Drafter
Clerk 10/21/2008
Title
A MOTION affirming the county's labor policy of supporting the King County executive's bargaining in good faith with King County represented employees to find savings that will help balance the 2009 county budget.
Body
WHEREAS, King County is currently facing a $94 million revenue shortfall to support the same level of public services that the county provided in 2008, and
WHEREAS, the King County executive and council are trying to find innovative ways to provide services and to gain efficiencies in all county functions, and
WHEREAS, the executive has proposed certain cost savings from non-represented employees and from represented employees, and
WHEREAS, the executive has begun bargaining with represented employees to negotiate cost savings, including but not limited to, from wages and cost of living adjustments;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. The county affirms as its labor policy support of the executive in his willingness to address the revenue shortfall by bargaining in good faith with represented employees to achieve cost savings;
B. The county will continue to honor its binding legal obligations; and
C. The council encourages the executive to conclude negotiations and, if bargaining is successful, present a signed agreement to the council by November 3, 2008,
to inform the council's final budget deliberations, so that it may pass, with confidence, a balanced 2009 budget.