They fight for crime victims, yet the professional support staff at Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Washington state were only allowed to work 35 hours a week – despite a 3,700-case backlog. Many weren’t making a living wage; some even had to rely on donations from food pantries.
“We know our work is important,” said Laura Devereaux, a legal assistant who has been with the prosecutor’s office for the past 27 years and is member of Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE/AFSCME Council 28). “We just want to be treated like it is.”
For years, the professionals who seek justice for crime victims were victims themselves – victims of a county needlessly suppressing their hours to hedge against possible budget shortfalls.
The question these crime fighters put to the county during contract negotiations was: “Are we 87.5% committed to support public safety?”
Now, after eight bargaining sessions and two mediations, the legal assistants, legal interviewers and victim advocates have ratified a new contract that recognizes the vital work they do.
That contract, which they ratified this month, increases their work hours to 37.5 per week, equivalent to a 7.1% pay increase. That comes on top of a 4% increase in the contract’s first year, and another 4% increase in the contract’s second year.
The contract also allows staff to revert to a previous position if they don’t clear probation in a new position, take sick leave without providing a reason, gives them a right to cash out for sick leave, among other wins.
This victory brings some justice to the essential workers who fight for crime victims, and it makes Pierce County safer.