Washington State Employee, 4/2011

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The of cial newspaper of theWASHINGTON FEDERATION OF STATE

EMPLOYEES/AFSCME Council 28•AFL-CIO

VOL. 39 NO. 4APRIL 2011

WASHINGTON

S tate E mployee

STEWARD CORNERSee page 7.

Action -- & waiting INSIDE:

Norm Schut, pioneering WFSE/AFSCME executive director, dies

You may know the name of Norm Schutonly from the annual scholarship theunion sponsors that carries his name.

But the legacy of Norm Schut is as currentas today’s headlines about putting people

rst. From Memphis to Madison to Olympia,to the ghts for collective bargaining andcollective dignity, much of why we do whatwe do today is because of the tone set bySchut some 70 years ago.

Schut was WFSE/AFSC -ME’s rst executive directorfrom 1952 to 1974. During thattime he established the Feder -ation as THE state employeesunion, instituted a civil rightscommittee in the union in the

early 1960s and started theght that brought comparable

worth/pay equity.In 1972 he took the his-

toric step of taking to the oorof the AFSCME Convention tonominate William Lucy for In-

ternational Secretary-Treasur-er, the rst African-Americanto hold that post.

Schut later founded theunion’s retirees chapter, wenton to work with AFSCME asits regional director and inretirement also headed theSenior Citizen Lobby andwas a trustee at South PugetSound Community Collegeand a leader in the associationof trustees.

Schut died March 22 ata health and wellness centerin Hoquiam, not far from hishome in Ocean Shores. Hewas 89.

He requested no funeralservices.

Norm Schut1993 photo

See SCHUT, page 2

The week of action hammered homethe message: Close tax loopholes, pre -serve the safety net.

At press time April 13, it was unclearif the state Legislature got the message --or whether it would complete its business by April 24.

Both House and Senate budget planswere on the table. Neither closed taxloopholes to preserve the safety net.

The House saved Frances HaddonMorgan Center and Yakima Valley School

by requiring community supports beforeclosing.

The Senate, however, did a switch andtargeted Rainier School in Buckley for clo-sure, along with the Morgan Center.

Both rejected the proposal by Rep.Gary Alexander to save Maple Lane

School, the juvenile rehabilitation facil -ity in south Thurston County. He wouldhave done that by tapping funds from theWashington Auto Theft Prevention Ac -count. MORE ON PAGE 3.

• Two full pages of April 8 stories, photos.4 & 5

• More “Week of Action” coverage. 3

Spokanesolidarity rallyMarch 11 tomake sureWisconsinnever hap-pens here.

Events in Wisconsin sparked the activismthat culminated with the April 8 rally inOlympia to “Put People First” and closetax loopholes to save the safety net.That’s when Sen. Spencer Coggs of the“Wisconsin 14” took to the stage in Olym -pia to thank WFSE/AFSCME and all labor unions for their support -- and urge themto stay united for the ghts ahead.

“Week of Action” rally in Seattle April 4,the 43rd anniversary of the assassinationof Dr. Martin Luther King.

April 2 rally at the Peace Arch inBlaine brought together unions fromWashington, Oregon and British

April 8,Olympia

March 17“EconomicFuture”Rally,Olympia



Page 2 WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee April 2011

NORM SCHUT, 1921-2011

State E mployee

Washington 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. Af liated withthe American Federation of State, Countyand Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and theWashington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Periodicals postage paid at Olympia, WAand at additional of ces. Circulation:42,000.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes toWashington State Employee, 1212 JeffersonSt SE Suite 300 Olympia WA 98501-7501

Carol Dotlich, President

Greg Devereux, Executive Director

Editor Tim Welche-mail: [email protected] • Internet: www.wfse.orgMember, ILCA

WASHINGTON

ELECTRONIC DELIVERY OPTION.If you’d like to save paper and postage, you can receive this newspaper electronically. Go towww.wfse.org and hover over NEWS & INFO, located in the top menu bar. Select from the drop-down list: WASHINGTONSTATE EMPLOYEE - Newspaper. Use the form on this page to register for the electronic version. Or e-mail us at [email protected], or write: WFSE/AFSCME, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501. If you’re a represented non- member fee payer and you don’t wish to receive this publication in any format, e-mail us at [email protected], or write: WFSE/AFSCME, 1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501.

WFSE/AFSCME will also host anevent where the many union and pub-lic of cials he mentored over the yearscan share memories. The event will bescheduled sometime after the legisla-

tive session.His family has established a me-morial website with links to other his-torical sources.

