Historic labor agreement delivers on our employee-focused priorities
King County and the Coalition of Unions have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year Master Labor Agreement (MLA) that will, once ratified, help the County advance towards its goal to be a workplace where every employee has the tools, knowledge and support to innovate, achieve their career goals and deliver equitable, high quality service to our customers. “The MLA delivers on many of the objectives of my Investing in You, Best Run Government and Equity and Social Justice priorities,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in announcing the tentative MLA. “It standardizes many work processes, large and small;… Read More
Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project: Update, complete and open
On Tuesday, October 10, the Yesler Bridge Rehabilitation Project was completed and opened to traffic. Thank you for your patience and cooperation through this process. Check out the Yesler Bridge project video, featuring the historical preservation of the bridge and a general project update. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project further, please contact YeslerBridge@seattle.gov or 206-684-8684. To learn more about the project, visit the project website.
Wheel Options — your trip, your way!
Leave the car at home during October and reap the benefits of sharing or saving rides to work. Complete and track at least six days of Wheel Options—that’s vanpooling, biking, walking, skateboarding, carpooling, taking transit, tele-commuting, compressing your work schedule or a combination of all modes—and you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a chance to win some great prizes—including a $1,500 grand prize, $500 second prize and a host of $50 retail gift cards. Already with Wheel Options? Log-in. So join us in Crafting Your Commute! Questions? Contact Employee Transportation Manager Hossein Barahimi at Hossein.Barahimi@Kingcounty.gov or by phone at (206)477-5853…. Read More
Supporting Disability Awareness Month through Annual Giving Drive
Each year King County employees help hundreds of nonprofit organizations do vital work in our community and around the world by donating to the Annual Giving Drive, and this year’s Giving Drive is now underway. The start of this year’s Giving Drive coincides with Disability Awareness Month, which King County celebrates each October. The following are four participating nonprofits whose work helps people with disabilities in our community (click and scroll down for details): The Arc of King County (9233) – Serving individuals and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities through case management, peer support, leadership… Read More
Join us for a Sea Level Rise in the Puget Sound Lunch and Learn, October 18
Employees are welcome to join us for a presentation on the current understanding of Sea Level Rise in the Puget Sound. Come hear Dr. Ian Miller, Coastal Hazard Specialist from Washington SeaGrant, discuss sea level rise and how it may present itself in the Puget Sound. Wednesday, October 18 from noon to 1:00 p.m. King Street Center, 201 South Jackson Street, 8th Floor Conference Room All King County employees welcome, but space is limited. Please sign up here. For more information, please contact Shaun O’Neil at Shaun.O’neil@kingcounty.gov or 206-477-4432.
Tech Tip: Tighter security for KC internet browsers
On Oct. 14, Google Chrome becomes the first browser to significantly step-up security notifications. If a website lacks a special security authentication, this is what people will see: But not KC webpages that manage health data, financial data and other private data. KCIT inventoried all pages weeks ago to ensure data pages are secure and encrypted and users will NOT see that notification when submitting data like credit card information to a county website. However, because King County has thousands of pages, it was difficult to secure ALL non-data pages by the… Read More
Disability Awareness Month – a history of Metro’s Accessible Transit Services
Crossposted from Bytes and Boxes Today an industry leader in public transit, Metro has been shaped by citizen involvement since its establishment by the voters of King County 60 years ago. One significant area of Metro leadership and citizen engagement has been the development of accessible transit services for people with disabilities. The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (“Metro”) was formed in 1958 with a public mandate to improve local water quality. Over time, Metro expanded to other civic projects and services. The Forward Thrust bond campaign, headed by community activist James Ellis,… Read More
Success at work!
This article is featured courtesy of Karla Lynch, Employment and Community Access Program Manager, with Department of Community and Human Services When we think about our careers, and how we landed in our present jobs, we recognize that each path is unique. The same is true for persons with developmental disabilities (DD). In the early days of the supported employment movement, most people who experienced a developmental disability worked in sheltered workshops – segregated settings in which persons with DD worked together, typically performing a variety of manual tasks. As we’ve learned more about how to… Read More
Domestic partner changes for 2018
Effective Jan. 1, 2018, for most union groups and all non-represented employees, domestic partners and their children will not be eligible for King County benefits, except for state-registered domestic partners. King County will continue to offer employee benefits to non-state-registered domestic partners and their children for the remainder of 2017. Why is King County making this change? King County previously extended employee benefits to the domestic partners of employees to correct an inequity in benefits provided to same-sex couples. This policy was enacted at a time when same-sex marriage was prohibited in Washington. However,… Read More
Employee survey extended until Friday, Oct. 13
Dear fellow King County employee, To make sure we are hearing from as many employees as possible, the 2017 Employee Survey has been extended by one week and will now close this Friday, October 13. This year’s survey period was one week shorter than last year’s, and while our daily response rates are higher than in 2016, we have not heard from as many total employees as we did last year. Employees in all branches and departments of King County, except the Superior Court, District Court and the Sheriff’s Office, and employees who… Read More
Employee News 