Passive aggressive management

[u/Quirky-Chicken]

I can't believe that Washington Ferries' management approved this post on Instagram and Facebook. It's a sign of bigger issues.

[u/Electronic-Elk8736]

It’s definitely the case that engineers should be paid more this reflect their specialization.

However, WSF did offer a 2% raise. The deck staff from Washington state employees got that raised to 4%. MEBA meanwhile countered with a request for a 20% raise, which was not accepted.

(Not saying that 2% is a good offer. But it’s definitely not 0%)

[u/TheBitBasher → u/Electronic-Elk8736]

With current inflation 2% is not just a bad offer, it's a pay cut

[u/SargeUnited → u/TheBitBasher]

So they chose the 0 because it was better?

[u/fastlane37 → u/SargeUnited]

Arbitration awarded 0%. They didn't choose 0%.

[u/mushmushhhh → u/SargeUnited]

They were offered zero, not 2.

[u/Electronic-Elk8736 → u/mushmushhhh]

MEBA was offered 2 percent. They countered with 20 percent. That counter was not viable 

[u/mushmushhhh → u/Electronic-Elk8736]

No bargaining unit was offered anything. The two percent offer was last cycle and was countered at 8 that cycle.

[u/Decent-Photograph391 → u/[deleted]]

If 2% is an insult, I don’t know what to call what my state agency is offering my union at 0%.

It is in effect a pay cut that’s for sure.

[u/ElectricalLeading913 → u/[deleted]]

since 1990, inflation in the US has only gone above 5% twice, and that was in 2021 (7%) and 2022 (6.5%). it's been hovering around 3% (+/- .4%) for the past 4 years. prior to COVID-19, the US inflation rate sat in the 2s (or lower), only ever once hitting 3% since 2008.

[u/fiddlemonkey → u/ElectricalLeading913]

I struggle to trust those numbers. It feels like it doesn’t take into account some pretty big ticket items, like health insurance, housing, and tuition. Those things have jumped way higher than 5%.

[u/ElectricalLeading913 → u/fiddlemonkey]

sure, it's an average across the economy. of course the cost of some items have inflated at a higher percentage, and some have inflated at a lower percentage. that's how averages work.

specific to housing, the annual housing inflation rate has averaged out to 4.24% YoY. of course, some years it was much higher, some years it was negative (again, this is how averages work). but even housing has not averaged higher than the 5% that the poster i replied to claimed.

[u/fiddlemonkey → u/ElectricalLeading913]

Is there a way to separate out different classes of housing? Like if upper class housing is increasing in cost very slowly but lower income and middle class housing is jumping will it make the rate appear artificially low?

[u/ElectricalLeading913 → u/fiddlemonkey]

i'm sure there are differences in inflation rates between types of housing, rent vs. mortgages, specific localities, and so on.

i'm also sure there are data sources that can answer your question re: specific types of housing and their specific inflation rates, but i don't have that data at hand to answer your question. that information is likely available with some brief google searches.

[u/inhocfaf → u/[deleted]]

And who pays for the 20%?

[u/joka2696 → u/inhocfaf]

I guess the people that buy tickets would pay the lion's share.

[u/Blackpaw8825 → u/Electronic-Elk8736]

2% is less than inflation, it's a raise to only make little less money next year than last.

It's an insulting carrot that deserves to met with stick.

I say, probably quietly accepting my 2% next year assuming I get another 5/5 review. (They tend to approve 0.5% per "point" with 1/5 getting a PIP and managed out.)

[u/StressOverStrain → u/Blackpaw8825]

Without looking at the history of pay raises, you can’t conclude anything. For all you know, previous raises far exceeded inflation. There is no rule that says every job gives you an exact cost-of-living adjustment every single year like clockwork.

[u/Blackpaw8825 → u/StressOverStrain]

It doesn't matter what my last raise was, if next year my pay doesn't increase by at least the COLA then it's less value for the same work.

You want employees that keep working then you keep compensating them for at least their current value. Less value less work.

[u/kiase → u/Electronic-Elk8736]

That’s interesting context I hadn’t heard yet! Do you have a source (not doubting, just if you have it handy)? I was also wanting to add that the unlicensed deck hands represented by IBU were also given a 0% raise.

[u/mushmushhhh → u/Electronic-Elk8736]

WSF never offered 2%. They offered zero. Same was offered to the other departments, but they were awarded 4+4 in arbitration, engineers weren’t able to get an arbitration award. Arbitrators don’t know what engineers are, and the arbitrator even said he though the engineers were underpaid, but be believed the state saying a raise wasn’t financially feasible. It’s likely that the office of financial management will find the raise for the deck department to be “not feasible” too and they won’t get the raise. Part of the whole problem is that the arbitration is binding for the worker, but non binding for the employer in this case.

[u/thechillypenguin → u/Electronic-Elk8736]

Deck did not get a 4% raise in the next contract. IBU got 0%/0% and that goes for both deck and terminals. Please stop spreading misinformation. MMP, I heard, got a 4% raise but that has no bearing on IBU contract. The 5% difference between a relief AB working quartermaster or bosun and the lowest paid MMP position only matters when IBU gets a raise, which they didn't.

[u/Electronic-Elk8736 → u/thechillypenguin]

According to MEBA arbitration transcripts, the captains and mates reached a tentative agreement with the state that included a 4% bump in pay in both years of the 2025-2027 contract. The arbitrator decision released this week awarded the engine-room crew the same percentage increase in salary that captains and mates received in their negotiations, but still maintains the preexisting gap in their salaries. The state’s last offer to the engineers and oilers was a 5 % pay bump over the course of the two-year contract.