Reporter Central Kitsap
ON THE MAT Cougars and Wolves meet on the mat Page 6
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012 | Vol. 28, No. 15 www.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.com | 50¢
County and union negotiations still on the table Kitsap County in contract negotiations with 19 separate unions By Leslie Kelly kellygreenacres@comcast.net
Contract negotiations between Kitsap County and labor unions representing more than 740 county employees are continuing, according to Fernando Conill, Labor Relations Manager for Kitsap County. The county has been in negotiations with the 19 unions that operate under 13 differ-
ent contracts since earlier this year. In total, the unions represent about 65 percent of the 1,134 county employees. Most of the unions or guilds have been operating under previous contracts, some which date back to 2010. The county’s goal is to get the contracts of the various employee groups up to date and extend the agreed-to contracts through 2014. According to Conill, the county is negotiating with each group individually, except where several unions are grouped together and work under a master contract. He said some of the contract negotiations began in September, others are in progress and some groups are just getting underway, depending on the union. Although some employees have been
working without an updated contract for months, Conill said there has not been any interruption in county services due to the labor negotiations and he did not anticipate any in the future. Conill said the negotiation process can be delicate and sensitive and because of that he declined to discuss specifics of any of the contract offers in public. He said it wasn’t productive and he wanted to maintain the respect of the bargaining process at the table. In general, he said, most county employees represented by bargaining units have been operating under a county wage freeze without any cost-of-living raises since 2009. The county has offered its non-union employees a 2 percent cost-of-living raise
beginning in January and he said similar offers are being made to union employees during the various contract negotiations. He added that the COLA offer also has a need for concessions on the part of the union employees, but would not be specific. He said such things as giving up longevity premiums are being discussed as part of that. Like with the non-union employees, the county has agreed to no new costs on the part of the union employees for their health care insurance in 2013. The county is switching to a self-insurance program in 2013 for all employees and as a part of that, the county board of commissioners agreed to stipulate that the costs See UNION, A2
Fairgrounds fills with toys, children and Marines Bremerton
man charged with threat against father
By WES MORROW Staff writer
The President’s Hall at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds on Saturday was full of children, full of Marines and full of joy. The Marine Corps Toys for Tots program opened the doors at 9 a.m. and stayed through the afternoon, handing out toys to needy children in Kitsap County. Bill Cundiff, a life member of the Marine Corps League, stood in line that morning to shake the hand of each child and wish them a merry Christmas. When Cundiff reached his hand out toward one young boy the child refused the hand, instead rising up and offering a salute. The boy looked right at Cundiff and said: “My grandpa was a Marine, and I’m gonna be a Marine.” Toys for Tots started in the 1940s after Maj. Bill Hendricks and his Los Angeles Marine Corps Reserve unit collected and disturbed 5,000 toys to needy children. The program has grown substantially since it was officially adopted by the Marine Corps in 1948. Toys for Tots has collected and distributed more than 418,000,000 toys since then. “All the kids had smiles on their faces,” said Sgt. Nick Weidner of the Marine Security Force See TOYS, A5
Police recover stolen handgun, shotgun and rifle after suspect flees By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
Wes Morrow/Staff Photo
A boy scout from troop 1506 examines one of the toys from the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program Saturday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
East Bremerton resident James Justin Mort, 31, of 1025 McWilliams Road, has been charged in Kitsap County Superior Court with second-degree assault, with a domestic violence enhancement, and possession of a stolen firearm. According to court documents, Mort got into a physical altercation with his father Dec. 12 and at one point aimed a silver and black semi-automatic handgun with a laser sight at his dad’s head and yelled, “I could blow you away right now!” Mort’s father later called 911 at about 8:40 p.m. to report that a shotgun his son had sold him six months earlier was likely stolen. When a Kitsap County Sheriff ’s Office deputy responded to the residence, police say Mort fled on foot into the woods south of the residence after seeing the deputy’s approach on a video surveillance system. Mort allegedly also grabbed See CHARGED, A3