalmembers to the team as required.

Should a member of the bargaining team need to be replaced, the position willbe lled. The replacement team member will be the next runner-up from theoriginal election. If there is no runner-up, the Council President will appoint thereplacement.

If WFSE is certied to a bargaining unit representing more than 100 employeesin a new agency after the bargaining team is elected, but before bargaining isconcluded, an additional member of the bargaining team will be elected by theWFSE members in that agencys bargaining unit(s) following the same process asin the original elections.

The Collective Bargaining Committee (CBC) will review and approve all electionprocesses for all bargaining teams.

HEALTH CARE COALITION

The Council President will serve on the Health Care Coalition bargaining team.In addition, each of the Higher Education bargaining teams will select one (1)member, and the General Government team will select three (3) members. Ifthere is no member willing to serve from one (1) or more of the Higher Educationbargaining teams, the Council President may appoint a member from the

associated Higher Education bargaining team institution(s).

PROPOSALS

Contract proposals may be submitted by: a member, locals; policy commit-tees; the WFSE Executive Board, and the WFSE Executive Director. Council 28bargaining teams and staff will use surveys of the bargaining unit employees asneeded during bargaining.

Contract proposals must be submitted to the WFSE Headquarters ofce by 5:00p.m. October 31, 2009. Proposals must be submitted on the WFSE contractproposal form, which will be accessible on the WFSE website, and must include:(1) the contract article and section to be changed, or an indication that it is a newconcept; (2) documentation to support the proposal; (3) the problem the pro-posal is meant to address; and (4) the proposal and (5) the name and local of themember or the number/name of the subordinate body submitting the proposal.Each contract proposal form will be assigned a tracking number so that it can be

followed through the negotiating process. Contract proposal forms must be lledout completely.

WFSE staff will assess contract proposals for legality and consolidate duplicateproposals. The resulting proposals will then be passed on to the appropriatebargaining team(s) for debate, possible revision, and a vote to support or reject.

COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERS

Informing and involving bargaining unit employees during the bargaining processwill be key to winning support for a strong contract and ratication of a nal agree-ment.

A communication strategy will be developed involving frequent disseminationof information from each bargaining team to a wide net of activists includingstewards, MAT leaders, local ofcers and board members, Council executiveboard members and committee members. The e-mail network, website and

hotline will be available to provide immediate communication. Mailings willbe used, especially as the pace of bargaining picks up during negotiations oneconomic issues, nal tentative agreements and throughout ratication. Whennecessary, staff may distribute a press release to the mainstream media.

Council 28 Field Ofces and Headquarters will be hubs for distribution ofinformation materials and tools for job actions.

At the conclusion of negotiations, a system will be developed to allow thedisposition of all proposals to be communicated back to the members.

At the conclusion of bargaining, a debrieng will occur with bargaining team mem-bers and at the supplemental team levels to discuss the process. A copy of thisdocument will be made available prior to the debrieng for members to proposeamendments to be submitted to the CBC for consideration.

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WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeePage 4

PRE-BARGAINING 2011-2013

and nomination/electionprocedure appear on pages 3and 4 of this newspaper. Thedocuments are also availableonline at www.wfse.org >Bargaining 2011-2013.

Actual bargaining wouldlikely start in late winter or

early spring of 2010.The teams from the lastround of bargaining will beinvited to a pre-conventiondebriefing Oct. 1. That infor-mation and advice will beused to develop an intensivetraining program for the next

bargaining teams.

Submitting proposals

For the first time, mem-bers can send in their contractproposals directly to theunion. In the past, membershad to submit ideas first to

their local or policy commit-tee.

A proposal form is due inthe mail to you with a post-age-paid return envelope.

You can also submit ideas

electronically at www.wfse.org > Bargaining 2011-2013.You can also log on there todownload additional forms.

The deadline for mem-bers, locals, policy commit-tees, the Statewide ExecutiveBoard and executive directorto submit proposals is 5 p.m.,Saturday, Oct. 31.

Statewide bargaining team

elections

The number and for-mula for team size in HigherEducation remain the samefor the respective statewideteams (except possibly for theUniversity of Washington,which will elect according tothe procedures in the Local1488 constitution).

A nomination form is duein the mail to you in the samepacket with the bargaining

proposal form.You can also go online atwww.wfse.org > Bargaining2011-2013 to download addi-tional nomination forms.

