Powering engagement by focusing on growth and development
Thanks to an Engagement Action Plan focused on the growth and development of employees, Metro Transit’s Power and Facilities Section is serving customers more effectively and efficiently by helping employees grow and maximize their potential.
Power and Facilities is a 24/7 operation that maintains the integrity and overall appearance of passenger facilities. Any time day or night employees can be found power washing and emptying garbage receptacles at bus shelters; inspecting, maintaining and repairing trolley bus components; landscaping and maintaining park and ride lots and transit centers; keeping signs readable; and performing any type of maintenance and repair necessary at the bus bases.
Workers here have diverse knowledge, skills and abilities in welding, HVAC, carpentry, plumbing, cleaning, driving trucks, horticulture, irrigation, horticulture, hydraulics, mechanical systems, electrical and power distribution, to name a few. All are seeking greater proficiency in their work and opportunities to advance.
Under the leadership of Power and Facilities Manager Alina Tanzer and her Superintendents, their employee engagement action plans have been focused on opportunities for employees to get better at what they do and advance in their careers. The action plans, which are key components of the County’s Investing in You strategy, were created through conversations with employees about data coming out of the annual countywide employee survey.
“The focus on supporting the advancement of employees is not really new for us,” says South Facilities Maintenance Superintendent Jake Jacobovitch, “but the increase in support for employee engagement from Division leadership has really expanded the opportunities employees have for professional growth.”
These opportunities have come in many forms such as division-wide committee opportunities where employees delve into issues about workplace culture, participation in programs created by leadership specifically to support career growth, and opportunities to try something new through a special duty or fill-in assignment.
Transit leadership created opportunities like the Aspiring Leaders Program designed to expand career development opportunities for staff who want to experience growth in their careers within the agency by matching frontline employees with a supervisor for a three-month mentor/mentee program. South Facilities had four employees in the program last year and Jacobovitch mentored an employee from another Transit section.
Also, seven employees are engaged in special duty assignments and eight are taking advantage of fill-in opportunities. Three Facilities employees are participating in PACE (Partnership to Achieve Comprehensive Equity) committees. They co-chair the Communications, Recruitment and Equal Employment Opportunity sub-committees. In addition, Power has its PowerPace workgroup that is a collaborative forum for deliberating and resolving workplace issues.
Jacobovitch also supports training opportunities that protect the safety of his employees, reduce injuries and improve knowledge about their work. He continued the work of his predecessor to provide Building Operator Certification Training to all Building Operating Engineers. This is a nationally recognized training and certification program focusing on energy efficient operations and preventative maintenance procedures. He is working with the Custodians and Safety to create training videos that display proper ergonomics performing tasks. A pilot program was initiated in the painting unit to create an opportunity for paint prep workers to advance to the painter position in the future.
“Taking the time to talk with and more importantly listen to your employees is the right thing to do and results in better morale, greater efficiency, and a safer workplace where people are glad to come to work,” Jacobovitch said.
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Job Fair connects White Center teens with employers
The fourth annual Peace ‘N’ the Hood Basketball Tournament at Steve Cox Memorial Park underwent a shakeup with a new component added to benefit teens in White Center: a job fair tailored for teens ages 16-24.
Representatives from 30 employers and employment resources participated in the job fair and the attendance goal was nearly doubled, with 150 teens taking part.
DNRP Customer Services Coordinator Jody Addicks works at the White Center Teen Program, where the job fair took place.
“Justin Cox, who works at Southwest Youth and Family Services and also works part-time at the Teen Center, came to me several months before this year’s basketball tournament stating that he wanted to add a new component to the tournament – a job fair for youth,” Jody said. “I was overwhelmed by the initial idea, but our amazing partnership between Southwest Youth & Family Services, WorkSource, Educurious and King County Parks made it possible.”
The two-part event was hosted on June 28, 2017. The job fair went from 2-4 p.m., and the basketball tournament from 4-8 p.m.
“We were able to work with both groups of youth: those who were intent on finding a part-time job, and the other that wanted to participate in the basketball tournament,” Jody said. “Many teens participated in both job fair and basketball tournament!”
