Here is a summary of the changes.

3% General Wage Increase (GWI) Over Two Years. Effective January 1, 2021, wages will be increased by 1%. Effective January 1, 2022, wages will be increased by 2%.

$500 Ratification Bonus. Regular employees in paid status as of ratification will receive a $500 payment, and TLT employees who have in paid status as of ratification will receive a $250 payment.

New Bilingual Premium Pay. New benefit of $25 per pay period for employees assigned to provide bilingual, interpreter, and/or translator services. Art. 6.10.

New Certification Premium Pay. New benefit of $50 per pay period for approved certifications. Art. 6.11.

Free Parking at Goat Hill Through July 5, 2021. Nurses assigned to the King County Correctional Facility will continue to receive free parking through June 2021. Art. 9.2.1.

Compensatory Time. We agreed to lower the comp time balance from 80 to 40 hours per year, but we added language that up to 40 hours per year may be carried over if the employee was unable to use the comp time due to work demands. Art. 10.6.

Scheduling. Current contract language allows management to change schedules except the County had to negotiate “significant” changes. Getting more specificity about what type of change is “significant,” and ensuring sufficient flexibility to change operations as necessary to best serve clients was a “must have” for the County. Your team fought hard to build in as much notice and protections as possible. Under the new language, non-jail nurses will receive 30 days’ notice for any change of more than 1.5 hours to a nurse’s scheduled shift, and 45 days’ notice for any change of scheduled days, or more than 1.5 hours to a scheduled shift. Art. 10.8.

Transfers. The County pushed hard for the right to transfer employees without limitation to improve business operations or advance equity and social justice interests (current language allowed involuntary transfers but did not elaborate on circumstances under which they could occur). We negotiated several limitations on the ability to transfer employees, including consideration of seniority and employee preference, and a prohibition against transferring between north & south sectors or between jail and non-jail facilities. Art. 11.5.

Reduction in Force. Key existing protections in a RIF preserved, including 30 days’ notice, recall rights for two years, and application of seniority. Art. 29. “Bumping” rights by layoff division (e.g. within Community Health Services, Prevention, or Jail Health Services).

Protections around PIPS. New protections that will apply when an employee is placed on a performance improvement plan. Art. 12.3.

Letters of Reprimand “Sunset”. Letters of reprimand cannot be used for progressive discipline after a period of 18 months if no new similar discipline has occurred during that period.

Vacation. We fought hard to fend off a County proposal to decrease vacation accrual rates for all nurses and maintained current contract language. Art. 16.2. We agreed to lower the total cap (not vacation accruals) from 480 to 320 for employees going forward (this is the amount nearly all other County employees are subject to). Art. 16.5. We also fought hard to preserve language ensuring that employees are paid their vacation upon separation, fighting off language that would allow the County to withhold payment unless an employee leaves in good standing. Art. 16.6.

More Bereavement Leave. Employees will now receive up to five days (max 40 hours) of bereavement leave (previous contract language is three days). Art. 22.

As in years past, the county’s ratifi­ca­tion process is cumber­some. After both parties sign the contract, it goes to the King County Executive’s office, then to the King County Council, then back to the Executive’s office for signa­ture. Ten days later, it becomes ordinance. At that point, Payroll starts processing your raises and retroac­tive payments. Because the process is so lengthy, once the contract has been finalized, we will post the unsigned copy of the contract to use as a refer­ence in the meantime.

In Solidarity,
Your WSNA RN Negoti­ating Team: Sean Dumas, RN, Chair; Lois Schipper, RN, Vice Chair; Amy Curtis, RN

For questions, please contact Sydne James, WSNA Nurse Representative, at sjames@wsna.org or 206-575-7979, Ext. 3004.