The deadline for nomina-tions to be received in WFSE/

AFSCME Council 28 Head-quarters is 5 p.m., Oct. 5, 2009.

For the next round of bar-gainig, the General Govern-ment team will be streamlinedwith a formula allotting seats

by the number of bargain-ing unit employees in eachof the unions eight General

Government policy groups.Under that formula, the teamsize will be 20 (but it couldchange if numbers increase ordecrease in a respective policygroup). Statewide officersfrom General Governmentwould also sit on the team.Currently, thats three. Del-egates to the union conven-tion in October elect the fourofficers.

Under the formula inthe bargaining structure, theGeneral Government teamwill have the following repre-sentatives (assuming numbersof bargaining unit employeesremain current):

Corrections 1Employment Security 2Human Services 4

Institutions 4Labor and Industries 2Miscellaneous 3Natural Resources 2Transportation 2

Here are the major dead-lines for nominations andelections (see procedure docu-ment below for full details):

Call for nominationsmailed no later than Sept. 10.

Deadline for nomina-tions: Oct. 5.

Ballots mailed week ofOct. 22.

Ballots must be returnedby Nov. 13.

Ballot counting startsNov. 16 and winners notifiedby Nov. 23.

Ties will be decided bya run-off election that must befinished by Jan. 15, 2010.

Supplemental bargaining

The union laid thegroundwork for supplemen-tal bargaining for the nextcontract.

Supplemental issues are

those affecting employeesin one bargaining unit oragency or institution or othersubgroup, not necessarily thegeneral membership.

The idea is to havesmaller groups bargain thosesupplemental issues awayfrom the main tables. Thatwould allow the bargaining

teams to focus on economicand other issues affecting allthose covered by the con-tracts.

Supplemental bargain-ing would be handled bysmaller teams elected fromeach higher education institu-tion (or appropriate sub-unit)and each general governmentagency (or appropriate sub-unit).

Supplemental teams

The WFSE/AFSCME

Executive Committee andCollective Bargaining Com-mittee were to meet Sept.10 to craft nomination andelection procedures for thesmaller supplemental bar-gaining teams.

GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND HIGHER EDUCATION 2011-2013NEGOTIATING TEAMS NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS PROCEDURE

Elections for statewide general government and higher education coalition andinstitution-wide bargaining teams will be by mail ballot in accordance with the fol-lowing procedures. A local may determine a different election procedure for anyhigher education bargaining team where all eligible voters are members of onelocal.

Those eligible for nomination will be members in good standing and currently1)employed in a General Government or Higher Education WFSE bargainingunit.

Nominations will be accepted from any WFSE member eligible for nomination.2)Eligible WFSE members may nominate themselves or another eligible WFSEmember in the same Agency/Institution of Higher Education (except UW). Eli-gible members employed by the University of Washington will nominate andelect in accordance with the Local 1488 constitution.

Call for nominations will be mailed to all eligible members no later than Sep-3)tember 10, 2009

Nomination forms must be filled in completely and must include the nominator4)and nominee names, agency/institution and contact phone numbers. Nomina-tions received without the required information will not be accepted.

Information on the nomination form must be legible.5)

Nominations must be received, in writing, at Council 28 Headquarters6) no laterthan 5:00 pm on October 5, 2009.

An attempt will be made to contact each nominee (unless self nominated) to7)give him/her the opportunity to decline the nomination. If the nominee cannotbe reached or does not respond, his/her name will be placed on the ballot. Ifthe nominee declines the nomination, his/her name will not be placed on theballot.

Nominees may provide factual information not to exceed 75 words regarding8)themselves for use during the election process. This information must be re-ceived at WFSE Headquarters no later than 5:00 pm, October 13, 2009.

Elections for each general government Policy Group or Institution of Higher9)Education participating in mail ballot elections will be held separately andnominees will be placed on the ballot and be eligible for election from the gen-eral government Policy Group, Institution of Higher Education or University ofWashington bargaining unit/off-site location in which WFSE has record of theiremployment.

If a nominee becomes employed in a different agency covered by a different10)general government Policy Group, Institution of Higher Education or Universityof Washington bargaining unit/off-site location and wishes to be considered anominee from the new area, the nominee must request and provide documenta-tion of employment to WFSE Headquarters by 5:00 p.m. October 13, 2009.

