Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Department of Fish and Wildlife employees (from left) Jon Anderson, Stan Hammer and Gary Sprague lead fellow union members to a rally Monday near the Capitol.

Union takes 'high-profile' walk

PATRICK CONDON AND AMIRAV DAVY, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- Although they face many of the same issues that led to last year's historic strike, members of a state workers union took a conciliatory tone Monday as they gathered at the Capitol for the first day of the 2002 legislative session.

"We're not here to do a rally or a protest," said Dale Pettit, the president of the Washington Federation of State Employees' local chapter. "It's just a high-profile presence to give a reminder that these issues are still important to us."

Members of the federation handed out fliers at entrances to the Capitol and visited the offices of lawmakers.

Members of another union, the Washington Public Employees Association, briefly marched and chanted in the parking lot south of the Capitol before breaking up to circulate among lawmakers.

"I think we made a major statement last year and we're starting with a reminder this time," Pettit said.

"We'd like to see if we can work with the Legislature to get some of these issues resolved."

Pay and benefits

For the second year in a row, pay and benefits are foremost in the mind of many state workers.

The biggest victory for state workers last year was securing a pay increase that matched the one guaranteed to public school teachers by Initiative 732.

This year, as part of his attempt to fill a $1.25 billion budget gap, Gov. Gary Locke has proposed a 2.6 percent cost-of-living increase for state workers -- a full percent less than what teachers are likely to get.

"State employee salaries are already behind municipal workers, county employees and certainly public school employees," said Bill Von Hasseln of Lakewood, who works at Pierce College and was marching with the WPEA. "We think it's unfair that we're the folks that balance the budget."

In addition to lagging behind teachers, state workers also would see their pay increases postponed by two months under the Locke plan.

They're also concerned that Locke wants to increase workers' share of health insurance costs.

Locke has proposed 835 state worker layoffs.

"I don't think they should continue to ask workers to do more with less," said Nancy Heley, a federation member who works in the Office of Insurance Commissioner.

Keeping quality

As they have in the past, union members claimed that any erosion in support of state workers by the Legislature would make it more difficult for the state to recruit and retain a quality work force.

"Without a benefits package, private industry hires them away, and we are left with lesser trained people," said Linda Shaw, a Department of Natural Resources Employee from Colville who is vice president of the WPEA.

State workers won't get a good idea of whether lawmakers agree with Locke's proposal until the first legislative budget proposal is released.

That budget proposal, which is probably two months away, will determine whether workers' tone remains measured or if it becomes more confrontational, Pettit said.

"How this develops will determine what we do," Pettit said.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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