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The first online-only news site in state history to get media credentials to cover the state capitol and Seattle city hall, PubliCola has been called a “must-read” by the Seattle Post Intelligencer and a hot “New Media Mover and Shaker” by Seattle Magazine—which also cited our own Erica C. Barnett as the city's No. 1 news nerd.

Extra Fizz: King County Union Agrees to Give Up Pay Increase Next Year

Politics   August 30, 2010 at 1:31 pm Erica C. Barnett

King County employees represented by the Washington State Council of County and City Employees voted today to forgo a planned cost-of-living pay increase next year by a vote of 69 to 31 percent. Earlier this month, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a tentative agreement with the union, which represents 500 county employees. Ordinarily, union members receive an automatic wage increase of two percent. Eliminating the increase next year will save an estimated $500,000 to $600,000.

That’s not much in light of the county’s projected $60 million 2011 shortfall, but the agreement sends a message to other county unions that some organized county workers are willing to make sacrifices to save jobs. The county’s largest union, the 4,000-plus member Amalgamated Transit Union, has balked at the idea of making concessions, a move that could save some part-time drivers’ jobs.




  • City Employee

    I wish Dow Constantine was Mayor of Seattle. We (the City) could use his governing and negotiation skills along with his strong relationship and built trust with labor to get the unions to agree to forgo COLA and take unpaid furloughs. McGinn has neither the skills or the trust to make this kind of deal.

  • City Employee

    I wish Dow Constantine was Mayor of Seattle. We (the City) could use his governing and negotiation skills along with his strong relationship and built trust with labor to get the unions to agree to forgo COLA and take unpaid furloughs. McGinn has neither the skills or the trust to make this kind of deal.

  • hoary

    http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/why-is-organized-labor-supporting-joe-mallahan/Content?oid=2306793

    Just like to mention the majority of labor backed the loser in the Mayor’s race. What do you expect McGinn to do after snubbing him a year ago, coddle their ball sacks?

  • NY

    Amen.

  • MVH

    Well, not that. But he could act a like he cares a little bit about city workers–or about anything besides than the tunnel.

  • working girl

    Admiring Dow for getting workers to sacrifice their Cost of living adjustment (COLA) is a rather bizarre thing for a “city employee” to admire a politician for. Makes me suspect that city employee must be fairly well paid. I know plenty of workers at the County that are living at poverty levels, and I daresay they are in no mood to take cuts when County managers are still getting bonuses.
    Yo erica, maybe you want to investigate that one. It is fine for Dow to freeze his handsome wage package, and I made over 100,000 I would to. The County is filled with super high-paid bureaucrats and departments that duplicate each other’s work.
    Also, why is no one saying a word about the sherrifs handsome wage package? This is really a unionbusting operation against a union that has some of the hardest working employees in the County, with lousy conditions, high rates of injury, forced early retirements due to permanent injury.
    Moreover, the County can go get some money from the stadium owners, the porkbarrel port, Paul Allen and his vulcanized PR machine, and some of the other billionaires who are so good at living off the public treasury.
    Yes on 1098. Here is a worker who is not going to take a cut to make up for the sins of Wall Street, and other greedy corporate CEOs who have sent the U.S. economy into the toilet.

  • working city employee

    I know admin. assistants at the lower levels who make $50,000 a year and have great benefits. Most of them do not have college educations. I’m not saying they don’t deserve it but I also think most are not living at the poverty level either. Let’s not overstate reality here.

  • http://pstransitoperators.wordpress.com/ Jeff Welch

    Of the 4,000 employees represented by ATU 587, only about 2,800 are Metro drivers. Who is asking for management and administrators at King County DOT to “make concessions”? Still waiting.