CSD Update #10

- Amy Achilles
Statewide DTB/UMCC Issues as of 8/20/12
(Does not include grievances/arbitrations)

A DTB was filed on 8/14/12 in response to notice the the Lakewood CSO intends to eliminate all alternate work schedules. A grievance is also being filed by CR Gary Hill. The team has not yet been determined for this DTB.

On 8/3/12 informal discussions occurred with Region 2 CSD about changes in paperwork processes within the Social Work units. The team at this meeting was Logan MacGregor, Shannon Nielsen and Seattle CR Gabe Hargrove. The issues were resolved informally and a summary is drafted but awaiting response from Deborah Doyle.

A DTB was filed on 2/1/12 in response to notice that CSD intends to have some childcare done over the counter again to address the increased needs of seasonal child care. The team for this meeting was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Chevy Zarate and Lorraine Lopez and the meeting was scheduled for 2/24/12. Agreement was reached informally resulting in a pilot project at the Mt. Vernon, Wenatchee, Yakima and Moses Lake offices. Following the implementation of the pilot, concerns were raised that things did not seem to be playing out as agreed. These issues were raised with Babs and corrected. Other concerns remain and discussions continue to try to address items not related to the agreement.
*UPDATE – This pilot continues and discussions at the statewide UMCC table about the CSD Business Plan included management putting forth the idea of having child care not be solely a call center function (partly over the counter). Please refer to the business plan. This is very preliminary, idea phase only, so more information is being gathered and another UMCC is set for 10/19/12.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received. On 8/17/11, I confirmed CSD had not yet developed any plan on this issue. In 10/11 I received a copy of an email that showed that management is working on developing their plan. I sent an inquiry to HR and CSD and the response was that a notice would be coming very soon.  Notice was received and a DTB was filed on 11/1/11.  Meetings occurred on 12/12/11 and 1/13/12 to exchange proposals and the team was Billie Malcolm, Annie Namyniuk and Gayle Chamberlain-Smith. A MOU was reached and sent out to all CSD reps on 1/18/12.
*UPDATE – The invitation to participate in the pilot went out to staff on 2/8/12 and the pilot began on 3/1/12. We will be requesting more information after the pilot is complete.

A DTB was filed on 10/19/11 regarding staff reassignments in the CSC. At the statewide CSD UMCC management explained that they received approval to hire a number of positions. A large number of FSS and OAS positions were a part of that approval, nowhere near filling the vacancies in CSD but a good thing none the less.  From the UMCC summary dated 1/13/12: “CSD has recently received authorization to hire 52 FSS’s and 24 OAS’s. Of those positions, all of the OAS’s will go to the CSC to free up the FSS’s currently working in HIU to do financial work. In addition, the CSC will receive 6 of the FSS’s. So, the end result will be about 18 FSS’s added to the CSC. The CSO’s will receive the remaining FSS’s authorized for hire as well as an additional 8 WFPS’s.”  This DTB is related to the reassignment of the FSS’s currently in the HIU. On 12/7/11 staff from HIU, Gayle Chamberlain-Smith and myself met and reached an MOU with management that protects members’ classification, location, workload and even the types of tasks they are assigned.  This was sent out to all CSD reps on 12/8/11. The team was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Tracy Boose and Addie Rodriguez.

*UPDATE – Through informal discussion, it was agreed that the FSS’s being hired in the CSC will be hired into phones. It was also agreed that once the hiring of the most recent recruitment of FSS’s in the CSC is complete, staff currently on phones will be able to switch to batch, a more desirable function, if they choose. This has been done and a request for volunteers wanting to switch functions was sent out to staff in the CSC. Those that had been on the list already were considered first for this opportunity.

Under the CBA, statewide UMCC’s have been occurring for CSD. The first one occurred on 9/27/11 and a summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.  The second one occurred on 1/13/12 and a summary of this also went out to the team and CSD reps. A third meeting occurred on 8/13/12 at which management presented the Union with their business plan and had some very frank discussions about changes being contemplated. Notes are still being drafted from this meeting. The Business plan was sent out to all CSD staff by the management team and to CSD Reps within the WFSE by me. A follow up meeting on these issues is scheduled for 10/19/12.

A CSC UMCC occurred on 8/9/11 and a detailed summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps. CSC UMCC’s are scheduled for the entire year and the first one occurred on 4/26/12. We also had a Child Care specific meeting with management on 5/23/12 to discuss the concerns within that function group. A follow up meeting for the Child Care group has been requested and the next CSC UMCC is scheduled for 9/27/12.

