Together We're Stronger

• Collective bargaining has concluded on the Telework Policy. Our union successfully bargained for some of the following:
  - Employees working from home or other alternative work locations are no longer required to arrange dependent care. With few exceptions, employees are allowed to provide dependent care and/or provide care for a child while teleworking.
  - DFI can no longer modify any employee's telework agreement without written notice. With few exceptions, DFI is required to address modifications to an employee's telework agreement a minimum of 7 calendar days prior to making those modifications.
   

• Our latest Union-Management Communication Committee (UMCC) meeting occurred on 12/5/23. One of the highlights is that we're working on replacing the EV charging station and adding another! You can read the latest UMCC report here.
   

• Chris Vasseur-Landriault has been elected to represent the Unified State Agencies, which includes DFI, at the 2025-2027 collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Chris will play a major role in crafting a collective bargaining agreement that will affect thousands of public employees, current and future. The work starts immediately and negotiations will kick off in the spring of 2024.
   

• For being a fierce advocate for her fellow workers and an inspiration for the rest of us, Kristina Shenefelt has won WFSE Local 443's Backbone of the Year Award! Kristina embodies the courageous spirit that makes our union strong and continually successful. Congratulations Kristina!
   

• Ken Sugimoto and Chris Vasseur-Landriault have been elected by acclamation to WFSE's Unified State Agencies Policy Committee as delegates of Local 443 representing DFI. Ken and Chris will collaborate and coordinate with union siblings from around Washington on issues and initiatives, and forward requests for action to WFSE's Executive Board.
   

• ​​Collective bargaining concluded on the Infants at Work Policy on 11/8/23. This new policy allows employees to return to the workplace with their infant, which could help employees save lots of money on childcare costs. Our union successfully bargained to expand eligibility for infants in the workplace from 6 months of age to 9 months of age, and as a result, DFI is among the best Washington state agencies in this area of work-life balance.

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• Collective bargaining concluded on the Safety Policy on 10/24/23. A lot of people put a lot of work into updating the policy to comply with state law and our CBA and creating a formal Accident Prevention Program (APP). Both sides were able to come to agreement on every topic our union brought up. Please be sure to read the policy and APP when they become available because implementing the changes we bargained for will ensure we have a safer work environment.​​​​​​​​​

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• Starting 7/1/23, thanks to our collective bargaining efforts, all positions are making 4% more per paycheck, and Financial Legal Examiners are making an additional 2.5-5% more per paycheck depending on job classification. See OFM's website for exact numbers on how much you're now making per paycheck.

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• On 6/29/23, our bargaining unit was recognized by WFSE for showing what union solidarity can do. Read the article on WFSE's website here. If you're interested in getting more involved in union activities, reach out to our Member Action Team (MAT).​​​​​