That website is at:

http://memo-rialwebsites.legacy.com/NormSchut/homepage.aspx

Not listed on that website are Schut’saccounts of how labor, politics andworld events shaped him -- even be-fore he came to WFSE/AFSCME -- andhow that continues to shape the uniontoday.-

The accounts -- many publishedhere for the rst time -- come from in -

terviews he didwith the unionin 1993 duringthe Federation’s50th anniver-sary.

Schut, born June 27, 1921,on a YakimaValley farm,was raised in adeeply religiousDutch Re-formed Churchfamily.

“I was brought up in

an environment where racial discrimi-nation was a sin...,” Schut told his 1993interviewers. “I couldn’t tolerate racialdiscrimination.”

And some in the labor movementof the late 1930s and 1940s couldn’ttolerate him because of that stand.

In the years before World War II,Schut became president of a PierceCounty local of what is now the Ser-vice Employees International Union.He was not yet 19.

He organized Japanese and Chi-nese restaurant and store employeeswhom other unions in Pierce Countyrefused to organize “and then theywould try to advertise them as non-union,” Schut said.

“I got contracts for them...,” headded. “I was one of the few people inthe labor movement in Tacoma (whodid that) and I caught holy hell for it.”

Schut’s death came 69 years afterone of the most formative events inhis life and the nation’s – the forced

internment of American citizens andunion members of Japanese ancestry.

He was one of the few leaders of any stripe who, as he said, “vigorouslyprotested” the internment order fromPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Because of that, he nearly wasexpelled from the Pierce CountyCentral Labor Council because of hisunion’s program of visits to Japanese-American union members interned atthe Puyallup “relocation” center at theWestern Washington Fairgrounds.

“We went out there several times aweek,” he said.“We broughtthem recre-ational equip-ment, readingmaterials,so on and soforth.”

“WhereverI could, I didwhat I couldin the way of equal rightsfor all people,”Schut added.

So it’sno surprisethat 20 yearslater with theFederation heoversaw thecreation of oneof the rst civilrights commit-tees in a main-stream union.That was 1962 -- six years before theAFSCME Memphis sanitation strikeand the assassination of Dr. MartinLuther King.

And it was no surprise Schut ledthe union to endorse Lucy in 1972 andstarted the then-unpopular ght forpay equity for women in 1973.

After military service in World War II,Schut returned to Pierce County.

There the political liberal paradox-ically found a home in the RepublicanParty.

At that time in the late 1940s, theDemocratic Party in this state washeavily in uenced by Dave Beck’sTeamsters on the right (who had triedto expel Schut from the labor move-ment for his support of Japanese-Americans) and Communists on theleft.

“I ended up supporting some Re-publican candidates in Pierce County

and so I became active to an extentwith some Republican of ceholders,”he said.

He managed Republican ThorTollefson’s successful run for U.S. Con-gress and then served three years as

Tollefson’s executive assistant.Later he served three years as“troubleshooter” for Republican Gov.Arthur Langlie.

The Republican hierarchy, though,considered Schut a “socialist” andpressured both Tollefson and Langlieto re him.

But both the congressman andgovernor had a strong labor bent – itwas Langlie in 1941 who signed the or-der allowing state employees to union-ize – and rebuffed the GOP machinery.

In 1952, Schut nally accepted AF -SCME’s invitation to be executive di-rector (then called executive secretary)of the 9-year-old Washington Federa-tion of State Employees.

Schut said he nally realized he’dgrown tired of the bureaucratic battlesin state government and wanted to be

in a position in a smaller organizationwhere he could really make a differ-ence.

It was his close ties to Langlie thathelped the edgling Federation estab -lish an AFSCME foothold in Wash-ington and fended off private-sectorunions – including the Teamstersunion led by Dave Beck – who wantedto carve up state government forthemselves.

He considered Langlie a personalfriend, so had a heart-to-heart with thegovernor before accepting the Federa-tion job.

“I also told him that it would becrucial to me that I would have hissupport…,” Schut said. “And so Iknew going in that I could also counton the backing of the governor whenthe chips were down. And that wascrucial.”

Under Schut, state employees won a 40-hour work week in institutions,Social Security coverage, health insur-ance, the rst collective bargaininglaw over non-economic issues, and, in1960, the voter-approved civil serviceinitiative led by the Federation.

