Megan Pedersen appointed Director of Office of Labor Relations
On Monday, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the appointment of Megan Pedersen as Director of the King County Office of Labor Relations (OLR),
Megan has been the Interim Director of OLR since January 2016 where she helped lead the County to its first ever total compensation agreement with the County’s Coalition of Unions, establishing wages and health benefits for 2017-18, while developing a Total Compensation strategic framework for all bargaining in the County.
Prior to overseeing the Office of Labor Relations, Megan was the Deputy Director of the King County Records and Licensing Services (RALS) Division from 2012-2016, and a Labor Litigator with the Office of Labor Relations from 2010-2012.
Before joining King County, Megan was an associate with Seattle law firm Williams Kastner where she specialized in representing management in labor and employment law matters. She is a graduate of the University of Washington Law School.
As OLR Director, Megan will lead the County’s work in strengthening our new total compensation methodology and work with our labor partners to ensure we are an equitable, innovative and fiscally-responsible government for our employees and the people of King County.
Please join us in welcoming Megan to her new role.
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Holiday Food Drive Extended to Dec. 19
Thank you to all who have given so generously during this year’s Holiday Food Drive benefiting Northwest Harvest. If you haven’t given yet, and you’d like to, you still have time! This year’s drive has been extended until Monday, Dec. 19.
Drop off your pre-packaged, non-perishable donations in the marked collection bins located in many King County buildings. If you have questions about the drive, call 206-477-9400 or email workorderdesk.fmd@kingcounty.gov. Thanks in advance for helping those in need this holiday season!
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Attend a Sounders FC pep rally Friday at noon
The Seattle Sounders have been on an amazing run through the post-season… and now they’re on the verge of their first-ever MLS Cup!
Join your fellow employees at noon on Friday, Dec. 9 as we rally on the Administration Building Plaza (Fourth Avenue side) and raise a flag to celebrate our hometown club and Major League Soccer’s best fans.
If you are on break or at lunch, or not working during this time, you’re invited to put on your Sounders gear, join in the pep rally, and help cheer the Rave Green to a championship against Toronto FC.
Your attendance is of course strictly voluntary, and employees will not be compensated or receive overtime for joining the celebration.
FIGHT AND WIN! Go Sounders!
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Two public defenders become fellows in University of Washington Leadership Institute
Sade Smith and Matthew Sanders are excited about their participation in the Washington Leadership Institute.
Crossposted from For The Defense
Both Sadé Smith and Matthew Sanders became public defenders because they knew it was in the courtroom – fighting on behalf of people who are often marginalized and disempowered – where they could make the biggest difference.
Now, they’re going to get the opportunity to take these values and aspirations to the next level.
Smith and Sanders, both attorneys at the King County Department of Public Defense, were selected as two of 12 fellows for the 2017 Washington Leadership Institute (WLI), a program co-sponsored by the University of Washington School of Law and the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA). WLI recruits, trains and develops minority and traditionally underrepresented attorneys for future leadership positions in the Washington State Bar Association and other aspects of the legal community.
Read more at For The Defense
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Tech Tip: What? Snow? Ice? Preparing to work from home in three easy steps!
The forecast says snow and you want to be prepared to work from home. Before you pack up and take your device with you (don’t forget the power cord), update the security patches. Go to your system tray (otherwise known as the “up arrow” in the lower right that shows “hidden icons”), click on the McAfee logo (it may be just an “M” or look different from this) and click “update security”.
Now, you are secure if you work from home.
Next, you can log in to Microsoft Outlook, Sharepoint and many other applications now without using VPN. (KCIT completed a major upgrade earlier this year to allow for this level of flexibility.) VPN is still required to access some files.
Finally, if you do need to use VPN, please know that KCIT will have 24/7/365 teams available to manage high volume access.
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Weather update: light snow expected for Seattle-Bellevue around 5 p.m.
The National Weather Service has advised that a band of light snow will move into the Tacoma area about 4 p.m. and into the Seattle-Bellevue area around 5 p.m. Expect slick roadways even with the light accumulations that are expected with this band.
