Employee News

Posted on November 2, 2017 by Lilia Cabello Drain

A job with a view

This article originally appeared in the Seattle Transit Blog. It features Link operator Kevin Gumke.

In a tight workspace with barely enough room to turn around, light rail operators enjoy some of the most unusual views of Seattle from their cabs as they traverse the city. Like all Link operators, Kevin Gumke started out driving for King County Metro Transit, before transferring over to the light rail side in 2010. To qualify, bus drivers must have a squeaky-clean driving record and complete 8 weeks of paid training, starting with a week of classroom instruction.

“It’s actually pretty easy,” Gumke said about operating a light rail vehicle. He contributes his experience driving a trolley route, at a time before trolleys could briefly travel under battery power, as good preparation for operating a light rail vehicle.

King County Noxious Weed Program launches web pages in four languages!

Crossposted from Noxious Weeds Blog

Want to learn more about noxious weeds in Spanish—or know someone who does? How about Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, or Somali? Well now, King County’s Noxious Weed Control Program has made a start to offer just that.

This week, the program launched a revised and expanded version of its Spanish web page, along with four brand new web pages hosting noxious-weed-related resources in an array of languages. You can find these pages gathered under a new “Languages” landing page as well as linked directly in the right column of the noxious weeds home page.

eCourt: Case filing made easy

With over 200,000 case filings a year, King County District Court clerks processed 2,429,000 pieces of paper in one year alone using a 1980’s software system jokingly referred to as the ‘black screen of death’. In order to improve workflow efficiency, expedite cases and reduce their carbon footprint, District Court is launching eCourt, a new electronic case management system that offers new functionality County employees and residents will enjoy, electronic filing being one of them.

“Not only the Court is reducing its carbon footprint, we’re helping other people reduce their carbon footprint on the world: they don’t have to drive to court any longer; they’re going to save money on gas; they’re not going to be required to leave work. They can do it at midnight if they wish to,” Judge Elizabeth Stephenson said.

To learn more view the video below or visit the District Court website.

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Lilia Cabello Drain

King County Executive, Governor celebrate Colman Dock project and our future home

Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog

As crews continue to build King County Water Taxi’s future home, Executive Dow Constantine, Gov. Jay Inslee and other transportation leaders took time last week to celebrate the progress of the Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project.

The Executive was one of the keynote speakers at a celebration inside Colman Dock, the state’s busiest terminal, which overlooks the site of the Water Taxi’s future Passenger Only Ferry (POF) facility.

Executive Constantine – who has long made improving mobility throughout the region one of his priorities – spoke about the Water Taxi’s role in getting people out of their cars and out of gridlock.

“When we talk about transit, we mean everything: buses and trains and light rail and van pools and water taxis,” he said. “Our new passenger-only ferry terminal here at Pier 50 represents a big step in improving the experience of the ever-increasing number of riders crossing the Puget Sound.”

Recognizing service and sacrifice of DAJD employees

On Oct. 24, the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention honored friends and colleagues for their outstanding service and sacrifice at the 18th Annual Employee Recognition Award Ceremony.

“To me, there’s no greater responsibility than serving the public, including our youth,” King County Councilmember Dave Upthegrove said at the event. “And it’s a duty we all share, and it’s an effort and a battle that you fight every day. This deserves to be acknowledged, and you deserve this recognition. So on behalf of myself and the King County Council, I want to lead off by saying thank you for all that you do.”

CM Upthegrove then described how he and his 75-year-old father recently completed the Seafair Triathalon together despite the fact that his father lost his sight a few years ago. Together, they swam as a team, ran as a team, and even biked together using a tandem bicycle to complete the course. “By working together and serving others, we can overcome any obstacle,” he said.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the namesake of our county, once said, ‘If you want to be important, wonderful. If you want to be recognized, wonderful. If you want to be great, wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be a servant. That’s the new definition of greatness.’ So thank you all for being dedicated servants, thank you for all that you do. Congratulations to the award winners, and thanks for inspiring me and so many others in King County to do the best job we can.”