CSD Area Update #9

by Amy Achilles

Statewide DTB/UMCC Issues as of 4/27/12(Does not include grievances/arbitrations)

In 2/2012 management informed the UMCC team that they intended to eliminate Tier 2 calls in the CSC. This essentially meant no more handoff and that you finish the call you take. Customers were facing forced disconnects at several different levels was the concern management presented. In a collaborative effort to resolve the concern about this change, and the fact that phone workers were facing significant burnout (with no relief in sight), management agreed to establish a rotation that would provide phone workers some days on batch and batch workers would do some phone coverage. The agreement was reached informally on 3/1/12 and the rotation is in place.

A DTB was filed on 2/1/12 in response to notice that CSD intends to have some childcare done over the counter again to address the increased needs of seasonal child care. The team for this meeting was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Chevy Zarate and Lorraine Lopez and the meeting was scheduled for 2/24/12. Agreement was reached informally resulting in a pilot project at the Mt. Vernon, Wenatchee, Yakima and Moses Lake offices. Following the implementation of the pilot, concerns were raised that things did not seem to be playing out as agreed. These issues were raised with Babs and corrected. Other concerns remain and discussions continue to try to address items not related to the agreement.

A DTB was filed on 1/17/12 in response to notice that CSD intends to implement the CHIPRA grant, which auto enrolls newborns into newborn medical when the change is reported through Washington Connections. The team for this was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Randy Kurtz and Billie Malcolm. The DTB was scheduled for 3/2/12 and Jeanine Livingston also attended. Agreement was reached and the MOU was sent to all CSD reps and the team on 3/2/12.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received. On 8/17/11, I confirmed CSD had not yet developed any plan on this issue. In 10/11 I received a copy of an email that showed that management is working on developing their plan. I sent an inquiry to HR and CSD and the response was that a notice would be coming very soon.  Notice was received and a DTB was filed on 11/1/11.  Meetings occurred on 12/12/11 and 1/13/12 to exchange proposals and the team was Billie Malcolm, Annie Namyniuk and Gayle Chamberlain-Smith. A MOU was reached and sent out to all CSD reps and the team on 1/18/12.

• UPDATE: The invitation to participate in the pilot went out to staff on 2/8/12 and the pilot began on 3/1/12. We will be requesting more information after the pilot is complete.

 A DTB was filed 10/20/11 in response to notice that the CSD intends to close Othello, relocate staff from Colfax and consolidate the three Spokane offices into two. Spokane has been resolved through informal discussions, it has been determined that Colfax will remain open and informal discussions were satisfactory for Othello. This DTB was resolved through those informal discussions and is now closed.

A DTB was filed on 10/19/11 regarding staff reassignments in the CSC. At the statewide CSD UMCC management explained that they received approval to hire a number of positions. A large number of FSS and OAS positions were a part of that approval, nowhere near filling the vacancies in CSD but a good thing none the less.  From the UMCC summary dated 1/13/12: “CSD has recently received authorization to hire 52 FSS’s and 24 OAS’s. Of those positions, all of the OAS’s will go to the CSC to free up the FSS’s currently working in HIU to do financial work. In addition, the CSC will receive 6 of the FSS’s. So, the end result will be about 18 FSS’s added to the CSC. The CSO’s will receive the remaining FSS’s authorized for hire as well as an additional 8 WFPS’s.”  This DTB is related to the reassignment of the FSS’s currently in the HIU. On 12/7/11 staff from HIU, Gayle Chamberlain-Smith and myself met and reached an MOU with management that protects members’ classification, location, workload and even the types of tasks they are assigned.  This was sent out to all CSD reps on 12/8/11. The team was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Tracy Boose and Addie Rodriguez.

• UPDATE: Through informal discussion, it was agreed that the FSS’s being hired in the CSC will be hired into phones. It was also agreed that once the hiring of the most recent recruitment of FSS’s in the CSC is complete, staff currently on phones will be able to switch to batch, a more desirable function, if they choose. This will be handled in accordance with the agreements reached at the DTB when the function groups were established.

 A DTB was filed 1/7/11 not in response to a notice, but to a change in leave approval practices at the Mt. Vernon CSO. A lengthy information request was sent in order to prepare we’ve had our first meeting on 4/19/11. I attempted follow up on this issue many times w/ the HRD rep with not much response, so we decided to pursue follow up from CSD by placing it on the statewide agenda. Since that time I received a request from HRD about what more was needed and I have requested a follow up meeting. I have also received communication from OFM that they are receiving nothing on this as well. The team appointed is Marci Douglas-Bumgarner, Diane Linnell-Merry and Terea Gilmore. Since the last update we’ve met with OFM and reached agreement addressing the outstanding impacts...at last! The agreement was shared with the appropriate reps and the team and this DTB is now closed.

