Last year, when Snohomish Health District was absorbed into Snohomish County, PROTEC17 members were able to negotiate the terms of their new contract with their new employer. They wanted to carry over the hard-fought benefits that they enjoyed at the Health District, as well as strengthen their contract even more.
In the new contract, PROTEC17 members were able to secure vacation accrual rates above what the County had offered its employees. This included a bump in accrual rates for members in their first two years of employment with the County, and those with over 22 years of service, as well as a general increase in the maximum annual accrual amount from 240 hours to 320 hours.
In October, Snohomish County amended its code to update its vacation accrual schedule for all employees based on the wins in the PROTEC17 contracts. Now, 2,800 employees at Snohomish County will now benefit from more vacation time!
“It’s pretty exciting to see a chapter of 100 PROTEC17 members pave the way for an increased benefit for almost 3,000 workers,” said Steven Pray, PROTEC17 Union Representative for Snohomish County.
The changes went into effect starting in November, so applicable employees will see increased rates of accrual. The higher cap on vacation was also effective for 2023.
This win shows that the rising tide does indeed lift all boats. Thank you to the bargaining team for their strong work that helped give everyone at Snohomish County more work-life balance, more time to spend with their families, and more time to be able to do the things they enjoy!