2017 DAJD Employee Award Recipients include:

Alin Nicoara, Purple Heart
Adam Wong, Purple Heart

Pamela Dunderdale, Life Saving Award
Don Nguyen, Life Saving Award
O’Leary Michael, Life Saving Award
Chris VanDerVliet, Life Saving Award
Michael Jarvis, Life Saving Award
Richard Gorman, Life Saving Award
Napolean Rafanan, Life Saving Award
Steven Lee, Life Saving Award
Michael Thomas, Life Saving Award
Robert Milne, Life Saving Award
Irvin Worrell, Life Saving Award
Stinson, David, Life Saving Award
Charles Helmer, Life Saving Award
Maurice Collier, Life Saving Award
Dennis Folk, Life Saving Award
Zane McCraw, Life Saving Award
Edward Oman, Life Saving Award
Vern Dupea, Life Saving Award
Dynese Greer, Life Saving Award
Ramil Pagulayan, Meritorious Achievement
Mores Gluaymai Na Ayudhaya, Meritorious Achievement
Randall Green, Meritorious Achievement
Joseph Korzeniecki, Meritorious Achievement
Kathleen Callaghan, Meritorious Achievement
Joseph Ho, Meritorious Service
Stephanie Robel, Meritorious Service
Todd Lassila, Distinguished Service
Charla Williams, Distinguished Service
Andrew Currier, Distinguished Service
Christopher Ossewaarde, Distinguished Service
Troy Bacon, Distinguished Service
Michael Allen, Distinguished Service
Joshua Bott, Distinguished Service
Davis, LaVance, Distinguished Service
Kristin Jones, Distinguished Service
Wilena Montgomery, Distinguished Service
Angela Toussaint, Distinguished Service
Megan Pedersen, Distinguished Service
Hikari Tamura, Distinguished Service
Rodriguez, Jorge, Distinguished Service
Jose Reynaga, Distinguished Service
Tinney, Catherine, Distinguished Service
Ashley Mareld, Distinguished Service
Greg Hanson, Distinguished Service
Mary Missler, Distinguished Service
Ebony Frazier, Distinguished Service
Nonylon Astudillo, Distinguished Service
Jennifer Conston, Certificate of Achievement
Troy Bacon, Certificate of Achievement
Robert Beckman, Certificate of Achievement
Ena Kyles, Certificate of Achievement
Anna Ponder, Certificate of Achievement
Sabrina Gorman, Certificate of Achievement
Steven Anderson, Certificate of Achievement
Garrett Ferreiro, Certificate of Achievement
Steven Fox, Certificate of Achievement
Benjamin Frary, Certificate of Achievement
Michael Garcia, Certificate of Achievement
Jens Jellen, Certificate of Achievement
David Kirk, Certificate of Achievement
Abdulmonaiem Mohamed, Certificate of Achievement
Richard Neher, Certificate of Achievement
Norman Walton, Certificate of Achievement
Todd Wheeler, Certificate of Achievement
Terri Stewart, Certificate of Achievement
Hulet Gates, Certificate of Achievement
Richard Gold, Certificate of Achievement

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Alex Hurtado

2017 Annual Giving Drive: Youth

Crossposted from KC Employee Giving

Many of us have heard the old adage, ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ but how many of us have reflected on helping a child during the Employee Giving Program’s 2017 Annual Giving Drive? With three week to go, you can still do your part to create a more equitable world for them.

Here are three of the many nonprofit organizations that are doing work with youth!

Innovative program sets employees on road to success

The first graduates from an innovative new program that helps employees get a key credential for moving their careers forward were recognized by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Metro General Manager Rob Gannon at a small ceremony this week.

Through a partnership between King County Metro, South Seattle College, and the Amalgamated Transit Union 587, a customized curriculum was created that helped frontline employees train for and apply for their Commercial Driver’s License, an essential requirement for advancing to other positions in the County as well as across Washington.

“We shouldn’t think of this as extraordinary,” Executive Constantine said. “This is what we should have been doing, what we should be doing, and what we have committed to doing much more of – providing equitable opportunities for all of our employees to get the skills, get the training, get the credentials that they need to pursue their dreams.”

The pilot program included a customized classroom and driving curriculum and also provided support for specific needs identified for employees in this workgroup, such as English proficiency and preparing for the CDL permit test. The pilot’s first participants worked in facilities management and custodial roles at King County.

“It’s not just the idea of a CDL, it’s what that represents; it’s an opportunity to grow and develop in itself but also to advance in the organization,” Metro General Manager Rob Gannon said. “I couldn’t be prouder of what you [program graduates] have accomplished but it also represents what we as an organization can accomplish.”

The four pilot graduates – Stevon Lenued, Tsegay Negash, John Keith and Jaime Gonzalez – have already begun or accepted Utility Laborer or Utility Worker roles at the County with their new accreditations, while a fifth, Nouane Thepvongsa, is working towards graduation.

Metro and its partners are now reviewing the results of the pilot to see how it can be adapted and expanded moving forward. The model will also help to inform Metro’s development of other apprenticeship and short-term training programs in the future.

Helping employees plot a career path and give them the support and resources to reach their goals is part of King County’s Investing in You strategy.

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Lilia Cabello Drain

Kudos! Metro operator makes riders smile after a long day

Posted on October 29, 2017 by Alex Hurtado

2017 Annual Giving Drive: Women

Crossposted from KC Employee Giving

King County’s Employee Giving Program’s (EGP) Annual Giving Drive provides over 60 prescreened nonprofit organizations whose primary category of service is promoting equity, safe-space, and programs that are important to and for women. Last year, donations by King County employees doubled to this category of service. This response was a powerful example of the collective impact of individuals that can be made through the Employee Giving Program.

Social Media Spotlight: King County Elections Instagram

King County is the largest jurisdiction in the United States to conduct all elections by mail. The county has 1.28 million registered voters, a number that continues to grow each month. It is the 13th-most populated county in the country and home to one third of Washington’s voters.