A DTB was filed 9/7/10 regarding the CSC implementing a statewide tele-work project. This has been completed and is now closed. Six monthly follow up teleconferences have also now been completed and a detailed summary of the final meeting went to all CSD reps. The next step was to expand the opportunity to about 70 more people in the near future.  At the CSC UMCC on 8/9/11 we were informed that there are 75 slots available and that about 130 members have expressed interest in those slots. The selection will be based on the agreed upon criteria. We were also informed that, due to a technological glitch, the setup of the 75 new participants may be delayed by about a month.  The latest delay is a result of trying to figure out how to even out some of the workload that comes in to “points of contact” in the office from the tele-workers, LEP being an example. In accordance with the LEP MOU reached on 1/25/12, it was expected that the next phase of telework would roll out on 3/1/12. It has since rolled out!

• UPDATE: As of this week, there are over 130 of our members doing tele-work! Phase 3 is now in place and future opportunities are being considered.

Under the CBA, statewide CSD UMCC’s now occur.

• The first one occurred on 9/27/11 at the ESA building in Olympia and a summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.  The second one occurred on 1/13/12 and a summary of this also went out to the team and CSD reps.

• A CSC UMCC occurred on 8/9/11 and a detailed summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps. CSC UMCC’s are scheduled for the entire year and the first one occurred on 4/26/12.

• Over the next week I will be drafting a summary of my notes and getting that out to the team and CSD reps. The next UMCC is scheduled for 6/13/12 in Ellensburg.

CSD Area Update #8

by Amy Achilles

Statewide DTB/UMCC Issues as of 2/16/12 (Does not include grievances/arbitrations)

A DTB was filed on 2/1/12 in response to notice that CSD intends to have some childcare done over the counter again to address the increased needs of seasonal child care. The team for this meeting is Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Chevy Zarate and Lorraine Lopez and the meeting is scheduled for 2/24/12.

A DTB was filed on 1/17/12 in response to notice that CSD intends to implement the CHIPRA grant, which auto enrolls newborns into newborn medical when the change is reported through Washington Connections. The team for this is Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Randy Kurtz and Billie Malcolm. The DTB is scheduled for 3/2/12.

A DTB was filed on 12/8/11 in response to notice that CSD plans to standardize their statewide LEP processes. (Also see note below in tele-work) This does not affect bi-lingual staff, only the billing and reconciliation procedures. The team met and reached an MOU on 1/25/12 which was sent out to all CSD reps and the team on 1/26/12.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received. On 8/17/11, I confirmed CSD has not yet developed any plan on this issue. In 10/11 I received a copy of an email that shows that management is working on developing their plan. I sent an inquiry to HR and CSD and the response was that a notice would be coming very soon.  Notice was received and a DTB was filed on 11/1/11.  Meetings occurred on 12/12/11 and 1/13/12 to exchange proposals and the team was Billie Malcolm, Annie Namyniuk and Gayle Chamberlain-Smith. A MOU was reached that achieved as fair of a process as possible for those working with WF clients. This was sent out to the team and to all CSD reps on 1/18/12.

A memo went out in Region 3 on 10/24/11 describing changes to the work or work processes of the WFPS’s and SW’s. It is unclear at this time what this means and whether or not a DTB needs to be filed so we had a brief teleconference with CSD to get more information. This was on the agenda at the statewide UMCC that occurred on 1/13/12. My notes from that meeting were sent to CSD reps and to the team on 1/19/12. They are not official minutes for distribution but can be used as a resource to answer questions.

A DTB was filed 10/20/11 in response to notice that the CSD intends to close Othello, relocate staff from Colfax and consolidate the three Spokane offices into two. Spokane has been resolved through informal discussions, it has been determined that Colfax will remain open and informal discussions were satisfactory for Othello. At this time, the DTB remains open while we determine if there are any new impacts in Othello now that the move has actually occurred. 

A DTB was filed on 10/19/11 regarding staff reassignments in the CSC. At the statewide CSD UMCC management explained that they received approval to hire a number of positions. A large number of FSS and OAS positions were a part of that approval, nowhere near filling the vacancies in CSD but a good thing none the less.  From the UMCC summary: “CSD has recently received authorization to hire 52 FSS’s and 24 OAS’s. Of those positions, all of the OAS’s will go to the CSC to free up the FSS’s currently working in HIU to do financial work. In addition, the CSC will receive 6 of the FSS’s. So, the end result will be about 18 FSS’s added to the CSC. The CSO’s will receive the remaining FSS’s authorized for hire as well as an additional 8 WFPS’s.”  This DTB is related to the reassignment of the FSS’s currently in the HIU. On 12/7/11 staff from HIU, Gayle Chamberlain-Smith and myself met and reached an MOU with management that protects members’ classification, location, workload and even the types of tasks they are assigned.  This was sent out to all CSD reps and the team on 12/8/11. The team was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Tracy Boose and Addie Rodriguez.

