EVERETT — A new four-year contract covering Snohomish County’s largest public sector union was ratified unanimously Monday by the County Council.
The approval was widely anticipated after union members overwhelmingly voted to accept the deal last week.
The 5-0 decision included the first vote by Councilman Hans Dunshee, who participated by phone. Dunshee, a Democratic state House member from Snohomish, was appointed to the council a week ago but plans to serve in the Legislature at least through this week.
The contract applies to county employees who belong to the AFSCME-affiliated Washington State Council of County and City Employees. The contract also is expected to set the tone for the other half of the county’s 2,800-strong workforce not covered in the agreement.
The previous AFSCME contract expired at the end of 2014. The new agreement gives employees a 2 percent retroactive raise for 2015 and a raise of the same amount in 2016. It includes a 2.5 percent pay bump in 2017 and 2018. The county agreed to cover 80 percent of future medical increases, with employees responsible for 20 percent.
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