Initiative 207 ended the spoils sys-tem in state hiring. Before then, stateemployees were expected to stuff en-velopes in elected of cials’ re-electioncampaigns. “Safety inspectors wereputting up signs on trees” instead of processing workers’ compensationclaims, he said. And there was “allkinds of favoritism…who got promot-ed, who got what work assignment,who got on what shifts, all that kind of garbage,” Schut said.

After 1960, state employees be-came part of the machine dedicated topublic service, not part of a politicalmachine to keep governors and legis-lators in power.

Schut retired from the Federationin 1974 and lived out the last 18 yearsof his life in Ocean Shores, where hewas active with various wildlife, cul-tural and library causes.

During his 1993 interviews, Schut wasmodest about his accomplishmentsand unsure if Federation membersnow would remember his contribu-tions.

“Nothing is more boring thanfor somebody my age to try to tellthem (newer members) the history,how hard we fought and won these battles….,” he said. “If there’s anymessage at all that I think everybodyin the union should try to get to thenew members is that it’s not just thatthe union accomplished all thesethings for you, you need to know whatwould happen to you if it weren’t forthe union.”

And if it weren’t for Norm Schut.

SCHUT,from page 1

Schut and AF-SCME PresidentJerry Wurf (center)meet with Gov.Dan Evans duringearly days of comparable worthpay equity ght for state employeesin traditionallyfemale-dominated job classes, mid-1970s.

In new union HQ, mid-1950s

ABOVE:Schut (secondfrom left, with WFSEfounder Neville B. Crip-pen) at banquet celebrat-ing voter approval of civilservice law.LEFT:Schut (secondfrom right) as helicopter delivered nal 1960 civilservice ballot measurepetitions the union had

own in to meet the lingdeadline

IN MEMORIAM: A memorial service for longtimelabor activist Irene Hull will be 2-5 p.m., Sunday, May

22, in Hall 1 of the Seattle Labor Temple, 2800 FirstAve. Hull, 98, died March 20. She helped found thelocal chapter of Coalition of Labor Union Women(CLUW), was active in Jobs with Justice and hadbeen honored by both the Washington State LaborCouncil and the City of Seattle.



WFSE/AFSCME Washington State Employee Page 3April 2011

PUT PEOPLE FIRST!

Reduce Home Care for Seniors andPersons With Disabilities = $76.2Million

OR Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption for Non-Organic Fertilizer = $83.7 Million

Eliminate Extra Class Size ReductionFunds for K-4 classes = $216 Million

OR

Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption for Financial Services, Insurance, and RealEstate Fees and Commissions = $401Million

Reduce Basic Health Plan = $246.2Million( Cuts healthcare coverage for 69,000 low-income, working adults)

OR

Eliminate B&O Tax Exemption on FirstMortgage Income for Wall Street Banks =$87 Million(Exempts Washington-based banks by not taxingfirst $100 Million in bank revenues ) andEliminate Sales Tax Exemption for Personal and Entertainment Services =$203 Million

Reduce School Meals Program = $3Million

OR Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption on Golf Club and Country Club Membership Fees =$2 Million

Reduce Medicare Part D Co pay Assistance for Low Income Adults =$16.4 Million(Funding to help seniors afford theirprescription medications)

OR Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption on Elective,Not-Medically-Necessary Cosmetic Surgery = $12.4 Million

Eliminate State Food AssistanceProgram = $45.6 Million

OR Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption for Security and Janitorial Services = $69 Million

Reduction in Apple Health Programfor Children = $59 Million

OR Eliminate Sales Tax Exemption for Out-Of-State Shoppers = $84 Million

The choice: Preserving the safety net -- orpreserving corporate loopholes

PRIORITIES:Much could change by the time you read this. But the

major priorities will likely remain the same:

• Fund state contracts.• Protect workers and clients from institutional closures.• Retain funding for medical interpreters required by Medic -aid patients whose rst language is not English.• Preserve early retirement incentives state employees.• Support user fees necessary to retain critical natural re -source agencies.• Support public safety in Corrections, Fish and Wildlife andother agencies.• Reject the plan to privatize all of Child Welfare Services.• Close billions in tax loopholes to preserve the safety net.

MAKE THE CALLS -- KEEP UP TO DATE!

• Call your legislators at 1-800-562-6000 to urge those priori -ties in the budget bill, HB 1087.• Keep up to date on calls to action by calling the WFSE/AF -SCME Action Hotline at 1-800-562-6102.• Visit our website for up-to-date information and calls to ac -tion in the closing days of the regular session – and any spe -cial sessions.

