SEIU sues Gregoire over the budget
Monday, December 29, 2008 | 5:03 pm
A second major labor union is suing to force Gov. Chris Gregoire to revise her budget proposal to include money for pay raises.
Today, the powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 775 announced it asked the state Supreme Court to intervene.
SEIU contends Gregoire violated the law by not including money in her proposed budget for pay raises that her office negotiated with the union.
SEIU and the governior's office agreed to pay hikes of 25-cents an hour in 2009 and 22-cents an hour in 2010 for 23,000 workers who care for seniors and people with disabilities.
The pay hikes are part of a collective bargaining agreement that require ratification by the Legislature - which is not guaranteed given the budget deficit facing the state.
David Rolf, president of SEIU Healthcare 775NW said in a release:
"In our system of checks and balances, when an elected official violates the law it’s the job of the independent judiciary to hold them accountable. We understand the difficult budget situation facing the state and want to work with legislators and the Governor to find creative ways to reduce costs and close the budget gap without harming essential services, but breaking the law and undermining the collective bargaining statute isn’t the way to get there.”
SEIU's action is similar to legal action launched last week by the Washington Federation of State Employees.
That union asked a Thurston County Superior Court to compel the governor to submit a request to the Legislature to fund the pay raises and other economic parts of negotiated contracts covering 30,000 state workers and 10,000 employees at 12 community colleges and all four-year universities and The Evergreen State College.
In response to that suit, Victor Moore, the governor's budget director, said the contracts were done before the state's revenues took a nosedive in November and pushed the projected deficit to nearly $6 billion. He cited a 2002 collective bargaining law that allows him to reject a contract that is not "feasible financially" for the state.
Today, the powerful Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 775 announced it asked the state Supreme Court to intervene.
SEIU contends Gregoire violated the law by not including money in her proposed budget for pay raises that her office negotiated with the union.
SEIU and the governior's office agreed to pay hikes of 25-cents an hour in 2009 and 22-cents an hour in 2010 for 23,000 workers who care for seniors and people with disabilities.
The pay hikes are part of a collective bargaining agreement that require ratification by the Legislature - which is not guaranteed given the budget deficit facing the state.
David Rolf, president of SEIU Healthcare 775NW said in a release:
"In our system of checks and balances, when an elected official violates the law it’s the job of the independent judiciary to hold them accountable. We understand the difficult budget situation facing the state and want to work with legislators and the Governor to find creative ways to reduce costs and close the budget gap without harming essential services, but breaking the law and undermining the collective bargaining statute isn’t the way to get there.”
SEIU's action is similar to legal action launched last week by the Washington Federation of State Employees.
That union asked a Thurston County Superior Court to compel the governor to submit a request to the Legislature to fund the pay raises and other economic parts of negotiated contracts covering 30,000 state workers and 10,000 employees at 12 community colleges and all four-year universities and The Evergreen State College.
In response to that suit, Victor Moore, the governor's budget director, said the contracts were done before the state's revenues took a nosedive in November and pushed the projected deficit to nearly $6 billion. He cited a 2002 collective bargaining law that allows him to reject a contract that is not "feasible financially" for the state.
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