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T E AT i m e sAugust 5 2005August Meeting Schedule
Regular Meeting Agenda (Wed., August 17th)
Duncan letter updateLate last week, eligible members received information regarding Duncan class determinations. If you had disputed information previously sent, you may have seen a response similar to the following: "For class members who disagreed with the determination of Not Eligible-Represented and who are members of the Technical Employees Association (TEA), the County has reviewed the TEA recognition date of 4/13/01 and this date remains the date of representation for purposes of determining eligibility." The TEA Board has asked our legal counsel for further direction as to any response still possible to change this. We will share this with you as soon as we get it. Meanwhile, note that one member was told by Jaimie Grigsby, Legal Assistant at Bendich Stobaugh & Strong, P.C. (the legal firm who brought the class action): The County has kept class counsel fully informed of this matter and based on the terms of the Settlement Agreement class counsel agree with King County. It would thus appear unlikely that further appeals will be fruitful regarding settlement terms. It’s been suggested that members may individually (or jointly) choose to consider approaching Bendich or some other firm about a potential separate class action if they still wish redress, but the Board is not proposing this. Contract/Wage Bargaining StatusThis is just a reminder to ask that you come to the monthly meeting to get information on the progress and status of the negotiations for both Wastewater and Transit contracts. For obvious reasons, we do not publish this in the TEA Times, but we do want to keep you informed. You can also contact your respective Negotiation Team members, who are listed on the TEA website <www.teaseattle.org>. Wanted: 3 Members to Serve on Nominating CommitteeIn accordance with the TEA Bylaws, a Nominating Committee of three full members will be appointed by the Board to prepare a slate of at least one candidate for each Board position up for election. The Nominating Committee is chaired by the TEA President. This summer the Committee will be soliciting candidates for Treasurer and 2nd Vice President to serve two-year terms. Please contact Eric Mandel (684-1206) if you are interested in serving on this Committee. Members must be appointed by the Board by August 19th. Discussion of Proposed Bylaw Amendments - Changing Number of TEA Executive Board Officers and Revising DutiesBased on an initial proposal from a member, the Board is considering amending the Bylaws to create some new positions to share workload and more accurately reflect the reality of separate negotiations between the two Divisions. Essentially, the current 2nd Vice President office would be abolished and replaced by two new officers that would be Chair of each Negotiation Committee, one each for WW and Transit. In addition, the current Council of Representatives position would be “elevated” to an actual Board position. The August monthly meeting will be an opportunity to initiate discussion of this with the membership and get some feedback about it, as it represents a significant change to the Bylaws and current TEA Board structure. New Officers to be Elected at Annual MeetingUnder the existing Bylaws, the 2nd Vice President and Treasurer TEA Executive Board officer positions will be up for election at the Annual Meeting, planned for October this year. Duties for both can be found in the Bylaws link at the TEA website, but for clarification, the 2nd VP heads the Negotiations Committees. (Presumably, even if the Board is expanded per the above item, this person would head the Negotiation Committee for their Division.) We encourage all our members to consider running for these positions - it is the most direct way to have an impact on the direction and operation of our organization! Note that current 2nd VP Dave Crippen will have fulfilled two terms and thus will not be eligible to run again for this position. We welcome new energy and ideas – please consider running! Alert - Use of County's Employee Assistance ProgramIf you plan to use the County's Employee Assistance Program, you need to be aware that this program is not confidential for employees. It is a tool for supervisors and the supervisor will get direct feedback about conversations you have with the EAP counselor. You can't avoid going if your supervisor requires it, but you should consider the above before revealing any personal details. There is another County program that is oriented toward employees that you can have a reasonable expectation of confidentiality called "Making Life Easier". You can find out more information about this program at <www.metrokc.gov/ohrm/OtherBenefts/mle.htm> If you do have to get into personal details you'd rather not reveal to the supervisor, you should consider asking for an outside referral. This will dramatically improve the confidentiality of your conversations. Donation of Sick or Vacation Leave RequestedThe following TEA employees are in need of donated sick or vacation leave. Your help would be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in helping these individuals, please check with your work groups' administrative staff.
Announcements
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