Free Conscience

Why decertify the union?

Are you happy with the way things have gone the past year? Are you ok with the fact that state agencies became union shops without you having any say in the matter? Didn’t it bother you that the union negotiated securities clause into the contract, then didn’t let employees know that they had been granted the unprecedented opportunity to vote on the contract? Do you really want to be represented by an entity whose major concern is how much money they can take from employee’s paychecks, instead of how much protection and security they can give them?

The same rules that protect all the employees at Department of Personnel, the Attorney General’s office, the Office of Financial Management, and the other agencies that are not covered by collective bargaining agreements--the civil service rules in chapter 357 WAC.

What protections will we have without the union?

What protections do you have with the union? They have no language protecting against contracting out—health insurance costs increased—retirement contributions increased—even with the much vaunted "pay raise" last year, most employees saw only a minimal increase in take home pay. And, the percentage the union will take out for dues or fees will increase every time we get a pay raise—it’s written right into their constitution.

How will we get any COLAs without the union negotiating on our behalf?

The same way we get them now—the legislature will give them to us. Or not—in the past 5 years, we have gotten exactly one cost of living increase—and that was with the union negotiating for us. Historically, the legislature has given the same pay and benefits to all employees, represented or not. Last year, with the non-represented raises being delayed for two months, was a fluke and a reward to the union for their contributions to the Democratic Party. Unhappy with that show of favoritism? Send a note to your legislators. Make sure they know how you feel. Emphasize that 40,000 state employees will be voting in the next election, and their votes are most definitely going to be affected by how their pay check is impacted.

Who will represent me in the grievance process if the union is voted out?

Under the Civil Service Rules, there is no grievance process per se. There is, however, provision made for appealing decisions made by management. Employees have the same protections against abuse by management as they do with the union.

Under the current WFSE general government contract, there is no guarantee of representation by the union when you want to file a grievance. The union must first decide they want to carry your grievance forward—then they own it, and make any further decisions about taking action with or without your approval. You have no say in the process, the resolution, or whether or not it’s a valid issue.

What if we decertify the union, then find out that work was better with them representing us?

There are many options if a majority of employees choose to go back to having representation. Employees can form their own bargaining group. They can look for another union to represent them. Or, we can always ask the union back—this time with some restrictions, such as a written agreement that they will not seek mandatory dues. Then, if the majority of the employees vote for them, they can be reinstated. Nothing has to be permanent unless we, the employees, want it to be. We have the power to make decisions over our own destiny—let’s not give it up without a fight!

Opinion of an employee who was involved in a successful decertification effort:

"The 1200 of us that decertified the union at WSU last year have seen no difference between having a union and not having one… The petty confrontations are gone… It’s amazing that things are getting done now where it took forever before…. And the really big thing is that there are no dues to pay. We now have over a half a million dollars that stays in our local economy and benefits the people here instead of the union bosses in Washington DC. All this adds up to a very big plus for anyone who decertifies the union."