Those of you who have filled out beneficiary cards with American Income Life may be receiving calls from them over the next few weeks. They usually will leave a message indicating that the are with Local 277 and that they work with our local. This is normal and they are just attempting to get your beneficiary information and give you the coverage certificate for your AD&D policy. Additional information about this organization is here, under Info>Member Benefits on our website.
We’re in the 2nd week of the 2022 legislative session. This is a short (60-day) session.
Budget This session the legislature is considering a supplemental budget that includes a number of pay raises for WPEA’s state employee members:
Long Term Care This week, the House passed two bills to improve the state’s WA Cares (Long Term Care Insurance) program. HB 1732
HB 1733
The WPEA was advised this morning that this information has also been sent to all organizations to share out with employees. Once you verify that your leave is as described below, please ensure that you are communicating with your HR Department if you continue to have any issues with this leave day or other MyPortal problems. If your leave does not report as outlined below, please let your Leadership Team, your Rep, and the HR team know of the lack. See the information below for an explanation of how you should see your PLD display. Additional MOU PLD in MyPortal At the beginning of January, the additional Personal Leave Day (PLD) granted through the MOUs in response to the vaccine mandates were populated in MyPortal for agencies who use MyPortal for time and leave. OFM has received questions in regards to how these are displayed within the MyPortal My Leave Request – Entitlement section. If an employee is entitled to more than one PLD, the most current quota date range for the PLD will display in the Validity date field on the Entitlement display even though eligible employees received a new quota effective January 1, 2022: Though the employee has 2 Quotas, MyPortal defaults to read only the most current Validity period of the quota whether it is used or not. This is true even if the employee uses their 7/1/2021 to 6/30/2022 PLD quota, the Validity Date will not update, however the Quota will reduce to 1 Day: The employee still has until Dec 31, 2022 to use the additional PLD added per the MOUs on Jan 1, 2022.
Please note: This behavior will repeat again when PLD eligible employees receive a new PLD Quota on July 1, 2022. After July 1, 2022, as represented employees eligible for the next Personal Leave Day receive the 7/1/2022 to 6/30/2023 quota, MyPortal will update Validity date to 1/1/2022 to 12/31/2022, as this would move to being the most current PLD quota validity. Normal view of PLD Quota will return on January 1, 2023 unless another PLD is added for any reason. This is not system issue or broken feature, this is functioning as designed. Thank you all for your input on our new website! We now have moved the calendar of events to it's own page and made is accessible through the menu at the top of the screen. We have experience a delay in data from the move but should have that information available by the end of the week. We appreciate your patience as we work out the bugs.
The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO invites all leaders, staffers and rank-and-file members of its affiliated unions to register for the 2022 WSLC Legislative Conference to be held virtually via Zoom on Friday, Jan. 28 starting at 9 a.m. Under the theme “Building Our Future,” the conference will explore and explain priority legislative issues and give participants the opportunity to engage with their legislators on those issues. More Information Here
WPEA will cover the attendance cost for the first 20 members that would like to attend. If you would like to attend please email us. From The Stand: https://www.thestand.org/2022/01/wslc-announces-2022-legislative-agenda/
OLYMPIA (Jan. 10, 2022) — The Washington State Legislature begins its 2022 session today at the State Capitol with another hybrid session of mostly remote hearings, debate and floor action amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Much attention will be paid this year to supplemental adjustments to the 2021-23 budget, but Washington’s working families will also be supporting a number of policies to improve economic opportunities and protect workers amid this ongoing crisis. With that in mind, the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO — the state’s largest union organization, which represents the interests of approximately 500,000 rank-and file members in more than 600 different unions — today released its Workers’ Recovery Agenda for the 2022 legislative session. (Download a printable PDF.) Announcement from UFCW President, Marc Perrone:
Effective January 14, 2022 International Vice President and Region 7 Director Kate Meckler will be transferred to Region 2 as the new Director due to the resignation of International Vice President and Region 2 Director Al Vincent, effective January 31, 2022. International Vice President and Director of Organizing Todd Crosby will be temporarily appointed to acting Director of Region 7 effective January 10, 2022. On Thursday, Governor Inslee released a proposed 2022 supplemental budget that would fund the pay increases WPEA members negotiated for, including a 3.25% COLA for all state employees and one-time payments for the lowest-paid state employees. The budget also dedicates funds for a number of job classes to receive targeted pay increases that did not go through the collective bargaining process.
These targeted increases are long overdue. In many cases, WPEA members asked for these pay raises at the bargaining table for years, and were repeatedly told no. We are glad that the governor’s office has come around and recognized the need to give pay raises to these hardworking people in public service. But it’s always a concern when an employer steps outside the established collective bargaining process – even to provide pay raises. Collective bargaining means that WPEA members are at the table when wages are determined. Bypassing that process risks leaving our wages up to arbitrary decisions by the employer. While we welcome these pay increases, we encourage the governor to follow the collective bargaining process and engage with employees next time he recognizes how underpaid state employees are. The legislature will consider the governor’s budget, including these targeted raises, during the 2022 session. Governor Inslee is suspending collection of the WA Cares Fund premiums until April, giving the legislature time to pass a bill to make improvements to the program.
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-billig-jinkins-statement-delaying-wa-cares-fund-premium-assessment What better gift to receive this holiday season than the UFCW Free College Benefit! The rising cost of higher education continues to put college out of reach for many of our hard-working families. The UFCW offers a no out-of-pocket cost Associate and Bachelor's degree program for your members and their entire family. Think of what that adds up to, and help us put those savings back under the tree this year for each and every UFCW family. Click the button below for all educational opportunities
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