What could be better than a win-win? How about a win for everyone except politically driven union leaders who put their ego and lust for power over the interest of the people they are contracted to represent?

Spokane County, like several other local governments across Washington, has been successfully negotiating public-employee contracts in the open for the past couple of years.

IUOE Local 280 recently finished their bargaining in public without issue:

Not every local union was ready to be transparent, the Washington State Council of County and City Employees (WSCCCE) had refused to publicly negotiate a new contract. Consequently, the workers represented by that collective bargaining unit have been sitting by since their contract expired in 2020, Meanwhile, other County workers have been getting new contract and raises without issue.

WSCCCE initially dug in its heels. The union filed complaints against the county, bought billboards and radio ads, and staged protests against the two county commissioners who voted to have increased transparency with public funds.

But eventually, WSCCCE caved and agreed to make its contract negotiations public.

Was it the public employees opting out of the union and refusing to pay union dues or pressure from members threatening to quit that motivated the union leadership to back down?

My guess is both.

Most County employees are more interested in getting a raise than playing politics.