2013-2015 contract ratified

General Government contract has been ratified. The results of online voting are Accept – 2,421 and Reject - 169.

SUMMARY OF THE TENTATIVE MASTER AGREEMENT


This is a summary that highlights the most significant provisions of The Tentative Master Agreement for General Government between the Washington Federation of State Employees bargaining units and the State of Washington, on behalf of the individual agencies. The tentative agreement was signed Sept. 15. This summary does not cover every article or every provision. 

For more details, please refer to the Tentative Agreement online at WFSE.org.

MAJOR GOALS OF THE NEW CONTRACT

The Federation’s General Government tentative agreement on the 2013-2015 contract achieves several major goals and continues the fight to hold the line on health care costs:

• A compensation package with no more cuts. THE 3% PAY CUT ENDS;
• The Compensation package also includes a POSSIBLE 1% COLA in the second year if certain economic goals are reached by February 2014;
• The M STEP will bring an immediate 2.5% pay boost 7/1/13 to General Government members who have been at the current top step, Step L, for six years; others will get it as they become eligible;
• A “me-too” clause in the event the state agrees to more favorable treatment on economic issues in any other general government units (see MOU #4);
• Personal Leave Days (one in each year) remain and expanded to include Institutions workers;
• Comp time accrual rate increased;
• Supplemental bargaining on agency-specific issues in eight agencies: DES, DSHS, DOT, DOA, Parks, DOC, ESD and Liquor Control Board;
• Plus there were notable improvements to non-economic articles.

FIGHT CONTINUES TO HOLD THE LINE ON HEALTH CARE

Article 43 on Health Benefits Amounts will restate that this will be the Health Benefits Agreement between the state and the WFSE/AFSCME-led Health Care Coalition of Unions.

The Health Care Coalition will continue negotiations on this article affecting all unions to uphold your goal of holding the line on health care.

At the time the Tentative Agreement booklet was printed and mailed, it appeared that goal had been achieved, but in the final hours of Sept. 14, a formal agreement was not completed. So this issue will be split from all union contracts and negotiated separately.

• If the coalition reaches agreement quickly, that health care agreement will also go to you for a separate ratification vote. 

• If an agreement takes longer to achieve, the terms and conditions of the current health care agreement remain in place until June 30, 2014 – including the current provision that you pay 15% of your premiums and the state pays 85%. 

 Under this “bifurcated” arrangement, the General Government contract can go forward independent of the health care article; you would retain contract protections and if a health care benefits amount agreement is not reached quickly, you would retain the current 85/15 premium split through June 30, 2014.

Visit www.wfse.org for more information!