“I contacted Dan Bernard, a WorkSource employee I met through an adult career fair to see if they’d be willing to help put on a youth career fair unlike any other,” Jody said. “I asked them specifically to find jobs in White Center, and ultimately, jobs that are one bus ride away, because transportation is a major barrier for our teens.”
Going outside of their usual parameters and network, Worksource invited employers from the Greater White Center Area that met the ‘one-bus-ride-away’ request. Of the 30 employers and resource groups, the Pacific Science Center received positive feedback for its engagement with teens. Others that attended are Starbucks, Walgreens, King County Library and Job Corp.
During the event, Jody and staff members helped the teens prepare to meet new employers by giving them talking points and initiating the introductions. “Some of our teenagers have a hard time creating that first conversation, so by us creating that opportunity, some of our teens were offered interview dates by employers,” Jody said.
In order to prepare teens for success, resume-building workshops were available ahead of the job fair. “One of the first teens to walk through the door to the job fair had come in to the teen center to work on his resume in the week before. I remember when he began attending the teen center several years ago and now I saw him in a tie and his resume in hand,” Jody said.
The driving force behind the success of the event is fueled by the need to create an equitable community for teens. “The White Center Teen Program has a goal to provide new opportunity to teens in the White Center community,” Jody said. “This Job Fair event provided opportunity for a summer job, a chance to gain new skills and build a resume.”
A combined effort of community outreach included traditional fliers, social media, networking with youth providers and nonprofits and word of mouth.
“We’ve had teens come back to the teen center saying ‘I got a job!’” Jody said. “We are happy with the turnout, all the hard work was worth it.”
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Leadership transition at KCIT
Dear fellow King County employee,
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Today Bill Kehoe, Director of our Department of Information Technology, announced that he is leaving King County to pursue a new opportunity that builds on what he’s accomplished here at King County.
Bill has led the transformation of KCIT into a technology leader, one that was recently recognized as the 2017 Best IT County in the Nation by the 2017 National Association of Counties.
As KCIT Director and Chief Information Officer, Bill turned KCIT into a strategic business partner for all branches of King County. He oversaw the implementation of technologies that allow us to collaborate more effectively across departments and workgroups, and make it easier for customers to access our services. He also led the consolidation of separate IT groups into one enterprise organization and expanded our digital security.
The efficiencies, accessibility and collaboration that technology allows us to bring to our work is a key piece of our Best-Run Government approach and I want to thank Bill and his entire team for their vision, expertise and hard work.
I have appointed current IT Deputy Director Tanya Hannah as Interim Director of KCIT. We will conduct a nationwide search for the next KCIT Director.
I wish Bill the best of luck with this exciting next chapter in his career and thank him for his service to the people of King County. Bill’s last day at King County is October 2 and he will share more details about his new role in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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Celebrating the employees who restored West Point
On Aug. 10, King County Executive Dow Constantine joined Mark Isaacson, Director of the Wastewater Treatment Division, and employees at the West Point wastewater treatment plant for their annual summer potluck to celebrate their commitment and dedication to clean water. Employees worked around the clock to restore normal operations following the Feb. 9 flood at West Point, and the treatment plant is again meeting strict water quality standards.
People worked long hours, often in very challenging conditions during the restoration. Employees willingly stepped forward with a spirit of service that is truly inspiring.
“There’s no one in this entire region who is more interested in or committed to clean water than the people who are here at this picnic lunch today,” Executive Constantine said.
You can watch a short video of the event below.
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Waterless carwash contract saves 33 gallons per wash
The “spray on, wipe off” method is the latest and most environmentally sustainable way of washing vehicles, saving 33 gallons of water per car wash, and the Fleet Administration Division (Fleet) is a leader in this effort.
Fleet recently finalized a five-year contract with Eco Service USA for fleet vehicle cleaning, after using their service on a pay-as-you-go basis for the last year. The new contract is already helping King County tackle climate change and reduce its environmental impact.
Fleet Personal Property Supervisor Russ Johnson oversees the Motor Pool Dispatch Program and the Online Reservation System used by King County employees to check out vehicles.
