Groundbreaking Master Labor Agreement approved by Council
Dear
fellow King County employee,
Our Coalition
of Unions' groundbreaking Master Labor Agreement was approved Monday by
King County Council, providing us a new framework for building on our efforts
to be a workplace where every employee has the tools, support, and opportunity
to do their best work for the people of King County. The MLA builds on the
County and Coalition of Unions’ partnership, going back to 2014, around
Coalition bargaining and the recognition that there is efficiency and equity in
creating standards across labor agreements.
The
three-year Master Labor Agreement delivers on many of the objectives of my Investing in YOU, Best Run Government and Equity and Social Justice
priorities by standardizing work processes, creating efficiencies, and offering
new and expanded programs and benefits across 22 unions that represent nearly
6,000 employees covered by 60 labor agreements. It also demonstrates that our strong partnership with labor is
helping us jointly deliver better outcomes for employees, residents and
customers.
Some
of the components of the MLA include:
-
A first ever Career Development Scholarship
Fund of $150,000 that will allow employees to access vital learning and
development opportunities
-
Funding of all job-required training, licenses
and certifications for employees
-
Standardization of various leaves -
Bereavement, Holidays, FMLA/KCFML, Paid Parental Leave, Job Posting,
Grievance Procedure and Discipline - across all Coalition labor agreements
-
Standardizing the process of Special Duty
Assignments and Job Reclassification across contracts
-
Allowing employees to use up to three days of
sick leave each year to volunteer at any organization participating in the
County’s Employee Giving Program. This leave was previously permitted for
volunteering only at an employee’s child’s school
-
A standardized $200 safety equipment
allowance.
So much work by so
many people went into creating this agreement. I want to thank the Office of
Labor Relations for their leadership in reaching the County’s first-ever Master
Labor Agreement. In partnership with the Human Resources Division, the Office
of Labor Relations worked tirelessly with our labor partners to put together an
MLA that will help our employees do their best work here and deliver even more
value to the people of King County. I thank the Coalition of Unions and their
members for their ongoing commitment to work with us as we build an innovative,
supportive workplace where every employee can thrive, and King County
Councilmembers for approving the MLA.
I
look forward to sharing more details on the components of the MLA over the
coming months.
Sincerely,
 Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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