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We will celebrate
CSBG's Karen Dunn at retirement party June 21

By the COMMUNITY ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES UNIT We invite you to join us in celebrating Community Services Block Grant Program Manager Karen Dunn, who will retire July 15. We will celebrate Karen's years of hard work and service at a retirement party from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, on Zoom and in headquarters' first-floor large conference room (Columbia Room). The first 30 minutes will be virtual, and then the gathering will transfer to in-person only (add to calendar​). We also invite you to sign this eCard by close of business Wednesday, July 12.

Paycheck news

General wage increases and retention lump sums are coming July 1

​By LINDSEY HENDERSON
Workforce planning and development manager

Effective July 1, 2023, all Commerce team members will receive a 4% general wage increase (GWI), formerly known as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The raise will apply to folks who are union represented, nonrepresented, Washington Management Service, Executive Management Service and to those already at the top of their pay range.

Employees who were employed with the state of Washington on or before July 1, 2022, and continuously employed with the state through July 1, 2023, will receive a retention lump-sum payment of $1,000. The lump sum payment will be paid out on the July 25, 2023, pay date.

Read more.

BUILD invites state employees
to Juneteenth celebration today

Editor's note: Commerce is home to a Black Caucus. If you are interested in joining, please contact Deputy Director Kendrick Stewart. In addition, Commerce offices will be closed Monday in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. By BLACKS UNITED IN LEADERSHIP AND DIVERSITY We cordially invite and welcome you to join us as we celebrate and recognize Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. It is also called Emancipation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day. The name “Juneteenth" references the date of the holiday, combining the words “June" and “nineteenth." Read more.

Real Talk explored WA Cares, which we will begin contributing to July 1

The WA Cares Fund is a new program that will give working Washingtonians access to long-term care coverage when they need it. Workers, including Commerce employees who aren't exempt, will begin contributing to WA Cares on July 1, 2023, and benefits will become available beginning July 1, 2026. At Real Talk, WA Cares representatives Kristen Maki and Jeff Kendall discussed the program with us. For more information, you can:

• Watch the recording
• View the slide deck
• Read this digest article
• Send questions about WA Cares to 
  https://wacaresfund.wa.gov/form/contact
• Send questions about past submitted exemption letters to 
  Commerce Payroll

Commerce is hiring

Check out these positions.

Commerce community calendar

• Coffee with Kendrick, 8 to 8:15 a.m. weekdays, Zoom
• Let’s Meditate (break time), 10:45 to 11 a.m. Friday, June 16, Zoom
• Juneteenth, Monday, June 19, Commerce offices closed
• Homeownership Lunch and Learn, noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, Zoom (add to calendar)
• Fun Books Lunchtime Club (break time), noon to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, Zoom
• “Coordinating a Competitive Process” training, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, Teams, learn more and register
• Ask a Coordinator Meeting (contracts questions drop-in), 1:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, Teams (add to calendar)
• Real Talk on compassion fatigue, 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 21, Zoom
• Toastmasters, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, Zoom
• Karen Dunn Retirement Gathering, 1:30 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, Zoom (first 30 minutes), headquarters' first-floor large conference room (add to calendar​)
• Myth Mitigators, 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 22, Zoom
• Let’s Meditate (break time), 3 to 3:15 p.m. Thursday, June 22, Zoom
• Equity Learning Community on “Who We Are” documentary, 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 27, Zoom, learn more (add to calendar)
• Tribal Resource Group, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 28, Teams
• Independence Day, Tuesday, July 4, Commerce offices closed
• Toastmasters, noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, Zoom
• Virtual stretching and cardio, 7:50 to 8 a.m. Thursday, July 6, Zoom
• BIPOC Discussion Space on “Who We Are” documentary, 11 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 6, learn more, request a meeting invitation
• Cultivating Connections (break time), 12:30 to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, Zoom
• “Purchasing Requests Basic Training.” 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, July 13, Teams, learn more and register
• Virtual stretching and cardio, 7:50 to 8 a.m. Thursday, July 20, Zoom
• “Public Disclosure” training, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, Teams, learn more and register

Please send your calendar postings to IntraCOMeditor@commerce.wa.gov. Any item included must be open to all Commerce team members.

About Commerce

Commerce works with local governments, businesses, community-based organizations and tribes to strengthen communities. The department’s diverse portfolio of more than 100 programs and effective public and private partnerships promote sustainable community and economic development to help all Washingtonians thrive. For more information, visit http://www.commerce.wa.gov. For information on locating or expanding a business in Washington, visit choosewashingtonstate.com.

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