WEEK OF 8/27/12 MEETINGS IN REVIEW

TOM'S TALES FOR THE WEEK

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Tom Davis Mason County Progressive

Monday’s briefing of County Commissioners was cancelled, and I used the time to brush up on another legal issue coming down the pike:

Teamsters Local 252 vs. Mason County.

Here’s what the case looks like:

Mason County, Decision 10798-A (PECB, 2011). State of Washington. Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC)

“On April 27, 2009, Teamsters Local 252 (union) filed a complaint alleging that Mason County (employer) refused to bargain in good faith in violation of RCW 41.56.140(4) and (1) when the employer rejected a tentative collective bargaining agreement that had been ratified and signed by the union. The union’s complaints were filed on behalf of four bargaining units it represents: general services, appraisers, probation services, and juvenile detention. The union also filed a fifth complaint on behalf of International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 302 (IUOE), who represented a bargaining unit of public works employees. Examiner Joel Greene held a hearing and found that the employer violated its good faith bargaining obligation when the Board of County Commissioners rejected the negotiated agreement, which consisted almost exclusively of proposals the employer offered that were ratified by the union’s membership. The Board of County Commissioners took this action at a public meeting without providing prior notice to the union. We affirm.”
(Dated: Oct. 11, 2011)

(You can read all the gory details at: www.perc.wa.gov/databases/ULP/10798-A.htm)

Unwilling to resist fanning a smoldering labor issue into another flaming lawsuit, County Commissioners appealed the PERC decision to Thurston County Superior Court. Earlier this month the court upheld PERC’s decision.

How much money the County will have to pay depends on your interpretation of how high is up, so subjective are the estimates. For what it’s worth, I am inclined to think 1.3 --1.5 million is realistic, though some put the price tag much higher. Any way you slice it, Mason County will soon be on the hook for a lot of money, unless, of course, the Commissioners decide to kick the can down the road by kicking the matter upstairs to a higher court (at least till after the election is over).

More on this issue as it evolves, but you won’t have to wait long, I promise.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

2:00 PM: Port of Shelton Commission, Special Meeting

PUBLIC HEARING: Sale of Surplus Property

A. Sale of Surplus Property - Action

Only two citizens showed up for the hearing, perhaps because everyone knew that harvesting the trees on 100 acres of Port property off Johns Prairie Road was a done deal; high bid for the timber stands at $675,000 net to the Port.

While the draw of so much money seemed strong for Commissioner Taylor, it was all anyone could do to keep Commissioner Wallitner from running out and start gnawing at the trees. The fact that proceeds from the harvest had yet to be assigned for a specific purpose seemed unimportant to everyone but Commissioner Hupp, who wanted the stand treated as “money in the bank” till such time as the land needed to be cleared for development.

Adding a bit of flavor to an otherwise foregone conclusion was an 11th hour motion by Commissioner Hupp: “Sell the timber to the highest bidder, with proceeds to fund the future development of the Johns Prairie Business Park”. Clearly a Hail Mary attempt to make the best of a bad situation, Hupp’s motion also served to close the doors on timber profits being used to fund general Port operations. (Color me curious).

With the motion sitting on the table like a steaming cow pie, Wallitner was quick to question: “Does this affect infrastructure projects?” But no clear answer was forthcoming. Taylor fell into his signature head-slump, and for a moment I felt as if I were in the ICU waiting for my next heartbeat to register on the screen. Then (and I think to everyone’s surprise) Commissioner Taylor raised his head and seconded the motion.

And it wasn’t until I was halfway home that the events finally burrowed through my thick skull: Well, dip me in poop and call me honey, I do believe those boys just got "Hupped".

6:00 PM: Regular session of Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)

At the Public Comment Period, former County Commissioner Annette McGee stepped up to fire a shot across the bow of the two Commissioners in attendance (Tim Sheldon was a no-show).

Parts of Ms. McGee’s comments follow:

“Good evening, Commissioners, when are you going to tell us, the Citizens of Mason County, about the ruling that was handed down from the Public Employment Relations Commission, known as PERC, and that their decision was upheld by the Superior Court of the State of Washington? And that the cost of this ruling to Mason County could amount to many thousands of dollars, probably as much as $2,000,000…”

After the opening salvo you could almost hear the cat clawing its way out of the box, and I admit to throwing up a little bit in my mouth. But Annette wasn’t finished:

“…why are you meeting in closed sessions asking the department heads what this agreement is going to cost? The court case is over, it is public record and meeting behind closed doors about this subject is not an Executive item. It is a budgetary item and needs to be open to the public.”

Alrighty then, there’s plenty of rope to go around, no need to push, enough room on the beam for everyone.

Commissioner Ring-Erickson responded to Ms. McGee’s comments by directing her to the County Prosecutor’s Office, though her voice now sounded like a cat hacking up a hairball.

The rest of the meeting wasn’t interesting enough to keep my ADD from kicking in, and my thoughts turned to martinis and steak. After the meeting, Amy and I went to dinner, but it’s hard to turn a bad experience into something good, and it is with that in mind I wonder if our community can survive another four years of foolish decisions.

Later…