A DTB was filed 1/7/11 not in response to a notice, but to a change in leave approval practices at the Mt. Vernon CSO. A lengthy information request was sent in order to prepare we’ve just had our first  meeting on 4/19/11. Resolution has not been reached and follow up is in process, we are still awaiting an information request.  I have attempted follow up on this issue many times w/ the HRD rep with not much response, so we decided to pursue follow up from CSD by placing it on the statewide agenda. Since that time I received a request from HRD about what more was needed and I have requested a follow up meeting. I have also received communication from OFM that they are receiving nothing on this as well. I am now working directly with OFM and this meeting will occur in the very near future. The team appointed is Marci Douglas-Bumgarner, Diane Linnell-Merry and Terea Gilmore.

A DTB was filed 9/7/10 regarding the CSC implementing a statewide tele-work project. This has been completed and is now closed. Six monthly follow up teleconferences have also now been completed and a detailed summary of the final meeting went to all CSD reps. The next step was to expand the opportunity to about 70 more people in the near future.  At the CSC UMCC on 8/9/11 we were informed that there are 75 slots available and that about 130 members have expressed interest in those slots. The selection will be based on the agreed upon criteria. We were also informed that, due to a technological glitch, the setup of the 75 new participants may be delayed by about a month.  The latest delay is a result of trying to figure out how to even out some of the workload that comes in to “points of contact” in the office from the tele-workers, LEP being an example. In accordance with the LEP MOU reached on 1/25/12, it is expected that the next phase of tele-work will roll out on 3/1/12.

Under the new CBA, statewide CSD UMCC’s occur. The first one occurred on 9/27/11 at the ESA building in Olympia and a summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.  The second one occurred on 1/13/12 and a summary of this also went out to the team and CSD reps. These are not official minutes and are only my notes so these are also not for distribution but may be used as a resource to answer questions.

A CSC UMCC last occurred on 8/9/11 and a detailed summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps. 

CSD Update #7

by Amy Achilles

Statewide DTB/UMCC Issues as of 12/16/11
(Does not include grievances/arbitrations)

A DTB was filed on 12/8/11 in response to notice that CSD plans to standardize their statewide LEP processes. (Also see note below in tele-work) A team has not yet been determined and a meeting date in late 1/2012 has been offered but not yet confirmed.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received. On 8/17/11, I confirmed CSD has not yet developed any plan on this issue. In 10/11 I received a copy of an email that shows that management is working on developing their plan. I sent an inquiry to HR and CSD and the response was that a notice would be coming very soon.  Notice was received and a DTB was filed on 11/1/11. A meeting occurred on 12/12/11 and a second session is tentatively scheduled for 1/13/12 to exchange proposals. The team is Billie Malcolm, Annie Namyniuk and Gayle Chamberlain-Smith.

A memo went out in Region 3 on 10/24/11 describing changes to the work or work processes of the WFPS’s and SW’s. It is unclear at this time what this means and whether or not a DTB needs to be filed so I had a brief teleconference with CSD to get more information. This will be on the agenda for the upcoming statewide CSD UMCC.

A pre-authorization audit process, which had already been occurring for some time in the CSO’s, was announced in the CSC on 10/20/11 and raises significant concerns about the effect this will have on our members ability to meet expectations related to phones. I have discussed these concerns with Babs and she committed to getting some more concrete data and specifics about the process. It has been determined that this will be on the agenda for the upcoming statewide CSD UMCC.

A DTB was filed 10/20/11 in response to notice that the CSD intends to close Othello, relocate staff from Colfax and consolidate the three Spokane offices into two. Spokane has been resolved through informal discussions at the local level, it has been determined that Colfax will remain open and we are currently awaiting more information from CSD/HR regarding Othello.

A DTB was filed on 10/19/11 regarding staff reassignments in the CSC. At the statewide CSD UMCC management explained that they received approval to hire a number of positions. A large number of FSS and OAS positions were a part of that approval, nowhere near filling the vacancies in CSD but a good thing none the less.  From the UMCC summary: “CSD has recently received authorization to hire 52 FSS’s and 24 OAS’s. Of those positions, all of the OAS’s will go to the CSC to free up the FSS’s currently working in HIU to do financial work. In addition, the CSC will receive 6 of the FSS’s. So, the end result will be about 18 FSS’s added to the CSC. The CSO’s will receive the remaining FSS’s authorized for hire as well as an additional 8 WFPS’s.”  This DTB is solely related to the reassignment of the FSS’s currently in the HIU. On 12/7/11 staff from HIU, Gayle Chamberlain-Smith and myself met and reached an MOU with management that protects members’ classification, location, workload and even the types of tasks they are assigned.  The team was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Tracy Boose and Addie Rodriguez.

You may recall that in 4/10 a DTB was filed over the pilot contracting out portions of work to CHPW related to Disability Lifeline. Good news! On 10/20/11 it was announced that the work will no longer be going CHPW and will remain in the BU. This return of work is a topic on the agenda for our upcoming statewide CSD UMCC.