Those eligible to vote will be the same as those eligible to be nominated.11)

Ballots will be sent to all members eligible to vote at the address WFSE has on12)

file as of October 22, 2009.

Ballots will include voting instructions and names of eligible nominees, in al-13)phabetical order, Policy Group and agency/institution within that Policy Groupfor General Government. Ballots for Institution of Higher Education, except theUniversity of Washington, will include voting instructions and names of eligiblenominees, in alphabetical order. Ballots for the University of Washington willinclude voting instructions and names of eligible nominees, in alphabetical

order. Included with the ballots, but on separate paper, will be factual informa-tion on each nominee, if provided by the nominee. Also included will be anenvelope for the ballot and a postage-paid envelope for return to Council 28Headquarters.

The election of negotiating team members by general government Policy Group14)and Institution of Higher Education, except the University of Washington, shallbe determined by the highest number of votes cast per nominee and shall notrequire a majority of the votes cast. The University of Washington processwill be in accordance with the Local 1488 constitution. In those Policy Groupswhere only one team member may be from an agency, institution or group,subsequent team members shall be by the highest number of votes cast in adifferent agency, institution or group. Ties will be decided by run off. Alternatesshall be ranked by the number of votes cast per nominee in the election.

If there are fewer nominees than team positions for a general government Policy15)Group, Institution of Higher Education or University of Washington bargaining

unit/off-site location then no balloting will be required, and the nominees willbe declared elected by acclamation.

Ballots will be mailed the week of16) October 22, 2009.

The deadline for ballots to be received in the WFSE Headquarters office will be17)5:00 p.m. on November 13, 2009. Ballots will be counted beginningNovember16, 2009 until completed.

All ballots will be in two envelopes so each person voting can be verified dur-18)ing the count and any invalid ballots can be easily identified while maintainingconfidentiality of the ballots. The outside envelope must bear the voters fullname and address.

Nomination forms for bargaining team members will be available at the Council19)28 Biennial Convention in Sea-Tac. For on-site voting, members without pictureidentification or whose names do not appear on a membership list may vote achallenged ballot.

Individuals elected without run-off will be notified in writing by20) November 23,2009. The results of the elections will be published by Council 28 and sent toall members eligible to vote. Results will be available for inquiry at Council 28Headquarters prior to publication.

Any candidate whose name is to appear on the ballot may have an official ob-21)server present of her/his own choosing (who must be a member of the WFSE)in the location ballots bearing her/his name are to be counted. The candidateshall notify Council 28 Headquarters of his or her choice of observer.

Any protest concerning the conduct of the election must be received, in writing,22)at Council 28 Headquarters addressed to the Council 28 Elections Committeeby 5:00 pm December 7, 2009.

2011-2013,from page 1

September 2009

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WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee Page 5September 2009

NO ON 1033!

Why Initiative 1033 is a bad

idea for you and your family

www.wfse.org

Ballot Measure Summary

This measure would limit growth in state revenues de-posited in funds subject to the state expenditure limit, andlimit growth in county and city revenues deposited into thecounty and city current expense funds. The limit would be

adjusted based on annual growth in inflation and popula-tion. The limit also would apply to revenues transferred outof these funds. The limit would exclude voter-approvedrevenue increases. Revenues above the limit would reduceproperty tax levies.

315,444 signatures were turned in on July 2, 2009. A ran-dom check was performed and the initiative was statisticallyfound to have sufficient signatures.

Just the facts...

The wording of the I-1033 ballot title on the Nov. 3 GeneralElection Ballot:

Ballot TitleInitiative Measure No. 1033 concerns

state, county and city revenue.

This measure would limit growth of certain state, countyand city revenue to annual inflation and population

growth, not including voter-approved revenue increases.Revenue collected above the limit would reduce propertytax levies.

Should this measure be enacted into law?

Yes [ ]

Initiative 1033 is TimEymanslatest attemptto choke off revenuefor the vital state ser-vices you provide.Your WFSE/AFSCME

Statewide ExecutiveBoard on July 18 voted to opposeI-1033. Heres what you need toknow about why I-1033 is a baddeal for state employees:

I-1033 will make it harder for working families to

dig out of the recession. The national recession hasalready cost our state thousands of jobs and forcedbillions in cutbacks to important local services, likeeducation and health care.