Your activism needed in

last days of 2011 session

SOURCE: Our Economic Future Coalition

WEEKS OF ACTION

WFSE/AFSCMEPresident Carol Dotlichtold a crowd of about1,000 attending the April 4Community Rally in Seattleto commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., butalso to re-dedicate themselvesto the ght, which is ascurrent as today’s headlines.

“Brothers and sisters,need is not the crime, greed isthe crime,” Dotlich said.

“Organized labor andcollective bargaining builtthe middle class. Today ourcountry is at war with crimein many, many countries.At home in America,corporations are funding awar on the workers, a war onAmerican families.”

As it rained on the rally,Dotlich said:

“Today, heaven shedstears. It sheds tears for allthose who share the dreamsand vision of Dr. MartinLuther King, for we have yetto realize it. It cries out for justice for workers. It remindsus that we must standtogether today as Martin

“Greed is the crime,” Dotlich tellsSeattle ‘Week of Action’ rally

Luther King stood in 1968.We must stand for justice,we must stand for workingfamilies and we must carry onhis dream.”

That ght for dignity brought King to Memphis43 years ago to support theefforts of 1,300 AFSCMEsanitation workers to defend

their right to collectively bargain for better wages,working conditions andrespect.

It was the second“Week of Action” event thatculminated with the April 8rally in Olympia (see pages 4and 5).

Sen. Steve Conway of the 29th District (front, right) joined WFSE/AFSCME’sInterpreters United Lobby Day March 29 to save their program.

Legislators visited Frances Haddon Morgan Center March 11 as workers,unions and parents made their case that it’s a cost-effective, caring institution.From left: Rep. Tami Green, 28th Dist.; Sen. Phil Rockefeller, 23rd Dist.; parentPaul Strand; Greg Devereux, WFSE; and Marci Johnson, SEIU.

Sen. MaralynChase, 32ndDist. (right) talkswith YakimaValley Schoolmembers April8. It was clear all residentialhabilitationcenters arethreatened.

Dotlich (above) spoke to a crowd of 1,000 at April 4 rally in Seattle.

WFSE/ AFSCMEmemberstook partin the frst

“Week of Ac-tion” event April 2 atPeace ArchState Park inBlaine.




PUT PEOPLE FIRST!

One of the ‘Wisconsin 14’ wows crowdwith saga of foiling Scott Walker

‘This is what democracy looks like!’

The April 8 crowd roaredwhen one of the “Wisconsin14,” Wisconsin state Sen.Spencer Coggs of the 6 th District in Milwaukee, made asurprise appearance.

He and his 13 colleagues

refused to stand by whileGov. Scott Walker and theRepublican majority rammedthrough anti-worker and anti-union legislation, he said.

“He gave away $140million (in tax breaks), thenhe wants to take it out of the backs of working men andwomen,” Coggs said. “That just wasn’t right.”

But then the “Wisconsin14” realized that theRepublicans needed 20 votesfor a quorum to get the

“budget repair” bill through.“Brothers and sisters,

there’s only 19 Republicans,so we headed for the border,”he said.

The “Wisconsin 14” hidout in Illinois while hundredsof thousands of publicemployees and allies occupiedthe state Capitol in Madison.

The “Wisconsin 14”sparked a movement and newwave of activism.

“We thought we were

holding up the terrible bill, but we were holding theentire nation together,” hesaid.

Walker and his supporterseventually found a wayaround the rules and passed

the bill -- but the dispute isnow in the courts because of their possible illegal conduct.

“The ‘Wisconsin 14’ came back to fght and also to suethose bums because they werewrong,” Coggs said.

Coggs left the Olympiacrowd with a fnal message.

“Brothers and sisters, wemust unite,” Coggs said.

“We must fght. We musttake back workers’ rights.Because the people united cannever be defeated.”

The 1,400 WFSE/AFSCME attendees mingledwith members from dozens of other unions andcame from as far away as Shoreline, Everett,Spokane and Cheney. Local 1020 member Max Phipps (EverettCC) with granddaughter Alexis Ellis, 7.

EWU

Local 931members.

Fircrest School Local 341

Interpreter Dave Soelberg of Vancouver, with “Wisconsin 14” Sen. Coggs.



WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeApril 2011 Page 5

PUT PEOPLE FIRST!

But will state legislators do anything?

At press time, 48 House Democrats (many of whom gathered for a photo op at the April 8 rally) had signed onto amajor bill to roll back $170 million in tax loopholes. But leaders note that’s short of the 65 votes needed to pass with therequired two-thirds majority.