“A component of my role is ensuring vehicles are cleaned on a monthly basis,” Russ said. “In the first six months of this year, they [Eco Service USA] performed 356 car washes, saving 11,748 gallons of water.”
With this initiative King County is projected to save more than 20,000 gallons of water per year. The savings amount to over 100,000 gallons through the five-year contract. The cleaning agent is also plant-based and environmentally neutral.
In addition to the water savings, King County is also saving on gas. “Eco Service comes to us and cleans several cars at a time, so we don’t have to drive the vehicles to them,” Russ said.
Eco Service USA performs exterior and interior cleaning to 65 different vehicles, from hybrid Priuses to 12-passenger vans located in Goat Hill Garage, King Street Center and a few in Renton.
As part of the contract, Russ strongly encourages other county agencies to take advantage of the services offered by Eco Service.
The convenient at-your-doorstep service makes life much easier for vehicle users, but drivers can do their part to take care of the County’s vehicle fleet.
“Fleet encourages drivers to keep vehicles clean to present a professional image of King County to our residents,” Jennifer Lindwall, Director of Fleet Administration Division, said.
For more information contact Russ Johnson, Personal Property Supervisor, at 206-477-3889.
Watch a short video of at-your-doorstep carwash service here.
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Summer Interns meet with Executive Constantine
By Miguel Estevez Osorio and Von Te’Kwan Dalton, high school summer interns for the Office of Equity and Social Justice and Public Health-Seattle & King County (respectively) through King County’s Lift Every Youth Employment & Mentorship Program Pilot.
Recently, King County Executive Dow Constantine met with some of us summer interns from King County’s Lift Every Youth Employment and Mentorship Program Pilot, and Performance, Strategy and Budget’s undergraduate and graduate summer internship initiative.
Deputy King County Executive Rhonda Berry, Director of Employee Engagement Whitney Abrams, and Arun Sambataro, Equity Strategies Manager with the Office of Equity and Social Justice also joined us. We had the opportunity to meet with Executive Constantine and hear him speak about the importance of being involved at the local and county levels of government, as well as share our own experiences.
He started the conversation by having everyone introduce themselves and the projects that they are working on for the county. The conversation showed the incredibly diverse range of interests and skills, and the Executive seemed impressed by the scope of the projects being handled. He praised departments’ ability to design creative projects, such as learning about cyber security and how the county works to prevent people from hacking into county systems.
The Executive also spoke about his own motivations for public service and the importance of civic duty in his own life, and Rhonda Berry gave clear examples of his priorities as Executive, and his commitment to our community.
Deputy Executive Berry also discussed how invested the Executive is in making King County welcoming and inclusive to create the best environment possible for all communities here: “The Executive’s priorities are all aligned to make King County the best it can be.”
Executive Constantine shared why this internship program was particularly important to him: because many employees who work for the county started as interns, and from there built experience and the knowledge to want to come back and be successful as fulltime employees.
Director Employee Engagement Whitney Abrams then provided a look into the internal side of the Executive Office, and asked us several questions about what we as interns wanted out of a county job. For example, she asked us what young people in the workforce look for to make work comfortable and worthwhile. The question of what an ideal work environment would look like for us led to answers about how interns value the importance of health benefits, an environment that allows us to grow in other areas and skills, work that we are interested in doing, and knowing that our work is valued and makes a difference in our communities. “It was enlightening and affirming to hear the perspective of our interns and what they are looking for in their careers and by extension, their employers. They expressed overwhelming commitment to public service, learning and growth, social justice, and a positive work environment. — All areas that are priorities within our Investing in You Initiative.”
Executive Constantine seemed impressed that we are already considering these things at our age. He agreed, saying that years from now, he wants to feel satisfied as he looks out the window and sees the impacts of all the work that he and county staff have done during his time in office.
During our time with Executive Constantine and his staff, we learned a lot about why they think internships are important. “We need more young people in King County,” they said… “The average age of a King County employee is 57. So I hope some of you want to come work for us in the future!” Executive Constantine said.
We enjoyed having time with him and his staff to have candid discussions about our projects, future steps, positions at the county, and other subjects. And it made us appreciate this internship experience even more.
