I was asked by others to write a response to the all staff meeting held recently by video conferencing. I’ve been asked to do some tough things lately, but this is one of the toughest.
I want to be careful about what I say, because I’ve been a proponent in the Union Management Communications Committee (UMCC) of these direct meetings between management and staff. I and others continue to urge our leaders to provide clear, direct, and accurate information directly to you, and to allow you direct access to them. What I heard at the Q&A session echoes what coworkers shared with me before the meeting, that the furloughs and their implementation are painful. By contrast I found myself sitting next to someone in the audience who at various intervals muttered to her neighbor that everyone should just quit whining, and that she was tired of hearing the complaints.
Certainly the applause of anti-union sentiment toward the end made me feel tired, tired on behalf of my fellow activists who have been working so hard for everyone, and tired on behalf of the union staff who are busy suing, filing grievances, and fighting for our right to negotiate over the impacts of management decisions. Then I remembered who I am fighting for. I remembered the receptionist who has been trying to avoid it, but qualifies for Medicaid and really needs to apply even with state salary and benefits. (About 30% of state employees are estimated to qualify for Medicaid). I remembered the people at NWRO that are losing their homes because they can’t make their mortgage payments and the property taxes of living in or near Bellevue. I remembered the person who lost out on a chance to buy a home with Obama’s housing credit because someone in Human Resources told the bank the furloughs would cut her salary too low to qualify. I remembered all the families who rely on one state salary because a spouse lost their job. It is with great concern and renewed determination that I resolve to keep speaking out for them.
But where is the empathy for these people in the hearts of Ecology’s leaders? When nervous jokes and uneasy banter take the place of a heart-felt apology, I wonder about this “Ecology” that is being remembered so fondly as a special place to work. As one person said during the meeting, if a wedge is being driven between management and staff, it is by these leaders who claim to have your best interests at heart, but refuse to fight for you downtown.
A person in my region stopped me in the hall and said,
“Someone has to fight for us, because we didn’t cause the financial crisis and we shouldn’t be the ones to pay for Wall Street’s mistakes.”The Federation and the collective action of union members are the only shield we have from whatever is next as the state’s economy continues to worsen.
So I ask you, don’t believe the excuses you were told by our leaders at the Q&A. It is the Federation and fellow union members who are duking it out in the courts, in the legislature, at the negotiating table and in the media on your behalf.
It was management delays that pushed negotiations on the furlough impacts past the deadline. It was OFM that insisted the furloughs be implemented in the worst possible way. It is our management who decided to march to Governor Gregoire’s drumbeat for the sake of “being trusted” to follow orders.
Our agency leaders gamble that by being good soldiers, Ecology will weather the next storm by being protected as a kind of quid pro quo. Even I, optimist that I am, do not believe that will pay off. It is the hardworking people at Ecology who will pay for this hubris in layoffs, health care increases and maybe even more furloughs. It accomplishes nothing to turn co-worker against co-worker at this difficult time. Please, get active and help us fight for you. No one cares if you’ve been anti-union in the past. We need your help. ■
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