A DTB was filed on 3/17/11 in response to management’s intent to relocate the King North CSO to the North Seattle Community College Campus effective 5/6/11. The team appointed to this is Justin Fellores, Greg Gunther and Herbie Martin. The meeting occurred on 4/28/11. The main issue per the CR was parking costs and free parking has already been arranged. Other issues such as safety committees, bulletin boards etc. were addressed at the meeting. A follow up meeting occurred on 8/17/11 to address outstanding issues. This was productive and a summary went out to the team and the Seattle CR. Update – I just received word that King North’s PA system will be installed! This DTB is now closed.

A DTB was filed 1/7/11 not in response to a notice, but to a change in leave approval practices at the Mt. Vernon CSO. A lengthy information request was sent in order to prepare we’ve just had our first  meeting on 4/19/11. Resolution has not been reached and follow up is in process, we are still awaiting an information request.  I have attempted follow up on this issue several times w/ the HRD rep with not much response, so we decided to pursue follow up from CSD by placing it on the statewide agenda. Since that time I received a request from HRD about what more was needed and I have requested a follow up meeting. The team appointed is Marci Douglas-Bumgarner, Diane Linnell-Merry and Terea Gilmore. 

A DTB was filed 9/7/10 regarding the CSC implementing a statewide tele-work project. This has been completed and is now closed. Six monthly follow up teleconferences have also now been completed and a detailed summary of the final meeting went to all CSD reps. The next step was to expand the opportunity to about 70 more people in the near future.  At the CSC UMCC on 8/9/11 we were informed that there are 75 slots available and that about 130 members have expressed interest in those slots. The selection will be based on the agreed upon criteria. We were also informed that, due to a technological glitch, the setup of the 75 new participants may be delayed by about a month.  The latest delay is a result of trying to figure out how to even out some of the workload that comes in to “points of contact” in the office from the tele-workers, LEP being an example. (See above) It is still management’s intent to move ahead with the approved tele-workers as soon as possible.

Under the new CBA, statewide CSD UMCC’s occur. The first one occurred on 9/27/11 at the ESA building in Olympia and a summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.  The second one is scheduled for 1/13/12.
A CSC UMCC last occurred on 8/9/11 and a detailed summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.

CSD Update #5

NOTE: This should have been posted 9/7/11, but was missed. Here it is now. LR

- by Amy Achilles

Due to the high volume of issues currently happening in CSD, monthly teleconferences were scheduled for CSD reps and monthly updates specific to CSD are going out to staff and the CSD leadership team. September is our final scheduled teleconference and the numbers of DTB issues currently active have been decreasing.

Early in 6/2011 a concern was raised about the removal of no weapons signs in the CSO’s. I spoke with Babs and she found that the signs cited inaccurate RCW’s. At this point we plan to make this an agenda item for update purposes at our first CSD UMCC. Between now and then Babs will be working with the landlords of leased facilities on signage and to ensure that the signs in state owned facilities accurately reflect the RCW’s regarding threatening a state employee. The CSD statewide UMCC is scheduled for 9/27/11.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received. As of 8/17/11, I’ve confirmed CSD has not yet developed any plan on this issue and reiterated the notice requirements.

A DTB was filed on 3/17/11 in response to management’s intent to relocate the King North CSO to the North Seattle Community College Campus effective 5/6/11. The team appointed to this is Justin Fellores, Greg Gunther and Herbie Martin. The meeting occurred on 4/28/11. The main issue per the CR was parking costs and free parking has already been arranged. Other issues such as safety committees, bulletin boards etc. were addressed at the meeting. A follow up meeting occurred on 8/17/11 to address outstanding issues. This was productive and a summary has gone out to the Seattle rep/team. We are currently awaiting information from management regarding the possibility of maintenance work being skimmed from the BU.

A DTB was filed 2/9/11 regarding management’s intent to reconfigure EBT services. The team appointed to this DTB is Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Daniel D’Haem and Rod Sauer. Jeanine is attending as well. The first meeting occurred on 3/31/11. This meeting was mainly an informational session at which we walked through their proposal and questioned each section. At our meeting on 4/27/11, we maintained our position that proper notice was not received and we were not convinced this would achieve a cost savings or efficiency as required by the RCW. Management acknowledged that the notice was not proper and has now delayed implementation until 7/11/11. Between now and then we have had a couple of other meetings with the final one occurring on 6/9/11. The outcome was a draft MOU establishing a 12 month pilot project however this has been put in a holding pattern now and has not been implemented or raised as a topic since.

A DTB was filed 1/7/11 not in response to a notice, but to a change in leave approval practices at the Mt. Vernon CSO. A lengthy information request was sent in order to prepare we’ve just had our first  meeting on 4/19/11. Resolution has not been reached and follow up is in process, we are still awaiting an information request.  I have attempted follow up on this issue several times w/ the HRD rep with not much response, at this point we will be pursuing the information and a follow up meeting directly from CSD. The team appointed is Marci Douglas-Bumgarner, Diane Linnell-Merry and Terea Gilmore. 

