UPDATE 2: OK, the details are as thus: 2 percent for everbody.
State Budget Master Victor Moore says the 2 percent -- effective Sept. 1 to reduce its cost -- will likely be extended to all state workers, at the same date.
It also kicks in the "me too" clauses of other union contracts, bringing them up to the same level.
Total cost of the federation deal is $85 million.
Other bits: new "M" level pay step, if you stay at the new L step for five years. That means M wouldnt' start until after this contract ends, so the federation will have to keep that bit in teh contract next time. Also two added leave days, one per year. Again, that is not an on-going obligation. And the salary survey bit, nobody below 25 percent, is there, too.
All in all, looks like our man Clubbe below knew what he exactly what he was talking about.
END UPDATE 2 The mark set so far has been 1.6 and 1.7 percent raises, but the federation wanted more. Word on the street is that things had stalled, and union Executive Director Greg Devereux, along with President Carol Dotlitch, met personally with Gregoire to get a new date for talks. That was yesterday.
Whatever deal reached will have to be approved by membership.
I did talk to rank-and-file type union members about raises yesterday. Brett Clubbe was registering voters at the safety fair and wasn't a general government worker, but was willing to throw out some numbers.
"Based on the cost of living, I'm thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 percent," said the WSU extension employee from Tacoma.
Clubbe acknowledged that may be high, but added you shouldn't start with your compromise position. Since he wasn't doing the negotiating, he volunteered a compromise position, two, 2-percent raises plus three added leave days.
We'll see how close the federations general government team came to the compromise mark.
