IFPTE Local 17 - Pierce County Chapter

Meeting Minutes

Date: 10/24/2007

Location: Conference Room D, Pierce County Annex

Meeting called to order at 4:45 PM

Chapter Officers in attendance: Troy Lee (President), Kerry Obermire (Vice President)

Steward Training

Rene Jankiewicz (Union Representative) passed out additional flyers for the upcoming training session, and discussed the roles of shop stewards and the benefit of attending.

Officer Nominations

Officer nomination period is now open. It was decided that it shall remain an open nomination up until the next meeting is called to order. Interested persons can email Rene with their nomination. Elections will be held at the next meeting.

A motion was made, and seconded, to nominate the current officers for another term.

There was discussion on extending the terms of future officers to two years.

At the meeting, nominations were made for the following positions:

President – Troy Lee

Vice President – Juan Loyola

Secretary-Treasurer – Kerry Obermire

REC Delegate 1 – Dustin Auckland

Positions that did not receive any nominations during the meeting:

REC Delegate 2

Pierce County Labor Council Delegate

Rene reviewed the duties of the REC and PCLC Delegate positions, and the meeting times of those councils. She also stated the importance of the Secretary-Treasurer, and their role in getting income for our Chapter.

Financial Status

Rene and Troy reminded us that the Chapter is eligible for funding if minutes are submitted at least once per quarter. Some examples of how those funds can be used are donations to charities, scholarship funds, solidarity picnics or holiday events. There was a positive response by the member to the idea.

Six Point Plan

Rene and Troy went over what’s been happening since the last Labor Management Committee meeting was held, including a meeting with the County Executive. Management will be sending the Union a letter shortly regarding the comments the LMC made, and management’s responses to them. A draft letter was shared at the meeting.

There was a commitment made by Management to set up quarterly standing committee meetings.

Council Meeting & New Engineering Positions

Rene and Troy attended the October 16th Council Meeting which included the Resolution vote for the 17 new positions in four different divisions within Public Works. In the public comment portion, Rene presented a study that the Union had prepared. This helped to further illustrate that full-time employees can complete projects more cost efficiently than consultants have been able to.

An Amendment to the Resolution addresses reporting the success on recruiting for these new positions. Councilmember Goings also asked for a follow-up with the Six-Point Plan.

Rene shared that Councilmember Goings will continue to keep her involved, and invite her to meetings regarding the Six-Point Plan.

Recruitment & Retention

There was a round table discussion, and members shared their thoughts on ongoing problems they see with the current process.

Other Items

Rene discussed the possibility of creating a Policy Committee for our Chapter, and shared the details of what committees at other Chapters typically deal with and discuss. Currently, there is not a good system in place to voice problems/concerns that occur. This committee could help remedy that situation.

The question was asked who our Shop Stewards are, and where that information could be found. There should be a list of Stewards on the Chapter web site, but if not we need to let Rene know. (Update: There is not, and she has been notified)

There was speculation of what constituted a quorum. Rene will double-check.

Meeting adjourned at 6:25 PM

Minutes recorded by Kerry Obermire, Vice President