I-1033 will force deeper cuts and lock them in foryears meaning more job losses, more hard times forWashington families, and a longer delay before oureconomy to recover.

I-1033 threatens education, health care, and other

basic services. This year weve slashed school fund-ing by $1.5 billion, and as many as 3,000 teachersand education employees are facing layoffs. The Ey-man TABOR plan will take even more resources awayfrom Washingtons classrooms and Washingtonskids.

And despite a growing senior population, funding for

nursing homes, in-home care and adult day healthservices are being cut and 40,000 Washingtonresidents are losing their Basic Health Plan coverage.Under I-1033 these cuts would become permanent.

The Office of Financial Management says that . . .the initiative reduces state general fund revenues

I-1033 is

opposed by:

WashingtonFederation ofState Employees/

AFSCME

Microsoft Washington State La-bor Council Greater Seattle Cham-ber of Commerce AARP Washington American Federation ofTeachers Childrens Alliance Climate Solutions Community Health Net-work of Washington Group Health Coopera-tive King County Correc-

tions Guild Planned ParenthoodVotes! Washington Sierra Club Washington EducationAssociation Washington Environ-mental Council Washington Low In-come Housing Alliance Washington State Hos-pital Association Washington State Nurs-es Association

Washington SeniorCitizens LobbyWashington Associationof Churches Washington Conversa-tion Voters...and many more.

Eymans I-1033 Plan is already a proven failure

In 1992 Colorado became the only state in the nation to impose a revenue limit like the one in I-1033. By 2005things got so bad that Colorado voters - led by a bi-partisan coalition of business leaders, teachers, seniors,healthcare providers, and firefighters - voted to suspend the law for five years to stop the deterioration of theirstate.

1033-like spending limits forced Colorado to consistently under-fund key public services. For example:

Funding for K-12 education plummeted, dropping Colorado to 49th in the nation in education funding. The proportion of low-income children who lack health insurance in Colorado doubled, as it declined nation-wide. At one point Colorado had to suspend the requirement that children had to be fully immunized before en-rolling in school, because there were not enough state funds to buy vaccine.

N !

I-1033

Get involved:You can help win the fight

against I-1033.

Call April Sims in the WFSE/AFSCME Legislative andPolitical Action Department @1-800-562-6002 to volunteerfor phone banks, doorbelling

and more.

that support education; social, health and en-vironmental services; and general governmentactivities by an estimated $5.9 billion by 2015.

I-1033 is misleading and complicated. Limiting

expenses through a rigid and arbitrary formula basedon population growth and inflation, Eymans latestinitiative falls far short of being able to fund even ourcurrent levels of health care, education and otherbasic services. While I-1033 may sound good on thesurface, limiting spending in this way will have manyunintended consequences.

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Page 6 WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee September 2009

HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA NOW!

FACTS:

Health care reform will reduce health care costs for AFSCME

members.Today, the cost of uncompensated care received by uninsured workers is shiftedonto those who have coverage. As a consequence, the premium for family cover-age is an average of $1,100 higher each year. AFSCME members and their em-ployers are paying this extra cost. But if everyone has health coverage, these costswill no longer be shifted onto us and our employers.

The House bill (HR 3200) and the Senate HELP Committee bill also include apublic health insurance option that will create more competition in the marketplace. The more competition for insurance companies means lower costs and bet-ter quality for all us.

Reduced costs for health care means that there will be more money at the bargain-ing table for wages.

Health care reform will reduce pressure to privatize our jobs.

Today, many companies try to take our jobs, arguing that they can do our workmore cheaply than we can. And this is often true because they do not providetheir workers with benets. If private contractors are required to help pay forhealth coverage for their workers, it will raise their cost of business. They will beless able to do our work more cheaply.

Health care reform will benet retirees.

Responsible employers who provide retiree care to people age 55 to 64 will get asubsidy to protect those retiree benets.

The House bill closes the doughnut hole in the Medicare prescription drug benetfor low- and moderate-income seniors, saving them thousands of dollars a year.

The House bill cuts subsidies to the private plans that operate along side tradi-

tional Medicare. Cutting these subsidies will reduce monthly premiums paid byall retirees and make Medicare more nancially sound.

The bill will end insurance company abuses.

