We’re in the 2nd week of the 2022 legislative session. This is a short (60-day) session.
Budget
This session the legislature is considering a supplemental budget that includes a number of pay raises for WPEA’s state employee members:

• The bargained 3.25% Cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for all WPEA state employee members, effective 7/1/2022.
• A lump sum payment for nearly all WPEA state employee members, effective 7/1/2022. The structure was bargained contract by contract – see your contract’s MOU for more details.
• The governor’s proposed budget also includes targeted re-allocations for specific job classes in state service. While these did not come through the collective bargaining process, they are an important step for recruitment and retention and pay equity for these members. See the complete list of proposed classifications and increases.

 
Long Term Care
This week, the House passed two bills to improve the state’s WA Cares (Long Term Care Insurance) program.
HB 1732

• Delays implementation of the WA Cares premiums 18 months (until July 1, 2023)
• Delays implementation of the WA Cares benefits 18 months (until July 1, 2026)
• Allows WA Cares participants who are close to retirement to receive pro-rated benefits, based on how long they pay premiums (currently, those close to retirement would not be eligible to receive benefits).
• Requires employers currently collecting premiums to return those premiums to employees within 120 days of collection.

 
HB 1733

• Allows the following a set of employees to apply for an exemption from the WA Cares program:
  • Spouses and domestic partners of active duty service members
  • Veterans who have a service-connected disability of 70% or more
  • People who hold non-immigrant temporary worker visas
  • People who live outside of Washington State

Both bills are being fast-tracked and are expected to be signed into law.

The WPEA was advised this morning that this information has also been sent to all organizations to share out with employees. Once you verify that your leave is as described below, please ensure that you are communicating with your HR Department if you continue to have any issues with this leave day or other MyPortal problems. If your leave does not report as outlined below, please let your Leadership Team, your Rep, and the HR team know of the lack. See the information below for an explanation of how you should see your PLD display.

Additional MOU PLD in MyPortalAt the beginning of January, the additional Personal Leave Day (PLD) granted through the MOUs in response to the vaccine mandates were populated in MyPortal for agencies who use MyPortal for time and leave. OFM has received questions in regards to how these are displayed within the MyPortal My Leave Request – Entitlement section.
If an employee is entitled to more than one PLD, the most current quota date range for the PLD will display in the Validity date field on the Entitlement display even though eligible employees received a new quota effective January 1, 2022:

The employee still has until Dec 31, 2022 to use the additional PLD added per the MOUs on Jan 1, 2022.
Please note: This behavior will repeat again when PLD eligible employees receive a new PLD Quota on July 1, 2022. After July 1, 2022, as represented employees eligible for the next Personal Leave Day receive the 7/1/2022 to 6/30/2023 quota, MyPortal will update Validity date to 1/1/2022 to 12/31/2022, as this would move to being the most current PLD quota validity.
Normal view of PLD Quota will return on January 1, 2023 unless another PLD is added for any reason. This is not system issue or broken feature, this is functioning as designed.  ​

Thank you all for your input on our new website! We now have moved the calendar of events to it's own page and made is accessible through the menu at the top of the screen. We have experience a delay in data from the move but should have that information available by the end of the week.  We appreciate your patience as we work out the bugs.

From The Stand: https://www.thestand.org/2022/01/wslc-announces-2022-legislative-agenda/
​OLYMPIA (Jan. 10, 2022) — The Washington State Legislature begins its 2022 session today at the State Capitol with another hybrid session of mostly remote hearings, debate and floor action amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Much attention will be paid this year to supplemental adjustments to the 2021-23 budget, but Washington’s working families will also be supporting a number of policies to improve economic opportunities and protect workers amid this ongoing crisis.

​With that in mind, the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO — the state’s largest union organization, which represents the interests of approximately 500,000 rank-and file members in more than 600 different unions — today released its Workers’ Recovery Agenda for the 2022 legislative session. (Download a printable PDF.)

​Announcement from UFCW President, Marc Perrone:
Effective January 14, 2022 International Vice President and Region 7 Director Kate Meckler will be transferred to Region 2 as the new Director due to the resignation of International Vice President and Region 2 Director Al Vincent, effective January 31, 2022.
 
International Vice President and Director of Organizing Todd Crosby will be temporarily appointed to acting Director of Region 7 effective January 10, 2022.  

On Thursday, Governor Inslee released a proposed 2022 supplemental budget that would fund the pay increases WPEA members negotiated for, including a 3.25% COLA for all state employees and one-time payments for the lowest-paid state employees. The budget also dedicates funds for a number of job classes to receive targeted pay increases that did not go through the collective bargaining process.

These targeted increases are long overdue. In many cases, WPEA members asked for these pay raises at the bargaining table for years, and were repeatedly told no. We are glad that the governor’s office has come around and recognized the need to give pay raises to these hardworking people in public service. But it’s always a concern when an employer steps outside the established collective bargaining process – even to provide pay raises. Collective bargaining means that WPEA members are at the table when wages are determined. Bypassing that process risks leaving our wages up to arbitrary decisions by the employer. While we welcome these pay increases, we encourage the governor to follow the collective bargaining process and engage with employees next time he recognizes how underpaid state employees are.

​The legislature will consider the governor’s budget, including these targeted raises, during the 2022 session.

Governor Inslee is suspending collection of the WA Cares Fund premiums until April, giving the legislature time to pass a bill to make improvements to the program.
 
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-billig-jinkins-statement-delaying-wa-cares-fund-premium-assessment

What better gift to receive this holiday season than the UFCW Free College Benefit!  The rising cost of higher education continues to put college out of reach for many of our hard-working families. 
 
The UFCW offers a no out-of-pocket cost Associate and Bachelor's degree program for your members and their entire family.
 
Think of what that adds up to, and help us put those savings back under the tree this year for each and every UFCW family.  

MONDAY -- The Washington State Labor Education and Research Center presents "Reducing Airborne Disease Threats: Tools for Workers" online training from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 13. Which masks are the safest? Who is responsible for providing them? What are the laws that cover this? Get answers by registering for this Zoom event.
​Register here.