By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In, Nathaniel Bickley v. Snohomish County Corrections Guild, the PERC Examiner dismissed a complaint that alleged the Guild breached its duty of fair representation by failing to provide representation to a bargaining unit member during a disciplinary hearing and grievance proceeding. The Examiner concluded that the complaining employee failed […] The post Employee Fight with Snohomish Corrections Guild appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Tiffany Diggins v. Seattle Housing Authority, a PERC Examiner ruled that the complaining employee failed to prove employer discrimination when she alleged that her employer interfered with her connectivity and access to computer software required for work. The Examiner held that her IT access issues did not rise […] The post Try Restarting the Router Before You Claim Employer Discrimination appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Walla Walla Community College, a PERC Examiner ruled that a college administrator was to be excluded from the bargaining unit representing rank and file higher education staff. The Examiner held that although the administrative employee had in the past done fill-in work for staff, the employee was still […] The post Administrator Performing Staff Functions on a “Fill in” Basis Doesn’t Qualify for Inclusion in Bargaining Unit appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, a PERC Examiner dismissed a complaint alleging AFSCME breach of its duty of fair representation (DFR) when failed to facilitate a request for information. The Examiner reasoned that the failure was due to a mistake in interpreting the nature of […] The post Your Union Rep May Be Incompetent… But That’s Not Enough to Sue appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In City of Seattle, [City of Seattle, Decision 137535-A (PECB, 2024)] the PERC Commission overturned an errant Examiner ruling and held that the complaining employee suffered an “adverse action” upon which a discrimination claim could be made when he was placed on administrative leave with pay pending an investigation. […] The post PERC Commission Holds that Administrative Leave with Potential Loss of Overtime Pay Can be a Discriminatory “Adverse Action” appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline and Peter Haller In Hubert Gilmore v Teamsters 839, a Benton County corrections officer filed a ULP complaint against his Union alleging that it breached its duty of fair representation when it declined to pursue a grievance related to a newly adopted agreement that affected shift hours. Examiner Leonard of PERC dismissed […] The post Benton County CO CC’d Union on Email Is Not the Same as Seeking Union Assistance, Rules PERC Examiner appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline In a decision using scorching language in Snohomish County, Examiner Leonard entirely dismissed all 11 claims the Snohomish County Corrections Guild filed against Snohomish County. While the claims varied in issue, Examiner Leonard found that for each allegation, the Guild did not support their claims with sufficient evidence, failing to upload their […] The post Snohomish Corrections Guild Misfires Widely, Excoriated by Examiner in Dismissal of all Eleven of its ULP Claims appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline In Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Examiner Elizabeth Snyder found that the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (Employer) unilaterally changed working conditions for two Washington Federation of State Employees (Union) employees when it removed their new positions from the bargaining unit. The Employer’s unilateral change constituted […] The post PERC Examiner Holds Reallocation of DSHS Investigators to Non-bargaining Unit Position Constitutes ULP appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline In City of Seattle, Examiner Christopher Casillas dismissed a complaint after finding the Complainant failed to satisfy each element necessary for a discrimination prima facie case. The Complainant had been placed on administrative reassignment while the City investigated an incident involving Complainant; however, he did not lose any pay, leave, or benefits […] The post PERC Examiner Dismisses Discrimination Complaint Against City of Seattle, Finding Administration Assignment did not Trigger Deprivation of Rights appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more

By Jim Cline In Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Examiner Casillas dismissed the case, holding that Complainant failed to prove her employer had discriminated against her for engaging in a protected activity. Examiner Casillas found that management had engaged in multiple non-disciplinary attempts to correct Complainant’s behavior over several years and that […] The post PERC Examiner Holds that Corrective Attempts to Temperamental, Underperforming DSHS Employee is Not Discriminatory appeared first on Washington Labor and Employment Blog ..read more