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T E AT i m e sSeptember 13 2004September Meeting Schedule
Annual Meeting Agenda (Wed., Sept. 15)
Proposed Bylaw Amendment - Election of TEA OfficersIn accordance with Article XII, Amendments and Revisions, the following Amendment to the TEA Bylaws is proposed and will be voted on at the September 15th Annual Meeting. The current Bylaws provide that amendments or revisions to the Bylaws can be made by a majority vote of those members present at any Annual, Regular or Special Meeting. Proposed new language is underlined. PROPOSED ACTION: Modify Article IX. Elections, Section A, 4 "Ballots" to include a new sub-section allowing for the election of officers by hand vote if all positions are unopposed. The current language specifies distribution of a written ballot even if only one candidate is nominated for a given office. Current language also specifies that no write-in candidates are allowed.
Board Officer Candidate StatementsBecause there was only one nomination made for each position, no ballots will be distributed. A hand vote, to elect the slate of candidates will occur, provided the bylaw amendment above passes, at the Annual Meeting on September 15th. If you are unable to attend the Annual Meeting and want to make sure that your vote counts, you can request a proxy form. To obtain a proxy form, contact or email Ken Madden (684-1374). President -Eric MandelI have been involved with TEA as Treasurer for the past two years, and through my involvement on the TEA Board have become well aquainted with the very diverse issues TEA deals with. I have been very active in working with the membership to craft a financial policy that will put us on sound footing, and have diligently worked with the Wastewater negotiating team to finalize the contract we now have. I look forward to serving our membership as we transition from an organization still forming, and starting to work with employment contracts. I intend to work with our members to involve them more, keep them well informed about what our organization is doing (and can do), keep seeking input and feedback, and build better relationships with other unions whom we have shared interests with, as well as with our own management. We are supposed to be professionals trying to operate in a different way, and I hope to help lead us as we shape that path. I will work to make sure all our members' rights and interests are advanced while upholding an ethic of professionalism and accountability that I believe our members desire. 1st Vice President - Roger BrowneI have been nominated for 1st Vice President of TEA and I have agreed to run. I see the 1st Vice President role as very critical while we operate under our first labor contract. It will take good mediation skills to make the contract language work in practice. I view that as the main strength I bring to the position. I am a strong advocate for employee rights. Secretary - Patty OverbyI have enjoyed serving the past two years as TEA's Secretary and welcome the chance to serve an additional two years. I have implemented improvements for the distribution and posting of information for TEA members over this time period. I know that there is still room for improvement and look forward to working on this continued effort. Now that the Wastewater contract has been approved, and a ruling from the Arbitrator is due on the Transit contract, I will be pursuing implementation of TEA Bulletin Boards at work sites, and working with the Communications Committee on finalizing a TEA informational brochure for new members. Completion and Submittal of PDQs for WTD MembersSome members have asked about the timing of requests for reclassification and when to submit the PDQ (Position Description Questionnaire) forms. (These had been put on hold during contract negotiations by management on the assumption that it would be resolved as part of the contract.) The WTD/TEA contract is silent on retroactivity for pay involved with a reclass for the period prior to when the contract starts, though there has been verbal agreement during bargaining that this would be addressed during the wage study. Our legal counsel has contacted the County's labor negotiators and we are jointly developing a process to address reclass issues. At this point there is no indication that you would need to immediately submit a PDQ to start the reclass process. However, since the PDQ will be used as part of the justification for a reclass, you should fill one out if you believe you are eligible, submitting it to Elizabeth Milestone in the HR office (KSC 5th floor). You are encouraged to do so as soon as you can reasonably complete it, as the retroactivity issue is still not clear but would be assured no later than submittal date. You can access the County's PDQ form by going to your Inbox and clicking on the following:
Letter to TEA from King County Council Chair Larry PhillipsPresident Ken Madden received a very positive letter September 2nd from the Council Chair Phillips, announcing the unanimous adoption of the collective bargaining agreement for the two TEA Wastewater units. Ken and Eric Mandel presented, at the Council's request, a brief overview of what our members do and were given much praise from several Councilmembers for the work that WTD/TEA members do to protect regional water quality. In the letter, Larry Phillips states: "I was proud to co-sponsor this ordinance and support it before the full Council on behalf of the loyal and hard-working employees represented by TEA. Given the importance of their service to the citizens of King County, it is undoubtedly in King County's best interest to maintain good faith relations with your members. I look forward to continuing open and positive relations with you and TEA. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns." AnnouncementsClassified AdsTEA members can post classified ads for free.Send classified ads to Patty Overby, TEA Secretary at (patty.overby@metrokc.gov)
TEA websitewww.teaseattle.org |