DSHS Additional Furlough Days - NO Agreement

At the end of a third day of "bargaining" - how could anyone call it that? - there is NO AGREEMENT. Yesterday morning, the union presented a proposal to address the 6.287% budget cut ordered by the Governor. Management failed to respond to that proposal until after 8pm last night. Undaunted and determined to save 160 DSHS jobs, the team met at 10am to submit another proposal. The union's proposal contained language designed to protect our membership from the abuses that we all know occur in worksites with too few staff and too heavy a workload. We submitted yet another proposal today. We were asked to submit the proposal electronically. Our bargaining team delivered it in person and discovered that the management team wasn't even there. They had to scramble to get people to the table. Before 4pm management told the union team they didn't want to talk anymore today and may get back to us next week.

It appears there will be no agreement on furloughs in the month of October for state employees not covered under 6503. While some of us are furloughed October 11th, the state employees not covered under the bill apparently will be working.

Throughout these three days, members of the union team well acquainted with the disarray in DSHS were nevertheless surprised and appalled by what they witnessed yesterday and today.

The promised flexibility in scheduling did not prove true. The commitment to "reset" expectations of the workforce with fewer work hours to accomplish the increasing work demands did not prove true. Even the statement that it would save jobs is now in doubt. We have asked repeatedly for the list of job classes that would be saved and have received nothing. In addition, WMS positions are being actively recruited by DSHS. When the issue was raised, management said they would be federally funded. Really?? Many of our jobs rely in some part on federal funds. That is why we must meet standards or lose those funds. Secretary Dreyfus's words and management actions at the table do not pass the straight face test.

We are asked to maintain an ever increasing workload with fewer staff and fewer work hours, asked to care for our families on wages frozen for 4 years, asked to give up pay we have more than earned, and now we are asked to pretend that negotiations occur. Really??