Schedules: THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE

TESC Bargaining
Team negotia-
tions:
Bargaining Update
To be announced
Sept. 16, 2010 www.wfse.org
Health Care Coali-
tion bargaining: TESC team fights management foot-dragging
On hold In the five most recent bargaining

TESC Bargaining
sessions, your TESC Bargaining Team Quotes from your
has reached tentative agreement on
Team: several articles—but got the same insulting bargaining team
Debbie Brookman compensation articles that other WFSE/
- Chief Negotiator AFSCME bargaining tables have received. “We have worked
Lana Brewster long and hard hours
Laura Carpenter Overall, your negotiating team is working and put forward
Eric Carlson hard to get a good contract for the members. reasonable proposals.
Lin Crowley But management isn’t budging. “It feels as It seems management
Steve Johnson though we’re wasting our time,” said team doesn’t have the
Linda Mae member Laura Carpenter.
Ed Rivera same urgency
Doug Shanafelt The team on Aug. 31 received the same
and so it feels like
Kirk Talmadge* offensive compensation proposal as the other they’re wasting our
(*also TESC tables – no cost-of-living adjustments and time. Negotiations have dragged on
members’ takeaways in other areas. because of that foot-dragging to the
representative on point where now we have to dip into
the Health Care Because of the state budget and our vacation time to do the work for
Coalition) unresolved bargaining over Health Care a fair contract with no takeaways for
Benefits Amounts, contract negotiations have our members.”
Contact the been extended. Additional TESC bargaining Laura Carpenter,
team: dates will be announced.
info@wfse.org TESC Bargaining Team
Please put “Mes- TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS “It feels like we’re
sage for the TESC bargaining with
Bargaining Team” But both sides have reached tentative the state and not
in the subject line. agreement on several more articles: the college because
of the similarity
Online at: 4  Hiring and Appointments
www.wfse.org > 5  Temporary Appointments to the proposals
Bargaining Center 10  Holidays put forward by
> TESC Bargain- 12  Sick Leave management at other
ing Team Info & 15  Family and Medical Leave tables.”
News 16  Work Related Injury or Illness Ed Rivera,
20  Safety and Health TESC Bargaining Team
21  Uniforms, Tools, and Equipment
25  Licensure and Certification
29  Discipline Article 17  Suspended Operations
30  Grievance Procedures Article 18  Miscellaneous Paid Leaves
37  Mandatory Subjects Article 35  Layoff & Recall
51  Entire Agreement Article 39  Seniority
Article 40  Union Activities
REMAINING OPEN ARTICLES Article 41  Dues/Fees Deductions and Status
Reports
Article 2  Non-Discrimination Article 42 Classification
Article 3  Workplace Behavior Article 43  Compensation
Article 7  Hours of Work 
Article 8  Overtime  CONTINUED ON NEXT SIDE
Article 11  Vacation Leave

Quarterly Membership Meeting
Noon-1 p.m. • Thursday, Sept. 23 • SEM 2 E1107
Your chief negotiator Debbie Brookman and Bargaining Team
will be on hand to give you a briefing on contract negotiations.
Health care
negotiations
stalled
One important article in the TESC
contract vital to you and your family is
actually bargained at another table.
The WFSE/AFSCME-led coalition
of state employee unions is tasked
with bargaining the Health Care
Benefits Amounts article (Article 44 in
the TESC contract).
Kirk Talmadge of the TESC
Bargaining Team represents you at
that coalition table.
On health care, the state has
gone silent after the last bargaining
session Aug. 24.
There, they proposed higher
premiums or higher fees when you
visit the doctor’s office.
They propose increasing your
premium share from the current 12
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
percent to a whopping 26 percent.
That would mean an average
estimated pay cut of $2,316 a year.
Or they want to triple the fees you
pay when you visit the doctor’s office.
For instance, deductibles for family
would go from the current $750 a
year to $2,100 a year.
The state summarily rejected
the WFSE/AFSCME-led coalition’s
creative ideas to help pay for keeping
benefits current, including using
health fund reserves and closing tax
loopholes.
“To date, we have not heard
back from the state on a realistic
counterproposal that has some basis
CONTINUED FROM OTHER SIDE
Article 44  Health Care Benefits
Amounts (Article 44 is bargained in
coalition with other state employee
NONPROFIT
US POSTAGE
PAID
OLYMPIA WA
PERMIT NO. 238
for negotiations leading to a fair
settlement,” said WFSE/AFSCME
Executive Director Greg Devereux.
Even if the state does answer,
it looks more and more like the path
to a fair contract with no takeaways
leads through the halls of the state
Capitol. Legislators ultimately will
have to make the policy decisions on
such things as use of reserve funds
and closing tax loopholes to keep
premiums and costs at current levels
in 2012 and 2013.
(NOTE: The 2011 health program
has already been funded at current
levels, thanks to union action this
past legislative session and using the
current contract.)
unions; Kirk Talmadge is your
representative at that table.)
Article 53  Printing of Agreement