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Executive Constantine makes four staffing announcements
Last week King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that he is assigning additional duties to two members of his Senior Leadership Team and appointing a new Chief Operating Officer in his office.
Deputy Executive Rhonda Berry was appointed to lead inter-agency and community coordination and strategy to further reduce the number of youth in detention; Mike Fong, former Chief of Staff to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, will serve as Chief Operating Officer in the Executive’s Office; and Senior Deputy Executive Fred Jarrett will lead an initiative to explore new and better ways to serve the people of unincorporated King County. The Executive also recently announced that he has appointed Rachel Smith as his new Chief of Staff after the departure of Deputy Executive Sung Yang to a new opportunity in the private sector.
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Mario Bailey helps youth get back on track with education and employment opportunities
Crossposted from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Facebook
In the early 1990s, Mario Bailey was setting University of Washington football on fire. The Husky Hall of Famer and All American receiver helped take the Huskies to the Rose Bowl twice, scoring four touchdowns at the bowl games and leading the Huskies to a co-national championship in 1991.
By the end of his college football career, Mario had shattered several records. He still holds the Husky and PAC-12 record for touchdowns in a season (18), and has the record for career touchdowns (30).
Mario was drafted to play for the Houston Oilers in the 1992 NFL draft, so he left the University of Washington three quarters short of graduation only to lose his spot with the Oilers to a free agent in his rookie year.
Mario laughs ruefully when he says that for the next 12 years, he played “all the FLs out there except for the NFL.” Mario played the XFL, the AFL, the CFL (Canadian Football League) and professional football in Europe, where he is the all-time reception leader.
Mario struggled with a torn hamstring early on, but he says the real reason his football career didn’t end up the way he expected was from a lack of effort. “I was talented, but I wasn’t working hard. I was having fun getting by on raw talent instead of putting in the work I needed to do,” he says. “I ended up waking up one day at 34, 35 years old with no resume, no college degree, and having to figure out what the hell I was going to do now. My pride was such that I didn’t want to take a regular job because everybody was asking me about my football career.”
In 2003, the Huskies Head Coach at the time, Keith Gilbertson offered Mario an assistant coaching job with a starting salary of $150,000. Mario, however, needed to have his bachelor’s degree for the position. He re-enrolled in school, but Coach Gilbertson was let go before Mario finished his degree. The coaching opportunity slipped away.
“Opportunities don’t always come twice,” Mario preaches to teenagers today, encouraging them to stay in high school or get their GEDS and enroll in college. “I tell them to take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way because you can’t go back. Sometimes you have to tell them your story because they don’t know where you’re from or what you’ve been through.”
If Mario has regrets, he also firmly believes things happen the way they are meant to happen. He found his passion working with kids as an outreach manager for Reconnect to Opportunity, a King County program that helps youth get back on track with education and employment opportunities. “I was lucky to discover my ‘it’ a little later in life. Some people don’t ever find their passion,” he says.
In the first month and a half in his position, Mario personally visited around 35 educational resource centers in the county. It was one thing to read about what they offered online, but personally visiting places like YouthSource, Bellevue College, Open Doors, and Lake Washington Institute of Technology gave Mario a first-hand knowledge of the different GED and diploma programs available to youth.
Mario is genuinely enthusiastic when he talks about the teens and families he’s helped. When a young teenager dropped out of school because she couldn’t care for her 2-year-old toddler and attend classes, Mario suggested she enroll at Southwest Family Services which provides an onsite day care. She was able to complete her GED in three weeks.
Mario helped another father and son work through their options. The high school sophomore was bored and anxious and didn’t want to go to school anymore until Mario suggested he finish two years ahead of his graduating class by taking his GED. The teen got his GED in two weeks and is now enrolled in college.
At a county celebration for kids who have corrected their truancy issues, the Prosecuting Attorney’s office invited Mario to be a guest speaker to share his story.
“I like being around youth, and I like helping people out,” Mario says. “I like changing and transforming lives. Nothing feels better than helping somebody get a job or get a diploma and seeing them change their whole life around and get on the right track.”