A DTB was filed 9/7/10 regarding the CSC implementing a statewide tele-work project. This has been completed and is now closed. Six monthly follow up teleconferences have also now been completed and a detailed summary of the final meeting went to all CSD reps. The next step is to expand the opportunity to about 70 more people over the summer.  A request was sent 6/2/11 to have a CSC UMCC and for this to be on the agenda, it has now been scheduled for 8/9/11. At the UMCC we were informed that there are 75 slots available and that about 130 members have expressed interest in those slots. The selection will be based on the agreed upon criteria. We were also informed that, due to a technological glitch, the setup of the 75 new participants may be delayed by about a month.  I will keep this on the update list for now until we know when the next phase will be implemented.

Note that the Regional Consolidation issues are being handled by a large group and the staff person assigned is Debby Lippincott. A CSD Ad-Hoc was agreed to and occurred on 6/8/11. Neither side had anything substantive to discuss specific to the consolidation but felt compelled to get together with what little info we had due to the 6/30 cutoff date for the Ad-Hoc. The outcome of the CSD Ad-Hoc was a set of “guiding principles” that each side agreed to jointly adhere to at the larger table.  In addition, it has since been agreed that the Ad-Hoc could occur through the end of September however, no further issues have come up.

Under the new CBA, CSD UMCC’s will occur. The first is scheduled for 9/27/11 at the ESA building in Olympia. 

A CSC UMCC occurred on 8/9/11 and a detailed summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

As of 9/7/2011

DSHS – CSD Area Update #6

- Submitted by Amy Achilles

Statewide DTB/UMCC Issues as of 10/28/11

A memo went out in Region 3 on 10/24/11 describing changes to the work or work processes of the WFPS’s and SW’s. It is unclear at this time what this means and whether or not a DTB needs to be filed so I am scheduling a teleconference with CSD to get more information. Stay tuned.

A pre-authorization audit process, which had already been occurring for some time in the CSO’s, was announced in the CSC on 10/20/11 and raises significant concerns about the effect this will have on our members ability to meet expectations related to phones. I have discussed these concerns with Babs and advised her we are considering a DTB. She committed to getting some more concrete data and specifics about the process to me in order to determine what needs to be filed, if anything.

At our UMCC on 9/27/11 the possibility of using some canned language around furlough period in PDP’s was discussed. It has been determined this is not appropriate and that PDP’s need to be individual and meaningful so we are, at this point, monitoring the process and dealing with any PDP concerns as they arise. While there is no free pass for performing poorly, we need to monitor this process to be sure members are not seeing any negative documentation in their PDP’s related to furloughs.  Also raised was the significant workload impact that doing all PDP’s by 10/31/11 has on our supervisors, as a result CSD has requested and been granted an extension for completing these through 11/30/11.

A DTB was filed 10/20/11 in response to notice that the CSD intends to close Othello, relocate staff from Colfax and consolidate the three Spokane offices into two. No meetings have occurred related to the DTB but an informal discussion took place in Spokane prior to the filing of this DTB.

A DTB was filed on 10/19/11 regarding staff reassignments in the CSC. At the statewide CSD UMCC management explained that they received approval to hire a number of positions. A large number of FSS and OAS positions were a part of that approval, nowhere near filling the vacancies in CSD but a good thing none the less.  From the UMCC summary: “CSD has recently received authorization to hire 52 FSS’s and 24 OAS’s. Of those positions, all of the OAS’s will go to the CSC to free up the FSS’s currently working in HIU to do financial work. In addition, the CSC will receive 6 of the FSS’s. So, the end result will be about 18 FSS’s added to the CSC. The CSO’s will receive the remaining FSS’s authorized for hire as well as an additional 8 WFPS’s.”  This DTB is related to the reassignment of the FSS’s currently in the HIU.

You may recall that in 4/10 a DTB was filed over the pilot contracting out portions of work to CHPW related to Disability Lifeline. Good news! On 10/20/11 it was announced that the work will no longer be going CHPW and will remain in the BU.

Early in 6/2011 a concern was raised about the removal of no weapons signs in the CSO’s. I spoke with Babs and she found that the signs cited inaccurate RCW’s. At that point we planned to make this an agenda item for update purposes at our first CSD UMCC.  This issue was addressed at our statewide UMCC and the summary of that meeting went out to all CSD reps and the team.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received. On 8/17/11, I confirmed CSD has not yet developed any plan on this issue. In 10/11 I received a copy of an email that shows that management is working on developing their plan. I sent an inquiry to HR and CSD and the response was that a notice will be coming very soon.  Once received, a DTB will be filed.