Or will they chicken out...? As illustratedby WFSE/

AFSCMECouncil RepSean Dannen (right, withunion VPSueHenricksen).

LEFT:UW Local 1488member Jay “Goose-button” Herzmark lampoons corporategreed at April 8 rallywith members (fromleft)Doug Nielson,Paula Lukaszek andPhil Salvador.

Corporate loopholes need to be closed

State legislators and ourgovernor have a lot to think about after the huge April8 rally in Olympia where acrowd estimated by FUSEWashington as 15,000 de-manded closing tax loopholesto save the safety net.

WFSE/AFSCME members made up about 10 per-cent of the total attendees.They joined dozens of otherunions, community groupsand allies on a rare sunny day

during this dismal spring inOlympia.It came during the week

marking the 43rd anniversary

of the assassinatin of Dr. Mar-

tin Luther King.“So during this week andtoday, we do not simply re-member, we are not just nos-

talgic, we do not simply com-memorate,” said FederationPresident Carol Dotlich.

“Instead, we must re-ded-icate ourselves to our cause.We look to the future, we re-fuse to return to the past.”

Lawmakers need to knowworking families demand thatcorporations pay their fairshare. Tax loopholes reward

those who caused the reces-sion, she said.

“It was not you, it wasnot me, it was not our wages,it was not our pensions, it wasnot our health care,” Dotlichsaid, anked by a dozen or soWFSE/AFSCME members inAFSCME green.

“We did not lose $20 tril-lion, did we? It was those ge-niuses on Wall Street who cre-ated this nancial nightmarewe’re all living in.

“Why do we who arestruggling to stay a oat in themiddle class have to clean upafter Wall Street’s mess?

“Brothers and sisters, Idon’t think Wall Street gives adamn about us.”

She threw down the chal-lenge to the dozens of law-makers who attended therally.

“Don’t you agree, it’s timeour Legislature, the people’sLegislature, made Wall Streetand robber barons pay theirfair share?”

about the resulting budgetde cits,” Johnson said.

“They treat our economyas if it were a casino and …they bet our jobs, wages and bene ts against the house.

“They won and we lost.”Children, the vulner-

able, the poor, students andmiddle class working families

shouldn’t be blamed and suf-fer for corporate greed, hesaid.

“We do not have a bud-get de cit – we have a socialservice de cit, we have a jobsde cit, we have a revenuede cit and we have a de citof leadership.”

“HELL YES!” the crowdresponded.

Legislators need to show backbone and nd new rev -enue and close corporate taxloopholes, said Jeff Johnson,president of the WashingtonState Labor Council.

“The billionaires and bankers brought our economyto its knees and they brought

“Brothers and sisters, I don’t think Wall Street gives a damn about us,” WFSE/ AFSCME President Carol Dotlich tells cheering crowd of 15,000.

Washington State Labor Council President Jeff Johnson addressesoverfowing crowd atApril 8 rally.

1,400 WFSE/AFSCME members-- many on buses like this one fromSpokane -- came to the rally.

WFSE/AFSCME Treasurer Rose-mary Sterling gazes at Wisconsinfag hoisted by Zoltan Grossman, amember of the faculty union (AFT) atThe Evergreen State college.



UNION NEWS; MEMBERS-ONLY BENEFITS UPDATE


wsecu.org| 800.562.0999

WSECU membership is not required — all WFSE/AFSCMEmembers and retirees are welcome.

To schedule a workshop for your local or public agency, call800.562.0999 x10101.

Is the Furlough Causing Financial Stress? Let Us Help.

Financial stress is a reality these days, but your credit unioncan help with a free Financial Stress Management workshop.

We will bring this workshop to you and your co-workers to provideinformation and tools to help manage the nancial stress in your life.

SHARED LEAVEREQUESTS

If you’ve been approved to receive shared leave by your agency or institution, you can place a notice here. Once you’ve been approved by your

agency or institution, WFSE/ AFSCME can place your shared leave request here and online. Please include acontact in your agency, usu- ally in human resources, for donors to call. E-mail the editor at [email protected]. Or call 1-800-562-6002.

• The following could use adonation of eligible unused annual leave or sick leave or all or part of your personal holiday:

Marcella Trucks, a nancial

services specialist 3 at theSmokey Point CSO of DSHSand a member of Local 948,has been approved for sharedleave to care for her husband,Randy Kurtz, also of Local948, who will be out on medi-cal leave for treatment of andrecovery from a very seriousillness. The two were marriedMarch 26. Contact: Your humanresource of ce.

