Summary

A group of technical workers who maintain the region's wastewater infrastructure has reached a tentative agreement to forgo their cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for next year, as a result of negotiations guided by King County Executive Dow Constantine.

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A group of technical workers who maintain the region's wastewater infrastructure has reached a tentative agreement to forgo their cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for next year, as a result of negotiations guided by King County Executive Dow Constantine.

"I continue to be impressed by the spirit of shared sacrifice among our valued employees," said Executive Constantine. "I deeply appreciate this partnership with members of the Technical Employees Association."

The tentative agreement covers 233 engineers, planners and project managers represented by the Technical Employees Association (TEA) who work on small and large capital projects in the Wastewater Treatment Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

"We appreciate the effort that Executive Constantine has made to improve the labor relations organization," said John Philips, Wastewater Bargaining Chair for TEA. "After challenging and intense negotiations we have tentatively agreed on a concept that would include no COLA for 2011. The mutual trust and respect between the County's labor negotiator and our group were essential in reaching an agreement that requires our members to make such a substantive sacrifice."

If ratified by members, the agreement would save about $480,000 in the county's Wastewater Fund.

Of King County's 13,500 employees, about 10,000 are represented by organized labor. Including the members of TEA, a total of about 5,700 represented employees - or nearly 57 percent of all of the County's unionized workers - have now tentatively agreed or voted to waive COLA for next year.

They join thousands of other County employees from a wide cross-section of county departments who have tentatively agreed or voted to waive their COLA for next year to preserve services. Those include the Animal Control Officers Guild; marine engineers, captains, and deckhands property appraisers in the Assessor's office; and employees covered by the Washington State Council of County and City Employees and the King County Coalition of Unions.

Executive Constantine has frozen salaries for staff in his office and all appointed staff and the independently elected officials have joined him by putting in place the same measures for their offices.