okay

$0$:$05$

back on the record again and turning to

$0$:$07$

opening statement from

$0$:$08$

$117.$ thank you mr arbitrator the

$0$:$12$

employees

$0$:$12$

in this bargain unit work inside the

$0$:$15$

washington state prisons every day

$0$:$17$

performing essential public safety work

$0$:$19$

for the citizens of the state of

$0$:$20$

washington

$0$:$21$

this is a bargaining unit that covers

$0$:$23$

over $100$ classifications and

$0$:$25$

approximately $6000$ employees

$0$:$28$

they literally keep all of us safe from

$0$:$30$

convicted felons

$0$:$32$

and they perform this duty by providing

$0$:$34$

the inmates

$0$:$36$

with every aspect of custodial care

$0$:$39$

to succeed and they do succeed these

$0$:$42$

employees must be strong

$0$:$44$

calm firm and compassionate they must

$0$:$46$

literally walk a tightrope

$0$:$48$

every day knowing that even when they

$0$:$50$

perform to the highest professional

$0$:$51$

standards

$0$:$52$

things can go suddenly terribly wrong

$0$:$56$

it is difficult to imagine a career in

$0$:$58$

state employment

$0$:$59$

that carries with it higher

$1$:$02$

responsibility

$1$:$03$

and risk yet these employees are grossly

$1$:$05$

undercompensated

$1$:$06$

and they have been for many years this

$1$:$09$

is true by every measure

$1$:$12$

mr arbitrator you will see something you

$1$:$13$

rarely see in interest arbitration

$1$:$16$

that even the employer's own comparable

$1$:$18$

analysis

$1$:$19$

concludes that nearly every

$1$:$21$

classification in the bargaining unit

$1$:$23$

is substantially underpaid relative to

$1$:$26$

any set of comparable jurisdictions

$1$:$28$

using any methodology you will see

$1$:$31$

employees who have lost ground to

$1$:$33$

inflation over the last six years

$1$:$35$

double digit ground in short you will

$1$:$37$

see employees who are not adequately

$1$:$39$

compensated for the substantial risk

$1$:$41$

that they endure

$1$:$42$

to ensure that the public is safe and

$1$:$45$

we're therefore confident

$1$:$47$

that when all the evidence is before you

$1$:$48$

for decision you will conclude that

$1$:$50$

there is overwhelming justification

$1$:$52$

for substantial wage increases and what

$1$:$55$

is the state proposing to remedy this

$1$:$57$

situation

$1$:$58$

a three percent wage increase across a

$2$:$01$

two$-$year contract

$2$:$03$

that is exactly the same increase it is

$2$:$05$

offering to all other state employees

$2$:$07$

along with modest wage increases for $9$

$2$:$10$

out of $115$ classifications

$2$:$13$

which would help only $169$ employees out

$2$:$16$

of a

$2$:$17$

$5700$ person bargaining unit oh do that

$2$:$20$

again

$2$:$22$

so it's nine they're proposing an

$2$:$23$

appendix g you'll see that they're

$2$:$25$

proposing range increases for nine out

$2$:$27$

of $115$ job classifications

$2$:$30$

and that covers $169$ employees out of a

$2$:$33$

roughly $5700$ person bargaining units

$2$:$35$

about three percent

$2$:$38$

so from our perspective it would seem

$2$:$40$

that the state is content to turn a

$2$:$42$

blind eye to these abysmal wage

$2$:$44$

deficiencies relative to comparables

$2$:$46$

to let them fester and to intensify the

$2$:$48$

collapse in employee morale that has led

$2$:$51$

to intractable recruitment and retention

$2$:$53$

challenges

$2$:$54$

that leaves the department of

$2$:$55$

corrections in a precarious operational

$2$:$57$

position

$2$:$59$

now this is disappointing if not

$3$:$01$

surprising because as the union

$3$:$02$

secretary treasurer tracy thompson will

$3$:$04$

testify

$3$:$05$

it was the state's inflexible approach

$3$:$07$

to bargaining in the last round of

$3$:$09$

negotiations

$3$:$10$

and its insistence that all state

$3$:$12$

employee groups be treated in the same

$3$:$14$

way

$3$:$15$

that led to the interest arbitration

$3$:$16$

memorandum of understanding in the first

$3$:$18$

place the union exhibit one

$3$:$20$

which is the genesis of today's hearing

$3$:$23$

in taking its cookie$-$cutter three

$3$:$24$

percent

$3$:$25$

approach to doc employees in these

$3$:$27$

negotiations

$3$:$29$

the state has again failed to recognize

$3$:$31$

that not all work environments are

$3$:$33$

created equal

$3$:$35$

the union's case will therefore start

$3$:$36$

from this important premise

$3$:$38$

we will introduce evidence that working

$3$:$40$

in a prison is unlike working in any

$3$:$42$

other work environment

$3$:$43$

and this may seem intuitively obvious to

$3$:$45$

you but i would submit it's not easily

$3$:$48$

palpable

$3$:$49$

it's very difficult for those of us who

$3$:$50$

work outside prison walls

$3$:$52$

to begin to understand all of the ways

$3$:$54$

in which

$3$:$55$

the prison environment impacts those who

$3$:$58$

work on the inside

$4$:$00$

the union will start its presentation

$4$:$02$

with a $15-$minute film which you've heard

$4$:$03$

about

$4$:$04$

which provides an overview and an inside

$4$:$06$

look at what it means to work inside a

$4$:$08$

prison

$4$:$08$

and then you'll hear from dr suzanne

$4$:$10$

best who will be called as an expert

$4$:$12$

witness

$4$:$13$

to summarize the research on the health

$4$:$15$

both psychological and physical impacts

$4$:$17$

of prison work

$4$:$18$

and her conclusions after conducting a

$4$:$20$

comprehensive study of this par