A DTB was filed 4/20/11 regarding benefit portal. No notice was received and not a lot of detail was available but members had brought forward concerns directly to me that resulted in the filing. A meeting occurred on 8/15/11 and following the meeting it was determined there was not currently an impact to our BU. This DTB is withdrawn with the understanding that should the scope of Benefit Portal change, we would file a new DTB. A summary was sent out to all CSD reps.

A DTB was filed on 3/17/11 in response to management’s intent to relocate the King North CSO to the North Seattle Community College Campus effective 5/6/11. The team appointed to this is Justin Fellores, Greg Gunther and Herbie Martin. The meeting occurred on 4/28/11. The main issue per the CR was parking costs and free parking has already been arranged. Other issues such as safety committees, bulletin boards etc. were addressed at the meeting. A follow up meeting occurred on 8/17/11 to address outstanding issues. This was productive and a summary went out to the team and the Seattle CR. This DTB will be closed sometime next week.

A DTB was filed 2/9/11 regarding management’s intent to reconfigure EBT services. The team appointed to this DTB was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Daniel D’Haem and Rod Sauer. Jeanine was attending as well. The first meeting occurred on 3/31/11. This meeting was mainly an informational session at which we walked through their proposal and questioned each section. At our meeting on 4/27/11, we maintained our position that proper notice was not received and we were not convinced this would achieve a cost savings or efficiency as required by the RCW. Management acknowledged that the notice was not proper and delayed implementation until 7/11/11. Between then and now we have had a couple of other meetings with what we thought was the final one occurring on 6/9/11. The outcome was a draft MOU establishing a 12 month pilot project. Since that time the department placed this issue on hold and then came back to the table on 10/4/11 narrowing the scope of it significantly. It will be a pilot in the Spokane area and related to replacement EBT cards only, not initial. A copy of the final MOU went out to the team and to CSD Reps in 10/11. 

A DTB was filed 1/7/11 not in response to a notice, but to a change in leave approval practices at the Mt. Vernon CSO. A lengthy information request was sent in order to prepare we’ve just had our first  meeting on 4/19/11. Resolution has not been reached and follow up is in process, we are still awaiting an information request.  I have attempted follow up on this issue several times w/ the HRD rep with not much response, so we decided to pursue follow up from CSD by placing it on the statewide agenda. Since that time I received a request from HRD about what more was needed and I have requested a follow up meeting. The team appointed is Marci Douglas-Bumgarner, Diane Linnell-Merry and Terea Gilmore. 

A DTB was filed 9/7/10 regarding the CSC implementing a statewide tele-work project. This has been completed and is now closed. Six monthly follow up teleconferences have also now been completed and a detailed summary of the final meeting went to all CSD reps. The next step was to expand the opportunity to about 70 more people in the near future.  At the CSC UMCC on 8/9/11 we were informed that there are 75 slots available and that about 130 members have expressed interest in those slots. The selection will be based on the agreed upon criteria. We were also informed that, due to a technological glitch, the setup of the 75 new participants may be delayed by about a month.

Under the new CBA, CSD UMCC’s will occur. The first one occurred on 9/27/11 at the ESA building in Olympia and a summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.
A CSC UMCC occurred on 8/9/11 and a detailed summary was sent out to the team and CSD reps.

CSD Area Update #4 (as of 7/6/11)

By Amy Achilles

Due to the high volume of issues currently happening in CSD, monthly teleconferences are scheduled for CSD reps and monthly updates specific to CSD are going out to staff and the CSD leadership team.

Late in 6/2011 concerns were raised regarding the possibility of significant changes in how LEP work is done in the CSC’s. I contacted management and it seems that this will not be going forward as initially suspected. CSD HQ management stated that if any changes were going to be made they would be for all of CSD, be statewide and consistent and the WFSE would be involved. No DTB is anticipated at this time.

Early in 6/2011 a concern was raised about the removal of no weapons signs in the CSO’s. I spoke with Babs and she found that the signs cited inaccurate RCW’s. At this point we plan to make this an agenda item for update purposes at our first CSD UMCC. Between now and then Babs will be working with the landlords of leased facilities on signage and to ensure that the signs in state owned facilities accurately reflect the RCW’s regarding threatening a state employee. More to come.

SB 5921 was signed by the Governor and retained the language in section 27 establishing an employee incentive pilot related to Workfirst performance. The bill requires the Department to implement a pilot by January 1, 2012, and to report to the Legislature on pilot implementation and outcomes by January 1, 2013. The department has not determined how they plan to implement this yet but we would expect to receive formal notice and plan to file a DTB as soon as that is received.

A DTB was filed 4/20/11 regarding benefit portal. No notice was received and not a lot of detail is available but members have brought forward concerns directly to me that resulted in the filing. No team has been developed and no meetings have been scheduled yet. I have received communication from Babs explaining what benefit portal is, we are no scheduling a meeting as it results in some concerns about contracting out.

