By Erica C. Barnett
This week’s podcast, as I promised last week, featured just me, Sandeep, and David, and guys: It got LIVELY.
First, we talked about some behind-the-scenes scuttlebutt that the Seattle Times missed in its coverage of local union backlash to Mayor Katie Wilson’s ouster of Dawn Lindell as the CEO of Seattle City Light. Thousands of IBEW77 union members signed a petition demanding Wilson rehire Lindell in what the Times described as widespread employee “concern by her decision to fire the utility’s previous CEO and her initial pick for her replacement.” Meanwhile, the MLK Labor Council, a union of unions, passed a resolution demanding more transparency into the process of hiring Lindell’s replacement.
But there’s more to the story—according to multiple sources in the city, an IBEW (and former MLK Labor Council) leader lobbied Wilson hard to oust Lindell and appoint her as Lindelll’s replacement; after that didn’t happen, according to internal city sources, the unions started their full-court press against Wilson. Both IBEW77 and the MLK Labor Council endorsed former mayor Bruce Harrell.
In another city union-related story, SPOG—the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild—negotiated a ludicrously generous police contract last year that also happens to restrict the CARE Team of unarmed first responders from actually doing first response. This week, CARE Department Chief Amy Barden was extremely candid about the limitations the police contract imposes on her team of social workers, which she said SPOG has interpreted to include any area from which a person could be trespassed, such as parking lots or even sidewalks adjacent to a private business.
I’ve been reporting since last October about the explicit restrictions, which prohibit CARE from responding on their own to calls if there is drug paraphernalia in the area, if the person is inside a car or building, if there is evidence that any crime has taken place, or if a minor is present. (Yes, Seattle is so committed to alternative response that they signed a contract saying police, not social workers, are best suited to help vulnerable young people.)
The additional restrictions SPOG is claiming now make it clear that the police guild, at least, doesn’t want CARE to succeed. And as Police Chief Shon Barnes confirmed at the committee meeting last week (when he said, among other things, that he doesn’t want cops “relegated” to doing cop stuff), there’s no internal pressure at SPD for the union to renegotiate the agreement so CARE can actually do their jobs.
We also discussed my story about Seattle Office for Civil Rights Director Derrick Wheeler-Smith, whose employees have accused him of discrimination and retaliation. Through their union, PROTEC17, some staffers asked Wilson to remove him before she started her term, saying his behavior rose to the level of “just cause” that’s required from removing the SOCR director.
During the podcast, David Hyde briefly brought up the fact that the state legislature could limit the scope of municipal labor negotiations to include only wages and benefits. Currently, labor contracts are more expansive including working conditions, etc. The effect is the labor union (in this case SPOG) has a say in how the police department is managed, including outsourcing work to the CARE team as well as officer discipline and accountability.
Instead of complaining about how their hands are tied, why doesn’t Mayor Wilson push the Seattle delegation in Olympia to change state law regarding municipal labor contract negotiations?
Of course, that would anger organized labor. She needs to choose what she wants to prioritize.
Great podcast. David Hyde mentioned it briefly, but the state legislature can place limits on municipal negotiations with public employee unions, limiting issues to salaries and benefits. Instead, public employee unions are free to negotiate issues that impinge on management such as the role of the CARE team and police officer accountability. The result is municipal employee unions such as SPOG having a voice in the management of the department.
The Democratic Party majority in Olympia can simply pass legislation to remedy this. But they won’t because they don’t want to offend their supporters in the labor movement.
Perhaps Mayor Wilson could prevail upon the Seattle delegation to push for this change in Olympia. That would allow her to show her true colors.