Highline Pro Staff Resoundingly Pass Card Check And Demand To Bargain
By Erin Grimes, External Organizer
When Highline Pro Staff gathered together in early December on the eve of their union card drop, they shared stories of unmet financial needs, overwork, lack of dignity and respect on the job, and a barely functioning college. They painted a picture of coordinators struggling to maintain student programs under the constant threat of cuts, advisors with towering case loads foregoing mandatory breaks to help students with their degree programs, and single parents struggling to get by. One employee, after suffering a heart attack on the job, was ordered by her boss to go back to work the next day or face disciplinary action. To add insult to injury, her brief hospital stay was taken out of her paycheck.
Despite these experiences, they also shared tender moments reminiscing on the importance of community, a deep belief in the power of higher ed to shape lives and destinies, and a willingness to stick together through hard times and fight for a better future. "The work we are all doing is to help students make a better life for themselves and their communities, and that is something everyone in this room should be extremely proud of," said Jeffrey Kurnick, an Education and Programming Specialist at the college. "However, for too long, this desire to help those around us has put our own peace of mind on the back burner."
Highline Pro Staff serve students at the college every day by managing clubs and programs, maintaining accessibility resources, and helping students access financial aid and navigate their education. This already strong community of care provided the foundation for their months-long organizing campaign. Pro Staff play a vital role in running the college, but many of their needs have gone unaddressed. For years, staff have suffered inadequate compensation amid rapidly rising cost of living in Des Moines, high turnover and lack of a grievance process to address workplace issues.
In the face of uncertainty, Pro Staff refused to let fear win. After months of organizing conversations, exempt staff went public with their campaign last November. Within 24 hours, 65% of exempt staff had already signed authorization cards.
Since then, staff have been fighting to bring their employer to the bargaining table. Despite the boss’ stalling tactics and disagreements on the unit, exempt staff have forced their employer to recognize their union and agree to bargain. While several positions are still under review, the state labor board found that the employer’s challenges were not determinative of a majority intent to unionize due to the overwhelming support demonstrated by pro staff. When PERC ordered a union election, 74% of employees voted “Yes” and reaffirmed their support for a union, cementing their victory in the legal framework of the state. The parties will proceed to bargain before the new academic year.
For exempt staff, bargaining for a fair contract means changing the balance of power at work and being better equipped to serve a diverse population of students.
"This is a first step toward having a democratic say in our working conditions, fair pay scales, healthy and safe workplaces, job security and protections against arbitrary layoffs," says Cassie Geraghty, one of the founding members of the organizing committee. "This victory belongs to every person who had conversations with colleagues, showed up to meetings, asked questions, listened, stayed hopeful, and believed that we could build something better together. It took courage, time, and determination, and we should all be proud of what we’ve accomplished."
WA Cares Fund Now Open For Benefit Claims
By Cortney Marabetta, Communications Specialist
In 2023, Washington workers began contributing to the WA Cares Fund. The fund is a public long-term care insurance program, designed to pay for expenses, including some not otherwise covered by current Medicare. The current earned benefit for people who make the full contribution is $36,500, and it will grow with inflation – not bad for a fund that the average Washington worker will pay less than $10,000 for!
7 in 10 Washingtonians will need long-term care, help that allows us to live independently in our homes. This can be temporary after an accident or illness, or it could be later in life and longer-term. Either way, the WA Cares Fund is designed to help fill the gap so that Washingtonians can live their lives and worry less about meeting their care needs.
On July 1st, the fund opens for benefit claims statewide. A pilot project in selected counties has been available since January 1st; next month, it’s open to all Washingtonians. If you have contributed for at least three of the last six years, you may qualify for the temporary pathway, which provides benefits for workers who have contributed but have not earned lifetime access to benefits. If you were born before 1968 and have contributed for at least one year, you may qualify for a pro-rated benefit, set at $3,650 per year you have contributed.
To learn more about the fund, including to determine your eligibility, go to WACaresFund.wa.gov.