Dear Sisters and Brothers,

As a result of the last labor-management meeting between the Coalition of City Unions and the City, there is information about two issues of importance for Local 15 members working for the City.

ORCA cards

Can intermittent employees get ORCA cards? Yes.  The City has agreed to maintain the practice that has been in effect for intermittent employees.

Where can I get the card? Intermittent employees need to go downtown to the Department of the Treasury (Seattle Municipal Tower 700 5th Avenue
,42nd floor) both to get the ORCA card and to have the $81 monthly subsidy put into the E-purse.   Regular staff will have to go to the Department of the Treasury to get the ORCA card, but after that the subsidy will be automatically added each month.  The City is considering re-instating a location at Seattle Center where employees would be able to pick up an ORCA card and to get money put into your E-purse

Is there a window of time to get the card or the addition to the E-purse? Yes.  The window is fairly wide – but it’s quite a while in advance.  The card or the addition to the E-purse has to be obtained in between the 25th of a month and the 13th of the following month – but that for the month after.  So, for example, for the month of April, you’d have to go to the Department of the Treasury between February 25th and March 13th.

How do I show that I’m an active employee, eligible for the benefit? You don’t need to bring anything with you.  When you give your name, they’ll check on the computer to verify that you’re an “active” employee.

What’s “S status”? If you haven’t worked or the City for a period of time (we’re still trying to verify how long), you go into “S” status, meaning that you’re suspended from active status until you work again.  When you’re in “S” status, you can’t get a new ORCA card or the E-purse contribution.  Since this isn’t the way things worked in the past, the Union is trying to see if we can get this policy changed, at least until we have an opportunity to negotiate with the City.

What happens if I don’t use the card right away? If you don’t use the card within 30 days of picking it up, it will automatically become invalid, and you will need to get a new card.  Once you’ve used the card, it will remain effective.

Will the City be able to keep track of my use of the pass? The City assured the Unions that although it is theoretically possible to determine how an individual employee is using his or her ORCA card, they have not and do not intend to do that.

Please contact the Union if you have questions or concerns about the ORCA cards.

Paperless paychecks.

About 90% of City employees have chosen to have direct deposit of paychecks.  The cost of distributing paper records of the paychecks, however, is almost as great as the cost of providing checks.  So the City hopes to eliminate the paper “pay warrants,” as well.  Any employee with access to a computer (either at work or elsewhere) can access records on his or her pay.  In addition, the City has indicated that any employee who wants a paper record of the paycheck, but does not have access to a computer to print it out, would be able to request that the record be mailed to his or her home.  “Phase one” of the plan would be to eliminate the paper warrants for employees with direct deposit; in “phase two,” paper checks would be completely eliminated.  Employees who don’t want direct deposit could instead receive a “payroll card” usable at an ATM.  The exact terms for the card need to be worked out, but the intention is that you would be able to withdraw the entire amount of your pay in one withdrawal; and that there would be no user fee for withdrawals from the payroll card.

Please contact the Union if you have questions or concerns about this proposal.