Fish and Wildlife find way to avert job cuts

By Adam Wilson | The Olympian • Published April 21, 2008

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Possible layoffs in the Department of Fish and Wildlife have been averted, in part because agency construction staff will work for other agencies.

In February, the agency notified the Washington Federation of State Employees that layoffs might be needed in its 52-person Thurston County construction and maintenance staff to make up for a discrepancy in its budget.

The agency has hired more carpenters, welders and other staff than its construction budget can support year-round. The issue was raised in a study of the agency's budget released in September.

"There were some management decisions we had to make on how we fund staff and how we moved schedules around," said Joe Stohr, deputy director for operations at the department.

"We worked hard not only to identify some new work with other agencies, but allowed us to sort of spread the work around so we can keep people around and get our projects accomplished."

Jeanine Livingston, contract compliance manager for the federation, said the union worked with management to sort out what work was available, and how the existing work force could complete it.

That meant having workers do some work for the state Parks and Recreation Commission and the Department of Natural Resources, as well as projects that Fish and Wildlife was considering sending to the private sector, she said.

"They pulled some contracts off the table and brought that work in house. And that was fairly significant," Livingston said.

The changes will give the existing crews enough to do through the slow spring season and through the busier summer, but when work slows again in the fall the budget is again in question.

"We're OK for now," said Stohr.

Livingston said the funding problems don't stem from a lack of new projects for construction crews, but in low funding for maintenance of the agency's facilities. Those maintenance funds include pay for the crews that would perform repairs.

"It is a really minimal budget and our hatcheries are really in desperate need of repair," she said.

Stohr said he's working with the union as the agency looks at the next two-year budget, a proposal for which is due to the governor's office in September.

"We have a list of needs in terms of new construction and maintenance, and there's needs in both areas. The thinking at this point in time is to put a priority on the things we have, the existing facilities," he said, rather than new construction.