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Update From Your AFSCME Local 517 President

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Update From Your AFSCME Local 517 President.

TL;DR (Too Long, Didn't Read):

  • Members voted to reject the county’s offer and authorize a strike. A Strike Authorization gives the Negotiations Team permission to call a strike, if necessary.
  • However, a strike has not been called. Calling a strike is a legal process, and none of the following events or actions constitute the initiation of a strike.
  • Some departments have retaliated by forcing everyone back to the office. AFSCME Local 517 condemns this decision.
  • Monday, March 16th, 12-1 PM at every worksite. We walk out (to lunch). Just meeting your coworkers over your lunchtime break, then getting back to work.
  • Negotiations resume March 20th, with a mediated session April 17th, just in case.
  • Rally: March 24th at 8 AM, followed by delivering our petition to County Commissioners.
  • We’re negotiating for fair pay, fair benefits, dignity, and humane working conditions.
  • We will move forward, together.

Full Update From President Ben Henry

Dear AFSCME Local 517,

We are at this moment because 65% of members who could vote, did. We stayed neutral in our recommendation, gave them the opportunity to evaluate it for themselves, and the members stood up and said “no more.”

Many of you have been struggling every day, and I want you to know how proud I am of the people who stood up for themselves. We are not powerless. That simple check mark in the “reject the offer and authorize a strike” box has the county SCRAMBLING to figure out what they’ll do if we walk off the job. And remember that a Strike Authorization is not the same as calling a strike. We have not called a strike. The Negotiations Team just technically has permission now, should they find it necessary.

But no matter how you feel about the outcome, it’s important to remember that there will be more votes ahead.

If you haven’t heard, some departments, in a retaliatory response to the members rejecting the contract, haphazardly called all employees back into the office. We condemn this decision.

We do, however, encourage employees undergoing work‑location changes to coordinate with their supervisor and ensure their assigned workspaces will be safe and operational.

And in response to employees being forced back into the office, we are organizing a walkout at every work location. From 12:00-1:00 PM, step outside, meet your fellow workers, and talk about what's going on.
 

The union made it clear that healthcare and mental health protections were critical issues, and the county chose to brush those concerns aside. Now some departments have punished ALL employees for it. Community Services and IT leadership are choosing to assert dominance by forcing a return to the office. When an institution feels cornered, it lashes out. Anything they can do to divide us, they will try.

But it is not greedy to expect dignified work, fair pay, fair benefits, and staffing levels that allow us to serve residents of Washington County effectively.

Even before we’ve returned to the bargaining table, HR has already told us they’re willing to explore offering another health plan with lower deductibles and to consider a new short‑term disability contract with open enrollment that doesn’t require evidence of insurability. That didn’t happen because of me. It happened because of the power of that vote.

Another thing that happened because of the power of the vote: We DO return to the table with Washington County on March 20th. Now this session is not mediated, but we have a formal mediated session scheduled for April 17th, just in case.

We can’t promise infinite income or zero out‑of‑pocket costs. But we can promise that we are fighting with everything we have to make sure you can put food on the table, afford your medication, access the mental healthcare you need, and be treated like a human being– not employee number 12896.

I’ll be standing beside you every step of the way, and the entire negotiation team is right there with you.

Remember to sign the petition, and feel free to join us for a rally on March 24th at 8:00 AM, followed by the presentation of our petition to the County Commissioners: Stand With Washington County Workers for a Fair Contract.

Take care, friends.

We’re in this together.

 

In Solidarity,

Ben Henry, President of AFSCME Local 517

 

P.S. from the Secretary’s Corner:

We are still working out some roster things, so if any fellow AFSCME employees don’t seem in the loop, send them over to afscme517secretary@gmail.com to investigate. An email that you updated might have a couple weeks of lag between it getting corrected. Otherwise, have them visit afscme517.org where these updates will be posted as well.