Loretta Parson, an attendantcounselor 1 at Frances HaddonMorgan Center in Bremertonand a member of Local 1181,has been diagnosed with can-cer and is undergoing surgery.Contact: Judy Clark at (360)475-3459 or Patty Huffman at(360) 475-3464.

Charity Hays, a WorkFirstprogram specialist with DSHSin Kelso and a member of Local1400, has been approved forshared leave because of a fam-ily medical condition. She hasexhausted all leave. Contact:Your human resource of ce.

Mikal Christensen, a nancialservices specialist 3 with theDSHS Statewide CustomerService Center in Everett and amember of Local 948, has beenapproved for shared leave.Contact: Your human resourceof ce.

Diana Fernandez, an of ceassistant lead with DSHS inTacoma and a member ofLocal 53, has been approvedfor shared leave because of amedical condition. She has ex-hausted all leave. Contact: Yourhuman resource of ce.

Laura Watts, a mail carrier-driver with the EmploymentSecurity Department in Olympia

and a member of Local 443, isat the end of an extremely high-risk pregnancy and is in need ofshared leave. Contact: Kath-leen Young, (360) 902-9413.

Christine Sannon, a socialworker 3 with DSHS in Everettand a member of Local 948,has been approved for sharedleave. Contact: Your humanresource of ce.

Marshall Garcia-Schlenz, aninformation technology special-ist 2 with the Department of Li-

censing in Olympia, is undergo-ing radiation and chemotherapyfor Stage 3 esophageal cancer.He is unable to work. He is theprimary wager earner in hisfamily. His illness has dev-astated his family’s nances.Contact: Lonnie Spikes, (360)664-1394.

Peter Barabasz, a nancialservices specialist 3 with DSHS

at the Sky Valley CSO in Sno-homish County and a memberof Local 948, is still in need ofshared leave to attend weeklychemotherapy treatments andbe at home for recuperation.He has been battling cancer fortwo years. Contact: Your hu-man resource of ce.

La’Toya Powell, a nancialservices specialist 3 with DSHS

in Tacoma and a member ofLocal 53, has been approvedfor shared leave. Contact: Yourhuman resource of ce.

Jolie Caravan, an unemploy-ment insurance specialist 3with the Employment SecurityDepartment in Spokane anda member of Local 1221, is inneed of shared leave to carefor her granddaughter, who is

special needs and requiresJolie to be with her 24 hoursa day to provide proper careand monitoring and medica-tion. Contact: Kathy Walmsley,(509) 893-7002.

Jacqueline De Vore, a scaltechnician 2 with the Depart-ment of Health in Olympia

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

IN MEMORIAMIN MEMORIAM: Long-time Local 1253 memberGenoveva Tavares, aWorkFirst program specialist

at the Kennewick CommunityService Of ce of DSHS,died March 21. She was 45.She had been courageouslybattling cancer. Funeralservices were held March 25in Pasco.

IN MEMORIAM: Joel Head,a cost reimbursement analystwith DSHS in Olympia and amember of Local 443, diedMarch 12 after a battle withleukemia. He was 57. He was

an active shop steward. He issurvived by his wife, Shannon,daughter, Cammeron, andgranddaughter Devlynn.Services have been held.

At press time, ve of WFSE/AFSCME’s highereducation contracts wereawaiting rati cation votes bythe respective groups of mem - bers.

Washington State University,the University of Washington andUW Police Management reachedtentative agreements on 2011-2013 contracts with no wagecuts and major gains in non-economic articles.

UWPM’s rati cation votewas April 13.

WSU counts ballots April22.

UW was preparing itsrati cation schedule at presstime.

Western Washington Uni-versity and Central WashingtonUniversity also agreed to newcontracts.

To get to where theywanted, WWU and CWUeach agreed to one-year con -tracts that would take effectnext year, on July 1, 2012,and run until June 30, 2013.During the rst year of the biennium, from July 1, 2011,

to June 30, 2012, the termsand conditions of the current(2009-2011) collective bargain-ing agreement would apply.WWU and CWU memberswould take a temporary sal -ary reduction of 3 percentfor those making more than$2,500 a month from July 1,2012, to June 29, 2013. Theyalso won signi cant improve -ments in working conditions.

WWU members were tovote onsite April 20.

CWU counts ballots April22.

