DSHS Institutions and SOLA Pay Statements

Today, your union met with management in a demand to bargain over printed and mailed earnings statements. Management wants all DSHS employees to print their own earnings statements from a computer at work or at home to save money. In previous discussions, management asserted a cost of $6000 a month to print and mail the statements. Since other data that was provided at that meeting proved to be untrue, we are not certain of the veracity of this dollar figure.

What we are certain of is WAC 296-126-040 states:

1. Every employer shall furnish to each employee at the time of payment of wages an itemized statement showing the pay basis (ie., hours or days worked), rate or rates of pay, gross wages, and all deductions for that pay period.
2. An itemized pay statement means a separate written statement from the paycheck issued to employees on each payday. Pay periods shall be identified on the pay statement by month,m day, year and payment date.
3. The pay statement may be furnished or made available electronically provided each employee has access to receive and copy it on the payday. If an employee cannot receive an electronic pay statement at work or at home on the established payday, the employer must provide a written pay statement to the employee on the payday.

Because SOLA is comprised of client homes where citizens with DD live, state computers and printers do not exist and if they did would be for client use. Therefore, management agreed that SOLA workers will not be required to use the electronic system.

The limitations of HRMS make it necessasry for an all or nothing approach. In other words, when the union proposed that workers be allowed to opt in or opt out of the electronic pay statement management wants to implement, management stated that HRMS cannot accommodate that.


Today the following members comprised our team: Claude Burfect, Lee Malinda, Sonya Evans, Gabe Hall, Julianne Moore, James Robinson, Carol Dotlich, Donnelle Pond, and Labor Advocate Debbie Lippincott

Present for management: Wendy Long, Peggy Pulse, Shane Escobel, Glen Christopherson, Jay Minton


Management wants employees to use Employee Self Service. Management stated that employees will have access to computers on all shifts. SOLA will not be affected at this point due to access problems. When the employee has no access to computers at work or at home to print their statement, the employee can fill out a slip to have payroll print it for them. All institutions can provide access except Fircrest and Rainier but management has assurance that both will provide computers and printers. HRMS will turn off statements for all employees in an institution. It cannot provide individual opt outs or opt ins. Employees who do not work on payday, can come in to work and get their pay statement.

The union bristled at the idea that employees have to report to work on their day off to get their earnings statement.

Union continues to request that this management plan not be implemented. The information management provided at last meeting about mail not being bulk and not zip code sorted turned out not to be true. Employees assigned to one on one client care cannot leave to get an earnings statement from the computer. We do not want to lose the ability to have a printed earnings statement. We cannot be clearer about that. We believe the law is on our side in this. Our members are not getting their rest breaks because there is no time. What management doesn’t seem to understand is that institution workers cannot just “go” anywhere. The patient demands and the safety concerns don’t allow workers to just “go” anywhere. There are real safety issues here and even peer pressure will dissuade workers from going to a computer to get their earnings statement. The more we pull people from their work with patients, the more injuries occur. Management plans to consolidate the business functions. We believe the inaccuracies will increase and the TSR leave confusion will leave employees unable to respond timely when errors occur. There are also concerns about confidentiality when printing statements on the units. Some computers must print into different buildings. Employee Self Service is still messed up. There are too many barriers and it makes no sense. The savings are relatively small, it disrupts patient care and some employees will require computer training.

LRO and Glen Christopherson said they will go back and explain that the current technology will not accommodate the plan to cease printing of earnings statements. Management stated that this issue of electronic earnings statements will not go away.

The union made the point that under the current circumstances of short staffing and workload demands as well as new consolidation issues and the shortcomings of the technology at this point, it makes no sense to move down this path. The costs of covering staffing while employees go to computers to print earnings statements would far outweigh any savings.

It was a good discussion. Management discussed doing a survey of our membership. The union warned that upsetting members in this way would be unwelcome. Moreover, the bargaining team is fully representative of our members and has the authority to bargain this issue. If a survey is sent out on this issue, please contact your Council Representative.