UPDATE: On February 9, the House passed HB 2368, requiring that the board of trustees for each college district include at least one member from labor. This is a simple reform to ensure that community colleges support the interests of working people.
Call Senator Rodney Tom at 360-786-7694 and ask him to give the bill a hearing.
On February 2, the Senate Ways & Means Committee heard SB 6378, a bill by Senator Joe Zarelli (R-18) that would close PERS 2 and skip a $130 million payment to PERS 1 and TERS 1, which are already underfunded. Call your legislators at 1-800-562-6000 and tell them to keep the retirement plans the way they are and vote against SB 6378!
The HOPE Act
Representative Chris Reykdal (D-22) and Senator David Frockt (D-46) are planning to introduce sweeping tax reform to eliminate 167 tax loopholes, reduce the sales tax, institute a new 1% corporate and personal income tax, and dedicate new revenue for K-12 and higher education. Though the HOPE Act wouldn’t generate revenue for the current biennium, it would be a vital step towards a more fair tax system. But the bill hasn’t even had a hearing yet.
January 1 marked the beginning of the new term for the WPEA Executive Board and President. The new board was sworn-in on January 7 by UFCW representative Mike Hatfield (pictured at left).
The new board includes WPEA President Dave Schiel, Secretary-Treasurer Peggy Davis, and Recorder Fawn Hacker. The Vice Presidents are Raoul Perez, District 2; Carol Groce, District 3; Larry Pasco, District 4; Roger Montanez, District 5; Christ Thomsen, District 6; Patrick Golden, District 7; and Kent Stanford, District 11.
WPEA Members Ratify 2012 Contracts
UPDATE: 2012 contracts, which go into effect July 1, will be mailed to members in June.
In certain circumstances, the state allows employees to donate vacation leave, sick leave, or personal holidays to fellow state employees in need of leave time.
Article 13.5 Section F of the General Government contract states "donated leave is transferable between employees in different state agencies with the agreement of both Agency Heads." Contact your HR department for more information on how you can donate time.
Members in Need of Shared Leave Time