Another more significant period of snow will likely move into the area between 7 and 10 p.m. This band has the potential to produce 1 to 3 inches of snow, affecting the tail end of the evening commute.
Please let safety be your guide when making commute decisions. When an agency remains open, but conditions prevent you from reporting to work on time, notify your supervisor as soon as possible. You may request leave, subject to approval by your supervisor. If you have no leave accrued, your supervisor may approve leave without pay to cover absences. Sick leave may not be used. Refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather.
Goat Hill Garage: If you park at the Goat Hill Garage or work at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle, snow or ice could lead to the closure of roads in the vicinity. The City of Seattle has provided these alternative driving routes of the area (see two-page map of routes):
Leaving Goat Hill Garage if Jefferson Street exit is closed:
Route to I-5 or I-90
- Sixth Avenue to Yesler – turn left (east) on Yesler
- Yesler to Boren – turn left (north) on Boren
- Boren to James – turn left (west) on James
- Continue on James to I-5 ramps
Alternate route to I-90
- Sixth Avenue to Yesler – turn left (east) on Yesler
- Yesler to Boren – turn right (south) on Boren
- Boren to Rainier Ave – continue on Boren to Rainier Ave
- Continue on Rainier Ave to I-90 ramp
Resources for commuters
- Sign up for Metro Transit Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcmetrobus, see RSS feed via desktop or mobile RSS reader)
- Sign up for King County Road Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcroads)
- Sign up for King County Water Taxi Alerts (text, email)
- Visit the King County My Commute page
- Visit the Eye on Your Metro Commute (blog during peak weekday commutes).
Productivity: If you have a Telecommuting Agreement and plan to telecommute, make sure that you check your VPN access ahead of time, and report any issues to the KCIT Service Center (HelpTicket@kingcounty.gov or 206-263-4357). Please remember that many work functions can be accomplished remotely without logging into the King County Network. You don’t need remote network access for email (https://owa.kingcounty.gov), online meetings and messaging (Skype for Business, formerly Lync), access to PeopleSoft, or to work on shared documents (SharePoint). All of these services are accessible from the Internet; simply connect to the web address (URL) from your location and log in.
Stay Informed: During an emergency make sure you’re getting the latest King County information on how you are affected, at work and at home:
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it in your phone now!).
- Check your King County email.
- Go to www.kcemployees.com.
- Contact your supervisor.
- Follow King County on Twitter—@kcemployees, @kcnews, and @kcmetrobus.
- Check your agency website or Intranet (if applicable), and monitor local media channels.
- Visit the Emergency News page at www.kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
Superior Court employees: Information will be provided on the Superior Court website, or by calling the following hotlines for recorded updates on the status of work locations.
- Seattle courthouse/NJB employees: 206-205-6747
- MRJC courthouse employees: 206-205-6746
- Youth Services Center employees: 206-205-6747.
District Court employees: Call the employee Information emergency telephone line at 206-296-6820 for recorded information, or check the District Court website for updates on operational status.
Sheriff’s Office employees: All operations that are staffed on a 24-hour basis, or staffed by commissioned detectives or deputies, are considered essential, and employees scheduled to report to work in these operations are required to report to work despite emergency conditions or closure of other county operations. Refer to the King County Sheriff’s Office Inclement Weather Policy.
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2017 King County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration calendars
Click here for more information about the calendar and annual MLK celebration.
We are thrilled folks love the King County calendars and await them eagerly. We appreciate your patience! Calendars will start arriving to distribution points during the week of December 5. We are unable to deliver to each office, so please check below for distribution points.
Employees outside the downtown area: Calendars will be delivered to county offices outside the downtown area the week of December 5, so please wait for the delivery. If you do not have a calendar by December 9, please e-mail paula.harris-white@kingcounty.gov and we will direct you to a location where you can pick up a calendar.
Employees who work downtown: Calendars will be available at distribution points when they are delivered during the week of December 5. Please go to the nearest distribution point to get your calendar on or after December 6.
