Dec. 31st: IMPORTANT NEGOTIATIONS UPDATE

IMPORTANT PAY/BENEFITS UPDATE: PLEASE READ

This message is to provide you with crucial information about your pay and benefits.

Long story short, HR finds it more important to go back and forth a certain number of times before getting serious, which is a waste of both their and our valuable time.

During our last negotiation session, Washington County offered us Cost-Of-Living and Step increases that were LOWER than those proposed to other bargaining units, demonstrating a clear lack of respect for the vital contributions of employees like you. We did not accept this contract proposal.

In response, we have filed for mediation. Mediation is a process used to assist parties to resolve a problem in which a neutral third party, a mediator, assists the parties to reach a mutually acceptable resolution. Our mediation date has been set for February 2nd.

Because negotiations are going on longer than we anticipated, our current contract expires at the end of 2025.

THE FACTS:

Until a new agreement has been reached, most aspects of the old contract will remain in effect.

However, in 2026, employees represented by AFSCME Local 517 will still be financially impacted in the following ways UNTIL A NEW CONTRACT IS IN EFFECT:

1. Employees will not receive a Cost Of Living or Step adjustment.
   1. This is because the previous contract only provides cost-of-living and step increases for the intended years of the contract (2024/2025).
      
       
2. Employee health insurance premiums starting in January will reflect what Washington County presented at Open Enrollment.
   1. This is because Washington County's healthcare premiums are going up, but the amount they are covering for us will stay the same. This means employee health insurance premiums will increase instead.

A note if you have a High Deductible Health Plan:

You will still receive HSA Contributions given to you from Washington County.

When we do settle on an offer, we intend to negotiate for backpay from January 1st to reflect the new contract, but this is not a 100% guarantee.

After a contract is tentatively agreed upon, members who pay dues will vote to ratify this contract. If you are unsure if you are a dues-paying member, you can check your paystub or email us at afscme517secretary@gmail.com.

If you would like to vote on the next contract, you can sign up here or call the Member Action Center at (651) 450-4990.

Lastly, some members of our leadership team spoke at the December 16th County Board Meeting to inform the County Commissioners of this, and you can listen to their statement on YouTube.

We sincerely hope that you all have a Happy New Year, and we are sorry to bring you this news so late. We'll see you in 2026 with a strong contract.

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In Solidarity,

Your AFSCME Local 517 Leadership Team

P.S. You can read previous updates on our Contract Negotiations page: Contract Negotiations Updates | Local 517 Washington County.