Frustrated Evergreen employees authorize strike by 90% vote

The following is crossposted from the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28:

OLYMPIA (May 16, 2013) — State employee counselors, advisors, resident directors and others at The Evergreen State College voted Wednesday night by a 90% margin to authorize job actions up to and including strike action. This is the first strike vote taken by the Washington Federation of State Employees at any level since the successful statewide “rolling” strike of 2001.

This comes after the unit of 55 Student Support Services Staff still has no agreement on due process for disciplinary actions (just cause) and compensation. Bargaining on their first contract started 16 months ago.

The vote to authorize a possible strike was 45-5 or 90%. That met the two-thirds majority required by the Washington Federation of State Employees for any strike vote.

There’s no date for any possible strike. The union and the TESC administration have a scheduled bargaining session May 21.

The TESC Student Support Services Staff are non-management exempt staff who won collective bargaining rights under 2007 legislation.

Federation local unions have already pledged more than $20,000 to support any strike action at TESC.

ALSO at The Stand — New video chronicles “A Year of Bargaining” at Evergreen