Employees in these downtown Seattle offices can get calendars from these contact people:
- County Council: Linda Davis
- Executive’s Office: Ayesha Kelly
- Prosecutor’s Office: Dan Fernandez, Admin Building; Kirstie Johnson, Courthouse
- HRD: Kimberly Robinson or Jeremy Rivera
- Assessor’s Office: Rose Dotson
- District Court: Heather Dean (all District Court locations)
- Superior Court: Kathryn Schipper
- DJA: Imee Crisostomo
- DCHS: Teesha Bailey
- KCIT: Christine Ynzunza
- DPD: Leslie Brown
- Public Health: Stephani Scappini, Chinook Building only
- Solid Waste: Chris Varo
- Parks: Matt Perkins
Employees in these downtown Seattle buildings can get calendars at these locations:
- Administration Building general distribution: Room 708, Rose Dotson, Assessments
- Courthouse general distribution: 2nd Floor, Wilena Montgomery, DAJD
- Chinook Building general distribution: 3rd Floor, Sean Heer, FBOD
- King Street Center general distribution: 4th Floor Transit Manager’s Office, Vinh Tran or Edward Burich, DOT
People with questions about calendar distribution may contact Paula Harris-White at 206-263-2444 or paula.harris-white@kingcounty.gov.
Public: A limited number of calendars will be available to the public at the annual MLK Celebration held Thursday, January 12, 2017, at noon at the 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 5th Avenue, Seattle.
King County employees have priority for the calendars.
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Department of Public Defense moves into Dexter Horton Building
Two divisions from the Department of Public Defense (DPD) are moving into leased space at the Dexter Horton Building next week, the first step in what will eventually become a consolidation of DPD’s downtown Seattle staff into one location.
The Director’s Office – about 30 people located on the second and fourth floors of the Chinook Building – and the Associated Counsel for the Accused Division – about 75 attorneys, paralegals, investigators, mitigation specialists and support staff located in the Prefontaine Building – are moving to Dexter Horton. Their first day in their new building will be Monday, Dec. 12.
Note: DPD’s phone numbers will not change. The new addresses for the two divisions are:
Other divisions are expected to move into Dexter Horton over the course of 2017. Eventually, DPD hopes to have all of its employees who represent clients in the King County Courthouse or Seattle Municipal Court – or who provide support to those who represent clients – located in the Dexter Horton Building.
The move to Dexter Horton, a historic building that is also LEED-certified, makes enormous sense, said Lorinda Youngcourt, DPD’s director. The building is located at 3rd Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Seattle, one block from the King County Courthouse and much closer than the buildings some of DPD’s divisions currently occupy. It will also enable the department to continue to build a stronger sense of camaraderie, promote a higher profile in the criminal justice community, establish more collaboration and experience some of the other benefits that come with a single department.
“This move will strengthen the department and support client-centered defense,” Youngcourt said. “Clients now have to navigate a complex system to locate their attorneys, some of whom are far from the courthouse. Our location in Dexter Horton will make it easier for clients, and I believe it will be better for all of us.”
Since its creation more than three years ago, DPD has been a far-flung department, with staff in several different offices in downtown Seattle. The ACA Division, for instance, is in Pioneer Square; another division, the Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons, is at 14th and Jefferson, near the Youth Services Center. The consolidation into one downtown building marks a milestone for the department, enabling the divisions to be clearly separated – required by conflict of interest rules that govern law practices – yet also to work more collaboratively when needs and opportunities arise.
The relocation has also been an enormous undertaking, made more challenging by a tight timeline and the complexities of moving legal offices, Youngcourt said. She praised the Facilities Management Division, KCIT, the Budget Office, DPD’s leadership team and others who have put in long hours and considerable effort to ensure a smooth transition. The Executive Office and County Council have also provided important leadership and support, she said.
“Many people in several different parts of the county have worked with us to make this complex transition happen. I’m grateful for their hard work, considerable skill and ongoing support,” she said.
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New Business Resource Center website
On November 23, the Business Resource Center (BRC) debuted a brand new SharePoint-based website, replacing the current website located on the KC Intranet.