A DTB was filed 3/17/11 regarding management’s intent to eliminate or reduce their presence in the communities of Othello, Colfax, Stevenson and South Bend. I have received recommendations for team members from every area. Meetings had not yet been scheduled on this issue and management had stated that the notice was a bit premature. Mid 6/2010 management withdrew their notice to the WFSE. They did say that this is something that may be revisited in the future but for now, the DTB is closed and the offices are open!

A DTB was filed on 3/17/11 in response to management’s intent to relocate the King North CSO to the North Seattle Community College Campus effective 5/6/11. The team appointed to this is Justin Fellores, Greg Gunther and Herbie Martin. The meeting occurred on 4/28/11. The main issue per the CR was parking costs and free parking has already been arranged. Other issues such as safety committees, bulletin boards etc. were addressed at the meeting. We are in the process of scheduling a follow up meeting.

A DTB was filed 2/9/11 regarding management’s intent to reconfigure EBT services. The team appointed to this DTB is Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Daniel D’Haem and Rod Sauer. Jeanine is attending as well. The first meeting occurred on 3/31/11. This meeting was mainly an informational session at which we walked through their proposal and questioned each section. At our meeting on 4/27/11, we maintained our position that proper notice was not received and we were not convinced this would achieve a cost savings or efficiency as required by the RCW. Management acknowledged that the notice was not proper and has now delayed implementation until 7/11/11. Between now and then we have had a couple of other meetings with the final one occurring on 6/9/11. The team has finished drafting their MOU and it has been sent to management for a response. The general outcome is a 12 month pilot project; once the MOU is final it will be forwarded out to all CSD reps.

A DTB was filed 1/27/11 regarding management’s proposal to compress the work hours in CSD. The offices would close to clients at 3pm each day to allow all staff (CSC & CSD) to work batch and have daily protected time. This was actually based off of suggestions made repeatedly by the membership at other meetings. An informal meeting occurred on 2/15 and implementation has occurred. The team was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Daniel D’Haem, Karen Mork, Randall Kurtz and Judith McMahon.  This was easily resolved through a teleconference/informational discussion and has since been expanded to go through 7/11. Recently concerns/discussions about what will occur when the protected time ends and the transition back to full service have come up. This will likely need to be revisited in the near future.

A DTB was filed 1/7/11 not in response to a notice, but to a change in leave approval practices at the Mt. Vernon CSO. A lengthy information request was sent in order to prepare we’ve just had our first  meeting on 4/19/11. Resolution has not been reached and follow up is in process, we are still awaiting an information request.  I have attempted follow up on this issue several times w/ the HRD rep with not much response, at this point we will be pursuing the information directly from CSD. The team appointed is Marci Douglas-Bumgarner, Diane Linnell-Merry and Terea Gilmore. 

A DTB was filed 10/19/10 regarding notification from the CSC that they will be moving toward connecting all of the call centers and going live with a statewide CSC. We have had four meetings with management and reached agreement at the final meeting on 2/16/11. The team was Gayle Chamberlain-Smith, Rod Sauer and Randall Kurtz. They worked hard gathering input from hundreds of their co-workers and developed two proposals to consider as alternatives. The final plan is a blend of the members’ and managements’ concepts.  Some issues have arisen from function selection and a CSC UMCC was requested on 6/2/11. A CSC UMCC is now scheduled for 8/9/11 and issues arising from this DTB will be on the agenda.

A DTB was filed 9/7/10 regarding the CSC implementing a statewide tele-work project. This has been completed and is now closed. Six monthly follow up teleconferences have also now been completed and a detailed summary of the final meeting went to all CSD reps. The next step is to expand the opportunity to about 70 more people over the summer.  A request was sent 6/2/11 to have a CSC UMCC and for this to be on the agenda, it has now been scheduled for 8/9/11.

A DTB was filed 4/27/10 on Disability Lifeline. Kurt and Jeanine were involved in this process and a settlement has just been finalized that will allow ongoing ad-hoc type meetings to address issues related to Disability Lifeline as they arise. Legislative session was likely to change the outcome of this DTB so this was pretty much on hold pending that information.  This will be reviewed soon now that leg. session is over.

Note that the Regional Consolidation issues are being handled by a large group and the staff person assigned is Debby Lippincott. A CSD Ad-Hoc was agreed to and occurred on 6/8/11. Neither side had anything substantive to discuss specific to the consolidation but felt compelled to get together with what little info we had due to the 6/30 cutoff date for the Ad-Hoc. The outcome of the CSD Ad-Hoc was a set of “guiding principles” that each side agreed to jointly adhere to at the larger table.  In addition, it has since been agreed that the Ad-Hoc could occur through the end of the year.
Under the new CBA, CSD Statewide UMCC’s will occur. David Stillman and Babs Roberts have already reached out to begin the scheduling of those meetings.