May 7, 2020
Brothers and Sisters,
Governor Inslee has continued the order to Stay Home and Stay Healthy through May 31, 2020. He has enacted “Safe Start Washington”, a Phased Approach to Recovery plan for reopening businesses and modifying physical distancing measures. This plan would likely put us in Phase 2 by the time June 1st comes around. While the stay at home orders are gradually being eased, Phase 2 has strict guidelines that do not allow gatherings of more than 5. This makes having a Union meeting indoors difficult, at best. Therefore, I will be cancelling the May membership meetings for District 1 and 2. I also had to make a difficult decision to postpone the Summer Semi-Annual General Membership Meeting on June 6th to be in compliance with the Governor’s Stay Home and Stay Healthy orders. We will keep you all up to speed as the different phases are implemented.
IUOE General President Callahan has given Business Managers across the country the discretion to take this action and we are not alone in doing this. We will continue to do E-board meetings to keep everything going as smoothly as possible in these unique times.
We will continue to update the members on what’s happening with the Union, with work, and with all other matters via the website, email blasts, and US mail, or call us by phone. We will allow members to come to the hall on a limited, appointment only basis. Please call ahead of time so we can prepare the conference room for your needs and review the precautions we will need to take. If your business can be done over the phone, please call in so that we can ensure the health and safety of the members, office staff, and others. As always, Business Agents will represent and deal with membership issues as needed.
We ask the membership to continue to work safely on job sites, keep your head on a swivel and persistently follow safety guidelines in every phase.
We must:
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water.
- Use hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available.
- Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay at home if you feel sick.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from other people.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call me at the office 253-572-9612.
Take care of yourselves, this will be in the rear view mirror some day and we can get back to doing business as usual. Thanks for your patience and we hope all is well with you and your family. We will get through this together. IUOE 612 Strong.
In Solidarity,
Todd J. Mickelson
Business Manager
