tea » tea times: April 27 2006 email: teaseattle  

T E A

T i m e s

April 27 2006


Contents:

  1. TEA-Transit Loan-In MOA Special Meeting
  2. Preparing for promotional opportunities (WW TEA members)
  3. New Grievance Committee members announced

TEA Special Meeting to be held Tuesday, May 2nd at noon in 8th floor KSC Conference Center

TEA members were promised a special meeting to discuss a proposed Memorandum of Agreement that would specify conditions by which new TEA acting positions (created by this agreement) in Transit D&C would be made available to Transit TEA and Roads Divis ion staff, if approved by the Board based on member input. A separate Letter of Understanding is also drafted that would start a process for allowing movement between Wastewater and Transit D&C for TEA members as well, which will also be discussed.

TEA now has a draft to take to members for input, dealing with most of the concerns expressed previously. Essentially, any positions created by this agreement would be acting positions with right of reversion, would be TEA classifications and require TEA membership, competitively applied for by a pool restricted to TEA Transit members and Roads staff, and would be qualified and selected by TEA supervisors.

The Board encourages all Transit and Wastewater members to attend and participate in the discussion. This is a major issue for many members and all input is welcome.


Important notice to al l WW TEA members on Preparing for Promotional Opportunities

As your TEA President, I want to communicate with you about joint efforts I have been working on with Wastewater Deputy Division Manager Lorraine Patterson for your benefit. Speci fically, we want to make sure you are aware of opportunities for learning about required skills and gaining experience that would assist you in qualifying for future promotions within WTD. This covers all TEA WW members, from entry-level positions throug h supervisory level staff.

WTD Management has indicated that they are committed to helping employees enhance their skills and experience, both within their current job and in preparation for future advancement opportunities. Note, however, that the primary responsibility for makin g this happen rests with you, the employee. There is no assumption that you should or will choose to prepare yourself for future promotion opportunities. (Indeed, there are many valid reasons why an individual may choose to remain in their current class ification — and this in no way precludes training and skill building for anyone so inclined.)

Here is what Lorraine has agreed that WTD supervisors and managers will do in this regard, along with caveats about the limits of their responsibility. Any TEA member who has interest in any higher classification — within their existing series or i n a different classification altogether — should let their supervisor know of their interest as a first step. Your supervisor will provide relevant information to you on the types of education, training, and experience necessary to prepare you for new or promotional opportunities, assuming the classification is one that would be within that work group. If the classification you aspire to is not one that would be in your supervisor's work group, he/she will follow up by providing you with the relev ant resources that can provide that information. A conversation regarding your career goals may occur during quarterly reviews, annual performance appraisal, or during a separate meeting.

WTD Management will ensure that consistent standards of qualification are applied to classifications, and that information is shared about the special necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for different positions within a classification. Please be cl ear that supervisors will NOT be expected to become career counselors or coaches. The information and feedback are a response to your request, and it is then your responsibility to take that and find further development opportunities for yourself.
< br /> WTD Management is interested in providing appropriate training and higher level work opportunities, such as in promotional or cross-training opportunities, where possible. It should be understood that there is no guarantee of this occurring on work time, but that management will accommodate it when feasible and consistent with work demands. It is likely that some education and training may need to be taken on the employees' own time and initiative. (Note that partial tuition and training reimbursement of such costs may still be considered, consistent with the WTD Training Handbook found at http://dnr-web.metrokc.gov/wtd/Training/handbook.htm.)

Another source for career development is the Career and Development Center on the first floor of King Street Center. They provide employees with services such as skill and career assessment, writing resume and cover letters, interviewing skills, etc. Ad ditional information can be found at http://dot.metrokc.gov/jobs/center/ .

Of course, there can be no guarantee that future higher job openings will be obtained by doing this. Still, any employee that can demonstrate that they have met the hiring qualifications for a given job classification, including relevant work experience, may be competitive during the hiring process. (Other factors that may be considered include past performance and interpersonal and other soft skills.)

TEA urges all interested members to avail themselves of this opportunity and commitment by management to help further their professional development. Should you make a request for information and find your supervisor unresponsive in fulfilling the commit ment noted above, I would ask that you inform me or another TEA Board member, and I will follow up with Lorraine to resolve the concern. We hope this will be another area where TEA and management mutually benefit as our members gain both professional gro wth and commensurate pay, and management retains and expands a highly trained and qualified workforce.

Eric Mandel, TEA President

New Grievance Committee members announced

The TEA Board is delighted to announce four new members to the Grievance Committee! Welcome to Jana Buss, Diane Fjarlie, Liz Gaskill and Barbara Farris-Bateman.

This is in keeping with the intent of replacing half of the Committee each year, to allow continuity as well as new member volunteer opportunities. We are grateful for their willingness to help out — thanks very much!


Money Raised for Mari Anderson

Thanks to all members who participated in the recent fund raising activities for Linda Anderson's daughter, Mari. We have been able to raise around $7,000 thus far. Other fund raising activities are planned. We hope you will continue to participate in helping a fellow TEA member.

Donations (cash or personal checks) will continue to be gratefully accepted. Checks should be made out to Mari Anderson Fund and sent to Tammie Wilson (KSC-TR-0435).


Announcements

  • Welcome New TEA Members
    Wastewater: Benita Thomas
  • Classified Ads
    (TEA members can post classified ads for free.  Send classified ads to Patty Overby, TEA Secretary <patty.overby@metrokc.gov>