Insurance companies will be better regulated. They will no longer be able to denyyou coverage, refuse to cover a pre-existing condition or charge you more becauseof your occupation, health condition or gender.

To stop insurance companies from overcharging, individuals and small employ-ers will be able to combine their buying power (through a health insuranceexchange), enabling them to pay much less for coverage.

Insurance companies will have to compete against a public health insurance op-tion for people under 65 that will be similar to Medicare. More competition forinsurance companies means lower costs and better quality for all of us.

MYTHS:

Will the bill result in a government takeover of health care?

No, most Americans will keep their current employer plan. Small employers willbe able to offer their workers a choice between private plans and the public health

Act now for health care for America!

FACTS & MYTHS ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORMPercent increase in premium shares versus COLAs and ination

for state employees 2000-2010

Average

premium

shares

Ination

(Seattle CPI)

COLAs

(Cost of Living

Adjustments)

543%

26.6%16.7%

MYTH:Do state employees have a generous health plan that isalready affordable and available?

FACT:No. Since 2000, the average premium share paid by stateemployees has skyrocketed 543% (the Uniform MedicalPlan has jumped 1,130%, Group Health Classic 659%).That doesnt even cover increases in deductibles, co-pays, ofce visit co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs.

Meanwhile, the number of plans available to state employ-ees has declined from seven to four (UMP, GHC [Classicand Value], Aetna and Kaiser ]Classic and Value]).

State employee pay measured by cost-of-living adjust-ments hasnt kept up with ination, let alone health costs.

insurance plan.

Will I lose my choice of doctor?

No, your choices will remain the same. AFSCME negotiated health plans willnot change except through bargaining. If a family member or friend is uninsuredthey will get covered and have more affordable choices.

Does HR 3200 have death panels?

No, there are no death panels. The bill allows the Medicare program to reimbursedoctors who spend time counseling seniors about living wills, hospice care orother end of life issues before there is a medical crisis. The counseling is volun-tary and no patients are required to get counseling.

Does HR 3200 provide coverage to undocumented workers?

No, the bill does not require coverage to those who are in the country illegally.

What you can do:1. Call your member of Congress at

1-888-460-0813 and ask to stand rmfor affordable, available health carereform.

2. Register at http://www.makeameri-

cahappen.com/resources-and-more/to receive updates on how to stay

involved.

3. Stay up to date on efforts here in

our state. Go to the WFSE/AFSC-

ME website: www.wfse.org > ActionCenter.

4. Visit two other helpful onlineresources:

http://healthcareforamericanow.org/

http://www.whitehouse.gov/reality-

check/

SOURCES: PEBB; State Revenue & Forecast Council

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Page 7WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeSeptember 2009

MEMBERS ONLY BENEFITS UPDATE

A new MEMBERS ONLY BENEFIT for WFSE/AFSCME members and their families!

A new MEMBERS ONLY BENEFIT for WFSE/AFSCME members and their families!

Real Estate Benefits Program

A new MEMBERS ONLY BENEFIT for WFSE/AFSCME members and their families!

Financial Wellness

wsecu.org | 800.562.0999

FREE FINANCIAL WELLNESS COURSES

Take advantage of free financial wellness coursesfrom Washington State Employees Credit Union.

Under a financial outreach and education partnership between WSECU and theWashington Federation of State Employees, members have the opportunity tobrush up on common financial issues.

WFSE/AFSCME members do not need to belong to WSECU in order to enjoy thisfree service. The financial wellness courses include:

Financial Stress Management Identity Theft When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name Money Matters How to Keep Yours Secure Credit Reporting 101

WSECU also provides budgeting and debt consolidation information, as well asone-on-one financial counseling from trained WSECU financial wellness staff.

Schedule a class today. Educators will come to your worksite or local meeting.Groups of at least 15 participants preferred, but there are exceptions. For moreinformation, or to schedule a class call 800.562.0999, ext. 10101.

Bright Now! Dental is proud of our 30-plus year partnership with this

nations unions. Were especially proud to offer WFSE members

the people who make Washington happen the benefit of qualityfull-service family dentistry.

Dental care is not a luxury. Thats why your union is offer-

ing you this benefit. According to the U. S. Surgeon General, Oralhealth is integral to general health.* Bright Now! Dental is the per-

fect partner to help you take care of your smile.