Meanwhile, the teams atThe Evergreen State College andthe Community College Coalition continued bargaining. One of

the last major sticking pointsis whether the respective ad -ministrations would extendany pay cuts to management,exempt and other staff – justas the governor ordered forthe General Governmentagencies under her control.

The TESC team was leftin limbo on April 11 whenmanagement once again re - jected all of the union’s coun -terproposals on the table. The

TESC team told members the“message was clear: Classi -

ed employees are second-class citizens.” The team hadpresented a petition to theuniversity president signed by about 200 – or 10 percent –of the university’s classi ed,faculty and exempt staff ask -ing that any pay cut be spreadcampuswide. TESC PresidentLes Purce did not respond.

The rati ed -- then bud -get- of ce vetoed Eastern

Washington University contractis headed to an unfair labor

practice hearing.

• The new Medical Interpret-ers unit began bargaining ontheir rst contract in March.• With little fanfare, the vemembers of the faith-basedAmericans Friend Service Com-mittee’s Paci c Northwest Re -gional Of ce in Seattle signedtheir rst contract March 18.Their contract runs until Sept.30, 2011.

TESC Local 443 membersLana Brewster (left) andLin Crowleylead their bargaining team’s march to the president’s of ce with petitions.

Bargaining updatesHigher ed, interpreters, American Friends Service Committee



MEMBERS-ONLY BENEFITS UPDATE; SHOP STEWARD CORN

WFSE/AFSCME Washington State EmployeeApril 2011 Page 7

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(360) 658-3131(253) 333-9500(360) 666-5700(425) 450-9500(360) 734-1999(253) 862-1015(425)806-0077

(425) 513-2000(253)838-3232

(425) 391-7645Kent (253)856-3384

Lynnwood (425) 744-1022Marysville (360) 651-1882Monroe (360) 794-0717Mount Vernon (360)848-6777

Olympia (360)866-7669Pasco (East) (509) 542-9981

a d o in oL kewoo C m g So n (253)581-2888Longview (360) 578-9999

Pasco (West) (509) 544-6188

Walla Walla (509) 522-2220Sequim (360)797-1100

Yakima (509) 457-5050

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[email protected]

425.891.8918

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Execustive Director of Labor

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I F . : :

STEWARDCORNER

by Timothy J. Foley,Shop Steward, Local 1221

Today, the Code of EthicalConduct for Stewards mayvery well be the union’s mostimportant and impactfuldocument.

Over the years of being asteward, I have had numerousconversations with my union brothers and sisters. I havealso read the newspapersand listened to the news,only to hear horror storiesof corporations behaving badly and watched unethicalCEOs or politicians raidingretirement programs or sidingwith big business for theirown pro t. After watching allof this take place, almost ona daily basis, I am convincedmuch of this ugly behavioris due in large part to nothaving and applying goodethical ideals and processes.

In reviewing our Code of Ethical Conduct for Stewards,I found two very in uentialsections that can assist everyshop steward in developinga clear vision of the SPIRITof this document. The rstsection is the “Purpose.” Thissection clearly talks about“providing guidelines forStewards in conduct and

values in preserving unionin action.” It also points outthat the code “offers a setof values, principles andstandards to guide decision-making, representation andconduct.” Finally, this sectionpoints out “stewards’ actionsshould be consistent with thespirit as well as with the letterof this code.”

The next importantsection is the “PRINCIPLES.”In this section, it points out“Stewards promote unionvalues, principles and ideas inthe workplace. Those values

include service, social justicefor all, treating each personwith dignity and worth,valuing relationships, havingintegrity and competence, andhonoring con dentiality.” Itcontinues by saying how thesteward needs to “strive toimprove working conditionsin all available forums,”“create, foster and promotesolidarity within the union.”The steward should alsoseek the “advice and counselof other stewards/staff whenever such consultation isin the best interest of clients.”

And nally, this sectiondiscusses the need to be“alert to and avoid actual orpotential con icts of interest.”

In closing, the Code of Ethical Conduct for Stewardsis to help shop stewards “holdin stewardship the welfare of the membership of WFSE.”The Code of Ethical Conduct forStewards is online in the WFSE/ AFSCME Steward Center. Goto wfse.org>Stewards>StewardToolbox.

and a member of Local 443,is suffering from kidney failureand has been in the hospital.She has exhausted all leave.Contact: Jody Bales, (360) 236-2930.

Judy Anderson, a data com-piler 3 with the Employment

Security Department in Olympiaand a member of Local 443, isin need of shared leave. Shehas been off work since earlyDecember and has used up allher leave. Contact: CathleenYoung, (360) 725-9416.