[Reconnect to Opportunity works with young people ages 16 – 24 to help them get back on track with college and their careers. To find out more about Reconnect to Opportunity’s work, visit them at: http://reopp.org/}
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A message from the department director: Preparing West Point for a growing region
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories
By Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True
Over its five decades of operation, the West Point Treatment Plant has been led with one mission: safeguarding our region’s water quality, natural resources, and public health. Over the course of its long span of service, this mission has largely been met.
During a relentless February rainstorm, when electrical and equipment failures led to flooding that damaged critical systems and temporarily reduced treatment capabilities, dedicated employees worked around the clock to restore normal operations. West Point is again meeting strict water quality standards, and insurance will cover nearly all repair-related costs—protecting the public from the cost of system upgrades and cleanup.
While this is welcome news for the environment and our ratepayers, the gravity of the incident and the warning flags it raised cannot be downplayed.
Read more at Clean Water Stories
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Metro Transit’s largest union approves 3-year contract to ensure a safe, healthy, well-trained workforce
King County Metro Transit today announced that Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587 – which represents about 4,100 Metro employees – has approved a three-year labor contract.
The contract increases wages by 9 percent over three years, and includes key provisions that will help Metro recruit bus drivers to grow service, as well as improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of the transit system. Altogether, the wage and benefit increases, including an 8.2 percent increase in the county’s health care contributions over three years, add an estimated $80 million to $85 million to the cost of the previous contract.
“The agreement we celebrate today guarantees we will continue to have a safe, healthy, well-trained workforce that delivers outstanding transit service,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “The strong partnership we have with labor is helping us build a world-class transit system for the people of King County.”
“These changes provide important progress toward achieving Metro’s strategic goals, and I congratulate the members of ATU Local 587 for approving a contract that is key to growing Metro transit service,” said Metro General Manager Rob Gannon. “Together, we continue to invest in building the industry’s most talented and healthy workforce. This contract benefits Metro, our workers, and our customers, and we look forward to working with ATU Local 587 to implement these changes and continue our shared focus on providing outstanding service to our growing region.”
“ATU587 is pleased to announce that it has agreed to a new 3 year contract with King County Metro,” said ATU587 President Michael Shea. “This contract is the first agreed upon contract in over six years. This contract by far contains many more sweeping and innovative changes than any other previously negotiated contract between the two parties. These changes will allow our members to obtain fairer, safer and more secure working conditions. They will receive guaranteed breaks that will promote better health and well-being. The creation of a Joint Safety and Health Committee and a Special Committee to address Employee Fatigue to assist in these areas. The use of Part Time operators on the weekends that will create more full time jobs. In all this is the most innovative and progressive contract this membership has ever approved and we are looking forward to its implementation.”
The agreement now goes before the King County Council for approval.
The contract’s key provisions include:
- Wages: Increases of 2 percent; 3 percent and 4 percent over three years, retroactive to Nov. 1, 2016.
- Health care: Opens the door to transit-specific voluntary wellness programs. Metro also will cover the costs of physical exams required for bus drivers to obtain or renew their commercial driver’s license.
- Greater use of part-time drivers: Metro gains more flexibility to assign part-time drivers on nights and weekends, which helps avoid cancelling bus service when a driver is unavailable. This also will help Metro recruit new employees because this change makes part-time drivers eligible for more hours and shift options.
- Guaranteed rest periods: Provides additional opportunities for driver breaks and moves longer guaranteed breaks to more meaningful times in operators’ shifts, such as middle of the day instead of within the first or last hour.
- Vehicle maintenance: Starts one-year pilot at Metro’s Atlantic Base to reduce under-staffing. Provides more predictability in staffing and a higher focus on safety by increasing the shift differential for the swing and graveyard shifts, from 75 cents per hour to 5 percent for swing shift; from $1 per hour to 7.5 percent for graveyard. Also forms a high-voltage committee to develop training for working on high-voltage electric and hybrid buses.
Local 587 represents employees who operate and maintain Metro buses, Sound Transit’s Link light rail and the Seattle Streetcar, and maintains facilities and provides customer service. The Amalgamated Transit Union is the largest labor organization representing transit workers in the United States and Canada.
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