Begin with the basics Brushing and Flossing This is

the most important thing you can do for your teeth every day.

Regular Checkups Dental care at home isnt enough.

Regular visits to your Bright Now! Dental office, including an exam,X-rays and cleaning, can help you avoid conditions like gingivitisand other gum disease.

Guard against Gum Disease Gingivitis is the earliestform of gum disease, and it affects 50% - 80% of Americans! If leftuntreated, it can cause more serious health problems. Periodontaldisease is a more serious gum condition. It has been linked to other

illnesses, such as diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Thisoften silent disease affects more than one in three people over age30.

Oral Cancer Screens Provide Protection Oral cancer ison the rise. Early detection is vital to maintaining your health. Bright

Now! Dental includes oral cancer exams as part of your routine

checkup.

Take advantage of these money-saving offers:

20% OFF Treatment PlansLimit one per person. Offer not valid on diagnostic, preventive or orthodonticservices. Offer coordinated with insurance and applicable state laws is subject tochange and expires on 12/31/09.

No-Charge Consultation$750 OFF Braces - offer applies to full orthodontic case and does not includerecords and retainers. Valid for one cash patient on initial visit only. Offer can notbe combined, is subject to change and expires on 12/31/09.

Call 1-888-BRIGHT NOW or log on to www.brightnow.com tofind one of the 11 convenient offices near you.

*Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General

WFSE member now have a powerful partner inmaintaining their dental health.

SCHOLARSHIP ALERT Applications for theAFSCME FamilyScholarshipsmust be postmarkedno later thanDec. 31, 2009.

AFSCME Family

Scholarship

Applications are now

available for the AFSCMEFamily Scholarship Pro-gram.

The AFSCME FamilyScholarship is an ongo-ing program of scholar-ships available to childrenand financially dependentgrandchildren of AFSCMEmembers.

Under the program in2010, 10 scholarships of

$2,000 each will be awardedannually to the winners select-ed from the applicants whomeet eligibility requirements.

Once awarded, the schol-arships will be renewed for

$2,000 each year for a maxi-mum of four years, providedthe student remains enrolledin a full-time course of study.

To be eligible, the studentmust: Be a graduating highschool senior in 2010 whois a daughter or son of anAFSCME member (or whoselegal guardian or financiallyresponsible grandparent is an

AFSCME member); Be enrolled in a full-timedegree program at an accred-ited four-year institution (or ata two-year institution that willtransfer credits to a four-yearinstitution); and Have taken the SAT or theACT.The scholarship may be usedfor any field of study.

To download an application:Log onto http://www.afscme.org/members/880.cfm.

Or get an application by mail.Send request to:

AFSCME Family ScholarshipProgramc/o AFSCME Advantage

1625 L Street, N.W.Washington, DC 20036-5687

DEADLINE: Dec. 31,2009.

CRIPPEN GRANTS

Stacy Lang, Local782, Eastern State Hos-pital, Medical Lake, isthe recipient of a NevilleB. Crippen Grant-in-AidAward for Summer Quar-ter 2009.

The grants help mem-bers advance their educa-tion or improve skills.

Applications at www.wfse.org > Members OnlyBenefits > Scholarships.Or call 1-800-562-6002.

For the college student

in your family~

Help managing credit cards andstudent loans:http://www.youcandealwithit.com/

For more information, go to union-

homeservices.com.

The $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers runs out Nov.30. A first-time home buyer is

anyone who has not owned a home inthe last three years. A first-time homebuyer has to close on a home beforeNov. 30.

BUTbanks are moving veryslowly on mortgage approval. Its nowtaking 45 to 60 days to close on ahome.

The best rule of thumb: Dont waituntil the last minute or you may lose

out on the $8,000 credit.First-time home buyers need

to be in a contract on their homeby the end of September or veryearly October to allow enough timeto close on the home before theNov. 30 expiration of the $8,000 taxcredit.

Contact Union Home Services tofind out about a possible down pay-ment assistance program for first timehome buyers.

Important reminder onthe $8,000 tax credit forfirst-time home buyers.

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Page 8 WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee September 2009

UNION NEWS

Can you guess where the worksite above is and what WFSE/AFSCME

members work there? Send your guesses by e-mail to tim@wfse.org

or regular mail: Editor, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300, Olympia, WA98501. Include your name and mailing address. Deadline: Sept. 30.