Nancy Remy, a nancial ser -vices specialist 3 with DSHS inTacoma and a member of Local53, is in need of shared leave

because of a serious medicalcondition and surgery. Contact:Your human resource of ce.

Sheryl Tiffany, a support en-forcement of cer 2 with DSHS

in Olympia and a member ofLocal 443, has been approvedfor shared leave because of on-going, serious medical issues.Contact: Sandi Wallace, (360)664-6919.

Dwight Eisenhower, a con-struction and maintenanceproject specialist at Fort Wor-den State Park and a memberof Statewide Parks Local 1466,has been approved for sharedleaved. Contact: Your humanresource of ce.

CONTINUED FROM LAST PAGE




MEMBERS IN ACTION

Send your guesses by e-mail to [email protected] or regular mail: Editor,1212 Jefferson St. S.E., Suite 300, Olympia, WA 98501. Include your name and mailing address. Deadline: May 10. The rst 10 readers withthe correct answer who include their name and mailing address willreceive a prize.

Where’s thisworksite?

WFSE/AFSCME joined with Department ofTransportation workers and families of fallen DOTworkers March 22 at the annual DOT WorkerMemorial ceremony at agency headquarters inOlympia.

Silence fell over the crowd as the names of all 59DOT workers killed on the job since 1950 ashed ona wall-sized screen.

Betty Rhynalds, widow of Local 378 memberBilly Rhynalds, killed on the job in January, thankedthe agency and the families of other fallen workers.

“There was not one day that he did not want tobe part of the community or a department (where) he

The 59Union joins in DOT memorial

Betty Rhyhalds joins with co-workers of her late husband, Billy, atmemorial to him and the other 59 DOT workers killed on the jobsince 1950.

Local 1326 helps victims of White Swan wildfreYakima Local 1326 donated $500 to the White Swan Fire Victims’ Relief Fund.The February wild re, considered the worst ever in the county, destroyed 20homes and devastated families in White Swan in the middle of the YakamaReservation. Local 1326 membersDeb Sills (left) andJo Ann Gibson (right)dropped off the local’s check at a Bank of America branch handling the dona-tions. Sills and Gibson are both shop stewards for the Yakima DSHS Divisionof Children and Family Services of ce.

Laura Little, the chief shop stewardat Everett Community College (Local1020) organized a March 21 contractlunch ’n learn on the contract. Shedecorated the campus with greenbows and handed out green brack-ets for staff to wear.

was helping others,” she said.Agency of cials said they should break ground

on a permanent WSDOT Worker Memorial adjacentto headquarters soon. The National Work ZoneMemorial Wall was part of the ceremony.

Those in attendance were encouraged tocontribute to the new WSDOT Memorial Foundationto remember the fallen, care for DOT retirees andhelp family members left behind. WFSE/AFSCMErecently contributed $5,000 to the foundation. (You’ll

nd a link on our website at www.wfse.org or godirectly to the foundation’s website at http://wsdotmf.net/ .)

“We simply can’t lose any more DOT workers,”said union President Carol Dotlich. “They are vital toour state. But more importantly, they are husbandsand wives, dads and moms and sons and daughters.The impact on the families left behind is the mosttragic outcome.

“In the words of Mother Jones, we mourn thedead, but we will ght like hell for the living.”

• SAFETY. The WFSE/AFSCME-backed bill to bring binding interest arbitration over safetyissues for Community Corrections memberspassed the House but did not clear its Senatecommittee by press time. It can be brought upagain in 2012.

“The state of Washington needs torecognize corrections and supervision isa dangerous occupation,” said Local 308President Ginger Richardson.

From left:Michael Wiseman, Steve Segal and TonJohnson at hearing on liability reform bill.

• LIABILITY. The bill to limit liability forCommunity Corrections and DSHS socialworkers acting in good faith picked up thesupport of the state Attorney General’s of ceand the Department of Corrections March 21, but a scheduled March 24 vote in the House Judiciary Committee never took place.

ESSB 5605 had earlier passed the Senate40-9.

It can be brought up again in 2012.

Local 308 PresidentGinger Richardson (left) withWFSE/AFSCME LobbyistMatt Zuvichat March 21 Sen-ate hearing.

At press time, the union waspushing to include CommunityCorrections of cer safety issues inomnibus Corrections safety bills,ESB 5907 and HB 2036.

FIGHTFOR THE LIVING

Documents

Washington State Employee, 4/2011