Designed with the needs of its customers in mind, this new site provides a user friendly navigation to myriad resources to help customers of the BRC get easy access to reference materials, trainings and access to the BRC’s Oracle EBS and PeopleSoft systems.
Visit our new home on SharePoint. Remember to change your bookmarks/favorites so that they point to this new site!
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Snow, ice forecast for tonight, more snow possible later in week
More snow as well as black ice could be on the way over the next few days with nighttime cold temperatures expected to drop into the low 20s in some areas.
Snow showers will return late this evening, first in the North Interior and then gradually southward after midnight. The snow level will also lower throughout the evening and snow may accumulate at sea level overnight, with up to 1 to 3 inches of snow. Warmer daytime temperatures will melt snow on Wednesday but the potential for black ice will continue as nighttime temperatures remain in the low 20s until Thursday night.
Make sure you have a plan for your commute and for your family, and expect slippery or icy road conditions. Please let safety be your guide when making commute decisions. Where allowed, employees may be able to telecommute or take a day of accrued vacation or comp time instead of reporting to their normal work location today. Check with your supervisor for more information.
First responders and other mission critical staff are expected to report to their work location as usual. This includes, but is not limited to, corrections officers, 9-1-1 call center operators, emergency personnel, security staff, and certain senior managers. If you are not sure of your designation, please contact your supervisor.
Schools: Make a plan to take care of your kids as some schools may close early while you are at work, or open late or not at all. When schools are closed and King County operations remain open, employees are expected to report to work as usual, or follow applicable personnel policies.
Goat Hill Garage: If you park at the Goat Hill Garage or work at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle, snow or ice could lead to the closure of roads in the vicinity. The City of Seattle has provided these alternative driving routes of the area (see two-page map of routes):
Leaving Goat Hill Garage if Jefferson Street exit is closed:
Route to I-5 or I-90
- Sixth Avenue to Yesler – turn left (east) on Yesler
- Yesler to Boren – turn left (north) on Boren
- Boren to James – turn left (west) on James
- Continue on James to I-5 ramps
Alternate route to I-90
- Sixth Avenue to Yesler – turn left (east) on Yesler
- Yesler to Boren – turn right (south) on Boren
- Boren to Rainier Ave – continue on Boren to Rainier Ave
- Continue on Rainier Ave to I-90 ramp
HR Policies: When an agency remains open, but conditions prevent you from reporting to work on time, notify your supervisor as soon as possible. You may request leave, subject to approval by your supervisor. If you have no leave accrued, your supervisor may approve leave without pay to cover absences. Sick leave may not be used. Refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather.
Stay Informed: During an emergency make sure you’re getting the latest King County information on how you are affected, at work and at home:
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it in your phone now!).
- Check your King County email.
- Go to www.kcemployees.com.
- Contact your supervisor.
- Follow King County on Twitter—@kcemployees, @kcnews, and @kcmetrobus.
- Check your agency website or Intranet (if applicable), and monitor local media channels.
- Visit the Emergency News page at www.kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
Superior Court employees: Information will be provided on the Superior Court website, or by calling the following hotlines for recorded updates on the status of work locations.
- Seattle courthouse/NJB employees: 206-205-6747
- MRJC courthouse employees: 206-205-6746
- Youth Services Center employees: 206-205-6747.
District Court employees: Call the employee Information emergency telephone line at 206-296-6820 for recorded information, or check the District Court website for updates on operational status.
Sheriff’s Office employees: All operations that are staffed on a 24-hour basis, or staffed by commissioned detectives or deputies, are considered essential, and employees scheduled to report to work in these operations are required to report to work despite emergency conditions or closure of other county operations. Refer to the King County Sheriff’s Office Inclement Weather Policy.
Resources for travelers
- Sign up for Metro Transit Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcmetrobus, see RSS feed via desktop or mobile RSS reader)
- Sign up for King County Road Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcroads)
- Sign up for King County Water Taxi Alerts (text, email)
- Visit the King County My Commute page
- Visit the Eye on Your Metro Commute (blog during peak weekday commutes).
Employee News 