The first 10 readers with the correct answer who include their name and

mailing address will receive a prize.

Answer to Augusts Wheres this worksite? in next issue (thisissue went to press before the end of the contest deadline):

FAMILY FUN PAGELabor Day Kids Crossword

Cool

labor

website

CLUES:

ACROSS

2 Laborers5 Month celebration falls in7 Day with time off fromschool and work9 Day of week this celebra-tion falls on10 Meals outside over fire

DOWN

1 Saturday and Sunday3 Worker holiday4 Punch to get paid6 Monday through Friday8 Eating lunch outside

Solution at left.

Puzzle from sunniebunniezz.com

http://www.artists4workerschoice.org/

whoweare.cfm

The stars align for the

Employee Free Choice Act.

Log on for a video from acclaimedartists from TV, movies, theater andmusic who tell why now is the time forthe Employee Free Choice Act.

Got a question? E-

mail: tim@wfse.org

Q. In the new General

Government Contract,

what is the difference

between Personal

Holiday and Personal

Leave Day?

A. In the 2009-2011 GeneralGovernment contract, youare entitled to one PersonalHoliday (Article 10.3) dur-

IN MEMORIAM: Gail Nixon,one of the founders ofWFSE/AFSCME bargain-ing unit at the Office of theInsurance Commissioner,

died suddenly June 27 whiletending to one of her belovedSiberian Huskies.

The Local 443 memberand shop steward was 63.

Shed been with OIC formore than 20 years.

She is survived by two

Gail Nixon, one of

the founders of OIC

bargaining unit, dies

Solution

Wheres this worksite?

A new trial date has beenset for Dec. 1. However, that

date could change dependingon what happens in the sum-mary judgment hearing pro-cess, including any appeals.

SUIT, from page 1

daughters, a grandson andsister.

In lieu of services, thefamily suggested donationsto: SOS-Siberspace RescueFund, P.O. Box 25773, Port-land, OR 97225.

Karen Gorini, Local 313

activist dies, dies

IN MEMORIAM: KarenGorini, a longtime socialworker 3 with the Departmentof Social and Health Servicesin Vancouver and a memberof Local 313, died Aug. 5 after

a long illness. She was 69.The WFSE/AFSCME

shop steward was also awell-known social activistwith the American Civil Liber-ties Union, local food drives,the YWCA, the NAACP, theLeague of Women Voters,among others.

A celebration of her lifetook place Aug. 20.

Remembrances inKarens name can be madeto the League of Women Vot-ers, ACLU, NAACP, YWCAor the Democratic Party.

Contract training

at TESC

Local 443 stewards at The Ever-

green State College in Olympia

gathered for training on their new,

2009-2011 contract Aug. 25. Amongthe attendees were (from left): Laura

Carpenter, Linda Mae and Lin

Crowley.

ing each calendar year (Jan.1-Dec. 31).In addition, you are entitled toone Personal Leave Day (Ar-ticle 17.8) during each fiscalyear (July 1-June 30). Some

limitations apply (see yourcontract).

Both of these must be usedduring the specified time

frames or you lose them:

Your personal holiday forthis calendar year must beused by Dec. 31, 2009. For2010, by Dec. 31, 2010. Your personal leave day forthis fiscal year must by used

by June 30, 2010. For 7/1/10-6/30/11, by June 30, 2011.

(Council Rep. Robin Steacydeveloped this information)

The unions work groupfollowing the states infor-mation technology sharedservices initiative met Sept. 1.

The Legislature asked thatthe IT functions in agencies be

brought under the umbrellaof the Department of Informa-

tion Services when it madesense.

The WFSE/AFSCMEworkgroup on IT shared ser-vices wants to make sure theinterests of IT workers andpublic services don t suffer.

IT Shared Services group meets

One tangible result of recent job actions.

Recent job actions on a wide array of issues at WesternState Hospital have yielded a tangible result for our members inMental Health.

The Department of Social and Health Services has with-drawn its proposal to reallocate psychiatric security nurses to thelicensed practical nurse classification. The news came Aug. 18.A demand to bargain meeting had been set for Aug. 31.

The withdrawal came after pushback at a recent rally atWestern State Hospital and solid historical data presented to thestate.