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T i m e s

February 3 2004

Special Note: Regular Meeting Date Changed

The date of the February monthly meeting has been changed from February 18 to February 25 in order to report-out on the status of the Wastewater Mediation Session scheduled for Wednesday, February 18.

February Meeting Schedule

February  2 WTD Contract Negotiation Team (12-1pm)
February  3 TEA Business Meeting (King St. Center, 5B), 12-1pm
February  9 WTD Contract Negotiation Team (12-1pm)
February 10 TEA Business Meeting (King St. Center, 5B), 12-1pm
   
February 16 HOLIDAY
February 17 TEA Business Meeting (King St. Center, 5B), 12-1pm
February 18 WTD Mediation Session (10-4pm)
   
February 23 WTD Contract Negotiation Team (12-1pm)
February 24 TEA Business Meeting (King St. Center, 5B), 12-1pm
February 25 (New) TEA Regular Meeting (Elliott Bay Café), 12-1pm

Agenda for February 25 Regular TEA Meeting

  1. Call to Order
  2. Treasurer's Report
  3. Update on Contract Negotiations (Discussion of Draft WTD Contract Proposal)
  4. Vote on Proposed Bylaw Amendment - Grievance Committee
  5. Vote on Changes to the Initial Special Assessment Policy approved by members at the 9/9/03 TEA Meeting.
  6. Issues for the Good of the Order

Proposed Bylaw Amendment

In accordance with Article XII, Amendments and Revisions, the following Amendments to the TEA Bylaws have been proposed and will be voted on by the TEA membership at the February 25 monthly meeting. (Note: the language proposed to be deleted is crossed out and the proposed new working is underlined):

A. PROPOSED ACTION: Modify Article VII (Committees), Section B (Grievance Committee), to read as follows:

  1. The Grievance Committee will be a standing committee, and each member will be appointed for a one-(1) two- (2) year term. Terms shall overlap such that half of the committee members are appointed each year.
  2. The Grievance Committee shall be appointed by the Board from candidates that have been nominated. It will and consist of four (4) Full Members who agree to serve, and will be chaired by the First Vice-President, for a total of five (5) Committee members. The First Vice-President shall vote only when necessary to break a tie.
  3. The grievance procedures shall be set forth in the current Labor Contracts between the TEA and King County. Any full Member wanting assistance from the TEA shall appeal, in writing, to the Grievance Committee First Vice-President. The Grievance Committee will determine work with the member to investigate the validity of the grievance by majority vote and will provide a recommendation to the Board after due investigation.
  4. Appeal of this decision may be made to TEA at a Special or Regular Meeting called by the aggrieved as set forth in Article VIII, Section C.2b of these Bylaws. The Grievance Committee will present the findings to the Board at an Executive Session. The Board will review the material and make a decision on how to further proceed on the matter.
  5. There will be an undetermined amount of money to assist in the legal defense of any member suspended or dismissed for reasons believed to be unjust, and any other valid grievance found by the Grievance Committee to be warranted.

B. PROPOSED ACTION: Modify Article VIII (Meetings & Procedures), Section C (Special Meetings), to read as follows (Note: #1 and 5-7 remain the same):

2. Special meetings may be called between monthly Regular Meetings in any of four three ways:
    a. by a majority vote of the Board
    b. by an aggrieved member for the purpose of appeal to a decision by the Grievance Committee regarding nay grievance filed by said member,
    c. b. by the petition of at least ten (10) Full Members to the Board, or
    d. c. by a majority of the Council of Representatives.
3. Any request for a Special Meeting under 2b, or 2c, or 2d of this Section shall be made in writing to the Board, and shall specifically state what business shall be included on the agenda of that Special Meeting. No other business shall be in order at that meeting without Board approval.
4. Each Special Meeting will be attended by the Board, and the Council, and in the case of 2b above, the Grievance Committee. Attendance will be open to the Body.

Vote on Proposed Changes to Initial Special Assessment (To see the Dues-Special Assessment policy adopted by members at the 9/9/03 meeting, refer to TEA's web site www.teaseattle.org)

At the 9/9/03 TEA meeting members approved setting the dues rate at 0.4% of the employee's regular (non-overtime) income, deducted each paycheck based on the number of hours worked for that pay period, upon ratification of a contract for the bargaining unit.

Members also approved at that same meeting a one-time Initial Special Assessment based on the formula of: # of months since TEA recognition of April 2001 through contact ratification x 0.004 x employee's hourly wage on ratification date x 160 hours worked in a month. The wage rate on ratification date is the current rate, not the new wage that would begin when the contract is implemented.

Concerns were expressed on the special assessment formula for term-limited employees, as well as penalizing existing employees transferred into TEA by management. The membership asked the Board to go back and reconsider some modifications to the approved special assessment. The Board is now proposing the following changes (note that the Bylaws state in Article X - Dues and Levies, Section B on Levies, Item #2 that "a levy may be voted on for approval by a majority vote of the Full Members at the Annual or Regular Meeting specified by the Board."

The current language for Term-Limited Employees is: "Term-limited employees shall pay one-half the Initial Special Assessment as calculated above. If they become permanent (career service) staff, they will then be obligated to pay the remaining half of the Initial Special Assessment."

PROPOSED ACTION: Modify Initial Special Assessment policy as follows:

  1. All newly hired Term Limited Temps (TLT's) shall be obligated for the Initial Special Assessment as follows:
    • One-third of the previously adopted TLT Assessment (which is one half the regular career service amount as formula determined) shall be assessed upon hiring.
    • If the employee continues in a TLT position into a second year, an additional one-third of the previously adopted TLT Assessment shall be assessed on the anniversary date of hiring.
    • If the employee continues in a TLT position into a third year, an additional one-third of the previously adopted TLT Assessment shall be assessed on the third anniversary date of hiring. At this point the employee has no further Special Assessment obligations unless converted to regular career service as previously adopted.
    • Should an employee be rehired into another TEA TLT position after leaving employment from a previous TEA TLT position, any Special Assessment already paid shall be credited and only any unpaid amount shall be assessed as above. (For example, an employee left at the end of a two-year TLT and paid two-thirds of their Special Assessment. Later they come back in a three-year TLT position. They would pay the one-third remaining Special Assessment on hiring and have no further obligation for the Special Assessment, which is paid in full as long as they remain a TLT.)

  2. Should an existing employee from a non-TEA bargaining unit be transferred into TEA after December 31, 2003 by management (through reorganization or other means), that employee shall be exempted only from the Initial Special Assessment portion of the adopted dues structure. (This only applies to a transfer by management action, not a voluntary transfer due to accepting a different position or other employee action.)