|
State of Washington
Marine Employees' Commission
-Working
together for uninterrupted ferry operation-
Photo by Stephen
J. Brown, courtesy of Washington State Ferries
Welcome!
-What's
New-
REVISED MEETING LOCATION
Due to the large number of expected attendees, the
February 26, 2010 Marine Employees'
Commission public meeting will be now be held in the General Administration
Building Conference Room 330, 210 11th Ave SW, Olympia.
Click here for directions and map.
GMAP
The MEC's performance measures for the second quarter of FY 10 have been
finalized and are on MEC's
GMAP web page.
PENDING LEGISLATION
Proposed Substitute Senate Bill 6109
abolishes the Marine Employees' Commission and transfers all
functions of the Marine Employees' Commission to the Public Employment Relations
Commission effective July 1, 2010. The public hearing on this bill was held
February 3, 2010.
MEC'S RULES
Review
of MEC's rules,
WAC
316-55, Impasse Resolution, continues. This chapter needs revision due to
legislative changes made in 2007. The
first draft is available:
Chapter 316-55 Working Copy. Proposed
language to be added is in blue and underlined; proposed language to be deleted
is in red and struck through.
No comments were received before
January 15, 2010; MEC will proceed with submission of proposed rule changes to
MEC's assistant attorney general for final review.
About the MEC
The Washington State Ferries system is the nation's largest ferry fleet,
consisting of 23 vessels--21 passenger and vehicle and 2 passenger only. The WSF
system carries 23 million passengers each year and 11 million vehicles; it is very important to
transportation, tourism, and the overall economy of the Puget Sound area.
In 1983, the Washington State Legislature established the Marine Employees' Commission
(MEC) to protect the rights prescribed by Chapter 47.64 of the Revised
Code of Washington (RCW): rights of employers, employees, labor
organizations, and the public. The MEC is to ensure the operation of the ferry
system is not disrupted by labor disputes, by providing the specialized
attention required to resolve the unique and complex labor relations questions
that arise in the operation of the Washington State Ferry (WSF) system. The WSF system operates 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, so disputes need to be resolved quickly.
The Marine
Employees' Commission is composed of three part-time Commissioners appointed by
the Governor representing labor, industry, and maritime affairs.
MEC's Mission
MEC's mission is to encourage peaceful labor relations between WSF
management, state ferry employees and their bargaining representatives,
in order to provide continuous operation of the Washington state ferry system.
MEC's Purpose
MEC's
purpose is to:
- Adjudicate all complaints, grievances, and disputes between labor and
management arising from ferry system operations
- Provide impasse mediation
- Determine bargaining units
- Conduct salary survey
- Certify fair representation organizations
MEC operates under Chapter 47.64 of the
Revised Code of Washington
(RCW)
and Title 316 of the
Washington Administrative Code
(WAC).
MEC's Goal
MEC's goal is to quickly resolve the unique and complex labor
relations questions that rise. Commission members are trained as administrative
law judges and hold formal administrative hearings to resolve in a timely manner
the often complex disputes in which parties allege violations of the
contract or the law. Monthly meetings are held with labor and management, to
provide a neutral forum for on-going labor relations dialogue.
The Commissioners participate in other collective bargaining roles as well,
including the provision of a biennial salary survey to be used by labor and
management during contract negotiations.
The labor unions under MEC jurisdiction are:
Important MEC Information
Calendar
Case List
Decision Digest
Forms and
Info
GMAP
Legislature 2010
MEC Decisions
MEC History
Meeting Information
Personnel
Requesting Public
Records
Statutes and Rules
Links
Marine Employees' Commission
Evergreen Plaza Building,
Suite 104
711
Capitol Way South
PO Box 40902
Olympia WA 98504-0902
(360) 586-6354
(360) 586-0820--fax
This web page was updated February 8,
2010.
Send mail to
mec@olywa.net with questions
or comments about this web site.
Privacy Policy
| 